On February 12, 2014, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) set an all-time record attendance at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 24,883 fans witnessed Game 7 of the semi-finals showdown between Ginebra and San Mig Coffee. Arguably the country’s two most popular local teams, both squads were vying for a spot in the Finals of the much-anticipated Philippine Cup.
Formerly known as the All-Filipino Cup, the Philippine Cup is widely regarded as the most prestigious of the three annual PBA conferences or tournaments. The main reason for this tournament’s unparalleled popularity is due to a rule that only this tournamet possesses: Teams are not allowed to hire foreign players or imports to suit up for their respective campaigns.
Imports are considered instant game-changers in the local basketball scene due to their advantage in terms of physical stature, athleticism and skill set. These foreign players can take cellar-dweller teams and instantly turn them into title contenders, an indication of the type of dominance they are capable of.
Despite the highlights and excitement that foreign players bring to the table, the Filipino audience still prefers an import-free tournament. The reason for this isn’t because of what imports are unable bring to the nation’s basketball stage, but because of what they take away from it.
One of the major things that imports take away from Philippine basketball is the potential playing of local athletes. As a result of the competitive advantage that imports offer, their respective coaches are practically forced to play their imports for a majority of the game. Just by looking at previous statistics from last year’s Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, it is easy to see just how much the imports are prioritized. Most of them average over 40 minutes per contest, which is close to the entire duration of a game.
In addition to significantly affecting the mere distribution of minutes, imports also dominate the touches. Once imports enter the scene, teams practically adjust their entire offensive and defensive schemes to accommodate them, often making them the focal point of their strategy. As a result, a number of local players’ roles are vastly diminished.
But apart from the minutes and the spotlight, these imports take something much more important from our local players: A roster spot. For players who serve as the team’s 15th man or players buried at the end of their coach’s depth chart, an import-laden conference presents the problem of unemployment. Teams are basically forced to release certain players hanging onto their childhood dreams from the roster to make room for these so called game-changers.
Although imports are able to raise the level of play, the cost of allowing these foreign players in the PBA far outweighs the benefits it presents. So instead of pushing teams to recruit the best foreign talent available, the PBA should focus on the country’s local talent. The league should focus on providing local players the best opportunity to develop and create lasting moments that will forever be etched in Philippine Basketball lore. And the first step to achieving this is going all-Filipino the rest of the way.
