The Other Side
by rick olivares
Officiating is never easy and boy is that an understatement. I tried it one time and sucked at it. Never again. Having said that, does that make me a more sympathetic person towards the zebras? In a way, but not necessarily so because the men who blow the game whistles do it for a living and have done so for years. Is there room for error? Definitely. I expect them to blow some but sometimes, I can’t seem to believe that most people saw it one way when they didn’t get the call right. In fact, I always thought that many of the calls went against my home blues team in seasons past and it has deprived them of a legit shot to win a title or even advance. There were times I railed at it and there were times when I thought that my team played bad pure and simple.
This year, the scrutiny on UAAP Men’s Basketball officiating and its whistleblowers NABRO has been all the more intense. While I think that the calls are still the same as in seasons past – meaning it isn’t good – the reason why it’s all the more under a microscope is that some teams that were the beneficiaries of calls before aren’t getting it this year. And I’d also say that it is because of the manner in which the League Commissioner has chosen to go about his duties in a more confrontational manner such as the incidents with the staff of Adamson, Ateneo, and UST to name a few.
On the other hand, it has become a convenient excuse to blame others for their troubles. So I decided to ask NABRO for their side (take note that I said their side not anyone else’s since we’ve just about read about the others’ everywhere) in going about their job. I left out general discussions on why calls went this way since that was left on the basketball court, and I didn’t want to misquote anybody.
Suspend your belief and disbelief for the next few minutes. Just read it with an open mind then you can curse, offer your eyeglasses to them like what that guy from La Salle did last Saturday, or pay them off if you think that’s what’s right for you.
Mga ex-player kami. O kaya mga frustrated basketball players. Hindi lang pag-referee ang trabaho namin. Yung iba sa amin pulis, fireman, overseas foreign worker, negosyante, o architect. Pero lahat kami propesyonal kung sa ayaw niyong maniwala.
Bakit kami nagre-referee?
Kasi enjoy din kami sa basketbol. Hangga’t maari gusto namin mag-officiate ng magandang game. Yung perfect game. Iba rin yung magandang laro na kasama kami. Yun ang high namin na kahit paano bahagi kami ng magandang laro. Pero hindi nga rin naman kami perpekto. Nagkakamali din kami. Hindi excuse yun pero pinapanood namin yung mga laro at yung mga tapes ng bawat laro. We look at our mistakes. We talk and try to make sure that we get better. Meron kaming mga taripa na sinusundan.
Mahirap din yung trabaho dahil wala kang panalo. Kahit yung nanalong team sisisihin ka sa mga tawag.
Tanong nga ng misis ko, bakit gusto ko yung ganitong propesyon eh puro batikos naman kami? Pag nagkamali pati anak namin nagtatanong, “Pa, bakit ganun, eh wala naman foul?” Pinagsasabihan kami. You have to make quick decisions all the time. Pero base sa mga taripa ng officiating guidelines namin, meron kaming tinitignan na hindi alam ng mga nanonood. Mahirap din para sa kanila kasi pagdating sa iskwela, tinutukso sila na benta raw papa nila. Kahit sa dyaryo walang pahinga sa mga batikos. Naririnig namin yung mga mura at insulto pero trained kami na hindi magpakita ng emosyon o reaksyon. Paminsan minsan nag re-react kami pero kailangan hangga’t maari wag kasi makaka-apekto ng laro. Kapag nagkamali kami hindi namin agad nakakalimutan. Ilang araw din bago mawala sa isipan namin. Nung na-garahe yung isang kasama namin gawa ng laro ng FEU at La Salle, siyempre apektado kami. At yung second round game ng Ateneo at NU, ayun, naka-garahe na yung dalawang ref sa laro na ‘yun dahil sa failure to control the game (the match was way physical with a lot of trash talking). So we also have our fears. Parang natatakot kami mag-second guess kami sa mga tawag namin.
Mismo nga NBA o PBA; kahit PBL hindi rin perfect yung mga tawag. Mahirap din. But someone has to do the job ika nga. Nakapanood na ba kayo ng laro – kahit saan, anumang liga – na walang nagpropotesta sa tawag? Yung Olympics nga sobrang daming no-call. Masyado lang mainit kasi lahat gusto manalo at maraming team kasi may chance umabot ng Final Four this year.
Mga bayarin daw kami? Subukan kaya nila magpunta sa mga bahay namin. Tignan din nila mga player nila. Matagal na kami sa basketbol. Marami kaming napupuna pero tahimik lang kami. Kasi maaring hindi naman ganun talaga yung pangyayari di ba? So sa amin na lang yun. Minsan lang kami magpalitan ng obserbasyon ng mga ‘to. Tignan mo minsan yung tira, porma, galaw, o kilos. Yung iba dyan araw-araw nageensayo pero ganyan ang laro. Bakit hindi nila tanungin yung mga player nila?
Yung mga reaksyon ng mga coach? Oo, nagrereklamo sila pero at the same time, tactic nila yan. Para ma-technical o kaya kunin yung suporta ng crowd nila.
Nagpapatapon yung iba tulad ng isa. Bakit kasi lahat ay nagawa niya na para sa koponan niya tapos ayaw pa rin mag-responde. Yung isa tatakbo sa court kunwari aawat pero at the same time may sinasabi tungkol sa player ng kalaban nilang team. May mga taripa kaming sinusundan tungkol sa laro. Yun ang sinusundan namin.
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