Realign support from basketball to football

Patriotism is the best legacy one can offer for his country.

Ramon Ang and Manny Pangilinan, the principal supporters of basketball, together with the heads of colleges and universities through the Philippine Basketball Association, University Athletic Association of the Philippines, and National Collegiate Athletic Association can become better patriots if they can further innovate and realign their support from basketball to football.

In basketball, height is a great advantage—which Filipinos do not have in abundance. Not so in football where the ball is played on the ground where agility compensates for lack of height. Football is the No. 1 sport in the world with the highest-paid athletes. Yes, innovate now and Filipino footballers may yet become our next overseas foreign workers or better: overseas professional athletes. Football generates billions of dollars for the world economy. A World Cup game is watched by about 400 million people worldwide.

The importance of football is also felt beyond sports—well into geopolitics. Some say that one reason why Saudi Arabia refused to junk the petro-dollar in favor of the Chinese yuan is because of its determination to host the 2030 World Cup, which the United States can undermine. On this, Saudi Arabia has already engaged, among others, the services of the two top football players of the world—Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—to clinch the hosting of the World Cup.

James M. Imbong,former president,

Pampanga Football

Association,

San Fernando, Pampanga,

[email protected]