Women ballers cherish PBA All-Star shot: ‘We can do what men do’

MANILA, Philippines – When the PBA formally launched this year’s All-Star Weekend festivities with a press conference Thursday, August 4, men occupied long tables at the dais, chatting, laughing, and appearing comfortable.

But at the very end of one of the tables, on the right hand side from the crowd’s view, sat two figures in ponytails – representatives of the women’s 5-on-5 All-Star event. They looked thrilled. 

“As we all know, here in the Philippines, women’s basketball is.. not exactly taken for granted, but it lacks attention,” said Sarah Mercado, who plays for TNT and was a player for Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP from 2007 to 2011. 

“Participating in the 5-on-5 for the All-Star Weekend, which is a big thing here in our country, it’s really important for us because it’s an avenue where we can get exposure, or where people would know that there’s really talented women basketball players that need attention.” 

For the first time the PBA included a 5-on-5 women’s game in the All-Star Weekend’s lineup of events, an upgrade from the regular 3-on-3 matches that take place in between the men’s games during conferences this season. 

“Women’s 3-on-3 has been a good exposure for us. That’s a big stepping stone for us. Being part of the All-Star Weekend is a greater step because it’s one of the firsts for women’s basketball,” Alaska’s Camille Ramos chimed in.

Mercado and Ramos both believe participating in the All-Star Weekend is a step forward for women’s basketball as the game will be shown live on national television. The regular 3-on-3 tournament occurs during the news time slot after the first men’s game and does not air on TV. 

“Being exposed on national television would be great for us,” noted Ramos, who first held a basketball at 3 years old and spent her UAAP career at De La Salle University from 2009 to 2013. 

Although getting airtime during the All-Star break is welcome, the league is still working out the kinks as it was also criticized over the summer for imposing a rule for no “boy-cut hairdos” on women players. 

‘We can do what men do’ 

The 26-year-old Mercado, who first started playing at 7 years old, expressed women ballers’ longing for a professional league like the PBA.

“Ang daming nasasayang na talent for women kasi after college days wala nang (A lot of talent gets wasted because after college there’s no)professional league where we could take our talents to the next level,” she shared. 

Part of the problem is learning how to puncture the male-dominated basketball culture and landscape, all the way down to the casual fan. After all, women’s hoops is not all that different from men’s play. 

“Actually women’s basketball is really the same with men’s basketball,” explained Mercado.

“May sakitan din, may thrill, may challenge. Nandoon ‘yung masarap na feeling kapag nananalo ka, if you win the championship. I think the difference only is that we’re women, we’re girls. And I think we’re in a country where men’s basketball is the norm.” 

(There’s also physicality, thrill, challenge. It also feels great when you win, if you win the championship.) 

The players said there’s definitely plenty of trash talking as well. 

“I guess you can say we can do what men do,” Ramos articulated it best. 

Mercado and Ramos both grew up playing basketball, same as many kids in this hoops-mad archipelago. 

“I liked the feeling, I liked the sport,” Mercado remembered her neighbors teaching her the game. “From then on I never stopped playing even though I got injured so many times. Nothing can stop me from playing basketball.” 

For the most part, Mercado did not encounter rejection from the game because of her gender. She attributed that largely to being tough as nails even in childhood. 

“For me wala naman kasi sinasaktan ko rin sila (For me I don’t have that experience because I hurt them as well). So basically they see me as a guy also.” 

Ramos, who played alongside boys in grade school before her first organized play at 12 years old, quickly learned the value of resilience as a first grader. 

“They told me ‘yung pwede lang maglaro was ‘yung pwede mag-shoot. And medyo na-down ako noon (only those who know how to shoot could play. I felt down afterward),” she recalled. “The next year I beat them all.” 

The women’s 5-on-5 exhibition match will take place before the centerpiece All-Star Game on Sunday, August 7, 5 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com