Photo by Mario T. Dagdag
The principles and values of an institution are safeguarded by its rules and policies. It is unclear, however, what the amended residency rule of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) aims to protect.
In its monthly board meeting held last Tuesday, March 5, the UAAP approved a two-year residency rule starting Season 76 for UAAP high school players who decide to enroll or study in a rival UAAP school for undergraduate studies. Aside from altering the original one-year residency period, the UAAP also removed the option for schools to release a player unconditionally and waive the residency requirement.
A misrepresentation
The motivations behind the rule change are not compelling enough and misrepresent the ideals of the UAAP. Although the previous rule is meant to help schools keep their best high school players from being lifted by other member schools for their seniors’ varsity teams, the UAAP oversteps its place as the premier collegiate tournament of the country by implementing a policy that will adversely affect the primary stakeholder of the league: the student-athlete.
This issue is way bigger than Jerie Pingoy and many others before him who mulled playing for a different UAAP school. If the issue is due to the “buying” or “bidding” of talent, then a rule must be structured to address just that. The new rule does not solve anything.
While the new rule zooms in on the many instances of players going to “the highest bidder,” a blanket rule on high school recruits is unwise as there are also non-star players who are not recruited by their seniors’ varsity teams.
It seems the UAAP values the sports programs of the schools much more than it values the student-athletes themselves, who are reduced to assets that schools supposedly have a claim to. There is created a false sense of obligation or utang na loob.
Insisting that such a residency rule is key to protecting the interests of all member schools does not weed out the problem and only highlights a culture of crab mentality—a sign of immaturity and selfishness. Still, various and crafty methods of recruitment will find ways to go around the rule. Why not recruit the high school player to transfer even before he finishes his high school years, for example? Alternatively, there also lies a disadvantage for UAAP schools that do not have co-educational high schools.
Arguing that pirating talents is detrimental to the league is dubious in the world of sports, where teams from professional leagues trade or coax star players into donning their colors.
The value of sports
Playing collegiate sports is a privilege, but neither the UAAP nor the school has a right to dictate the exercise of that privilege by imposing a rule that implies that it is wrongful, unfair or offensive to play for a rival. It is in that degree of competition where the value of true sportsmanship and honorable competition flourishes—it is where the great value of sports comes into the lives of those who play.
The new residency rule can deprive the player of a holistic education that will leverage his potential in areas where he has the talents to apply himself as a future professional. What of many students’ dreams to enter the University of the Philippines, De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas? Many student-athletes have their hopes in being recruited to play for and receive their college educations from these schools.
The GUIDON has found throughout the years that freshman student-athletes in the Ateneo who came from other UAAP high schools chose to don the Blue and White because of their desire to receive the Ateneo education. These high school kids must be free from whatever obstacle might influence or scare them from whole-heartedly pursuing both their college and sports dreams.
Furthermore, the spirit of the previous residency rule for UAAP high school athletes understood that the situation differs from transferees among UAAP colleges. The new rule wrongly tries to put one standard for two completely different scenarios.
In the end, the beauty of sports lies in the fact that winning is not everything—that champions are those who know how to face defeat with strength of character. The new UAAP rule forgets that it is a collegiate league made up of such champions.
Just let the kids play and leave the nasty politics out of the game.
Updated April 1, 2013, 12:22 AM to revise the statement that said the rule change was unanimously approved. UP and the Ateneo voted against the rule change.
