by rick olivares
When I heard of the “disengagement” I
was not entirely surprised simply because all things come to an end. I was on
the other hand shocked by the timing as it was during the homestretch of the
UAAP basketball season and because of the manner of the parting.
The shock was replaced eventually by
some anger and a sense of betrayal. This is something that shouldn’t have been
played out in public. If the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Drive for Five was
unsuccessful I can only imagine the recriminations that would have followed.
I have and will always be grateful to
those who help out Ateneo de Manila University in any way from scholarships to
the facilities to the sports programs all the way to the drives for charity and
poverty.
Like everyone else, we will always
have issues with other people, institutions, communities and so on. I myself have
my issues with my alma mater including one that made me at one point in time, think
of severing my ties with the school. However, because of the deep roots that
have been formed through the years, I know that whatever disagreements or spats
that take place, I will always find my way back to Loyola Heights that has been
my home away from home.
Truthfully, I wondered what all the
fuss was about the Society of Jesus’ position on mining. It is the position of
the Society and not the Ateneo de Manila. The paper is more reflective than
combative than some in the Society would have wanted it to be.
As for the RH Bill, wherever side you
are, that is never cause for parting ways. I do not like all the laws of our
land as many are pro-rich and very unfair but that doesn’t mean that I will not
follow or obey the law. If you want to put this in a sports context, then
current Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins once said (during his time with
the rival Detroit Pistons): “Agree or disagree in the room, but when the
meeting’s over, align. We always align.”
I can only surmise that it was really
bad week but was the Ateneo the most convenient punching bag? That’s twice now
that we’ve been disengaged. Every time that it has happened it looks like the
school has been orphaned or kawawa.
During the “disengagement”, I was a
little disappointed by the basketball team putting up a simple message on their
jerseys during the Final Four. Sure, I understand their being grateful for all
the help, support, and opportunities that have been provided their way by the
team benefactor but I have always thought that the name in front of the jersey
was more important. It’s like by putting that tag, it was like they had chosen
a side.
In FIFA, they do not allow anything
outside the name of the club and the sponsors on the kit. Anyone violating it
is given a yellow card and can even be suspended. Even during matches, placards
and streamers that have political, race, or religious overtones are disallowed.
And that is the way uniforms should be – kept free from the non-essential
matters.
The only professional sports team in
this world that has permanent markings commemorating a person is the Chicago
Bears with its “GSH” on its sleeves. That is in memoriam of their late founder
and head coach George H. Halas who passed in 1983 and the Bears added his
initials on their left sleeve permanently a year later.
Regarding the name of the school, if
some recruits were in doubt of going to Ateneo because of whatever is promised
them was suddenly up in the air then I say that we drop them. If playing for
the school and getting a diploma there isn’t enticement enough then we are getting
the wrong people. We used to take pride in the graduation rate of our players.
Now we have a few who have not finished. Whatever moral high ground we put
ourselves on while lampooning our rivals is gone. We win the right way, ladies
and gentlemen.
While in Bangkok the past two weeks
for the Suzuki Cup, many asked me my thoughts on the re-engagement, Perasol
being named the 36th head coach of the Blue Eagles, and Ateneo’s
Sports Endowment Fund. I replied to wait for me to get back so I may assess
everything and make an informed opinion.
What is my point in writing this?
I knew that it was a matter of time
for the “reengagement”. Chalk it up to those deep roots. Now I am all for
forgiveness. After all, the man has done so much. And as a parent, my children
commit mistakes not once, not twice but many times over. But because I love
them and I know that it is all part of a maturation process, I forgive them. And
I am sure that if you are a parent then you do the same thing as well.
However, we cannot simply dismiss
things and say, “The past is the past”. Sure it is. But let’s make sure that we
really learn from them.
Now I was surprised at how some
quickly rejoiced because that meant the basketball program funding that had
been so crucial to the team’s success would continue uninterrupted.
This is and should never be about
basketball.
This is what it has come to for some –
that winning has become addictive. I thought that the school taught us much
more than that and that there are values we adhere to.
I understand the vitriol that some have
levied the way of Bo Perasol. If the “disengagement” had not happened then I
don’t think the comments would be this bad. On one hand, it does look like it’s
a package deal but the truth is, when this re-engagement happened, the search
for the next coach was sent back to the committee and they agreed on Perasol
still being the top choice.
Is Perasol my choice? No. I am the one
who threw Alex Compton’s and Louie Alas’ name in the hat (I verbally told the
chairman of the search committee and I guess others picked that up from my
writing about it on my blog). But if Perasol was deemed to be the best by the
committee then I will support their choice. Align, remember?
During times of adversity there is a
silver lining. At the time the school was disengaged, we saw support come out
from sectors that were once dormant. There is also a call for real support for
other programs and not simply basketball. It’s about time. Now the task is to
make sure that this translates into real support and action.
In conclusion, I am saying that I
welcome these developments and yet let’s all be wiser from what transpired. Let’s
welcome back with open arms those who have come back. Let’s also welcome new
additions to the family. And while doing that, let’s temper our expectations
for our basketball team because we all know that we are in a rebuilding stage.
Therefore, we should support the new coach. He’s going to need all the help he
can get because when the losing starts, he will be compared. And that is tough
because it is a wholly different time.
It is the season for not just being
merry but also a time for reflection and of hope especially in the light of all
these new changes. And this is a good time for our Atenean family to get
together to celebrate and look forward to the future.
