Barren basketball courts and other sports musings

Ariel Ian Clarito

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Barren basketball courts and other sports musings
'If there's one thing that sports has taught us, that is so long as there's time left on the clock, there's always hope'

 

 

 

The ball simply stopped bouncing. Who would have thought we would see the day that basketball courts all over the country would be barren, desolate places on weekends?  

The enhanced community quarantine that has enveloped the country has made life as we know it come to a standstill. Tasks so basic that we never really gave much thought to all of a sudden became privileges or in some cases, luxuries, if these were still possible to do at all. The spread of COVID-19 has radically changed our shopping behaviors, social interactions, physical activities, eating habits, and daily routines.   

Even the sports world has called what could possibly be a protracted and indefinite time-out. This crisis has relegated sports to near irrelevance, a reminder to us all that there are concerns at this point in our history which take precedence over anything else.  

All major athletic events, both local and international, have been scrapped. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) finally gave in to the clamor to move the Tokyo Olympics to 2021. 

It is difficult to imagine a world where sports is not part of the landscape. Sports is undeniably embedded in the fabric of a lot of people’s everyday lives, whether one is a professional athlete who has to continuously compete to earn a living, a weekend warrior who goes biking or running as a way to stay in shape, or a fan who regularly follows competitions, personalities, or teams.  

Take away sports from the equation, and there will be a nothingness that will feel odd and hollow, a vacuum that will not be easy to fill in. 

“This lull gets to you. I miss watching live sport events even on TV. Sports usually consumes about 20% of my day,“ shared Michael Jaldon, a 41-year-old father of two who is an avid fan of the NBA and the PBA. “I browse the net for news and videos of games. Now, I just content myself with watching replays. It is the only thing satisfying my thirst for sports right now.” 

Jaldon says he supports the suspension of all sporting events because he recognizes that a congregation of fans in one coliseum could result in an outbreak of catastrophic proportions. But like a smoker forced to go cold turkey, he is feeling the withdrawal effects of this abrupt separation from his favorite pastime. 

Davis Cupper Francis Casey Alcantara is a regular campaigner in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) tour. He travels all around Asia to join tournaments. The ITF has halted all competitions until June.  

“Three months of no tournaments is very hard on my part because I am earning only from my tennis right now. I am just lucky that I have a sponsor who gives me a monthly allowance,” revealed the 2019 SEA Games doubles gold medalist.  

Since he cannot even go out to practice, he spends his time cooped up at home watching tennis videos, working out, and catching up on sleep. 

Before this pandemic paralyzed practically the entire world, there were Filipino athletes who were vying for precious spots to the Tokyo Olympics. 

Right before different countries locked down their borders, Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno hurdled the Asian and Oceanian Boxing Qualifying event held in Amman, Jordan to book their places in the Olympics. They joined two other Filipinos who already qualified, Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and Ernest Obiena of athletics.  

Weightlifting superstar Hidilyn Diaz needed to join one more event to officially claim a berth in the Olympics, a mere formality for Diaz since in the latest Olympic qualifying standards, she was technically ranked 2nd in the world.  

Things were a bit more complicated for Junna Tsukii, the country’s brightest hope in karate. At the beginning of 2019, Tsukii was ranked outside the top 200 in the world in the women’s 50 kilogram division.  

She has climbed to No. 9 in the world this year, but she still needed to be the top Asian in the rankings to earn an automatic ticket to the Olympics. She trained 3 weeks in Serbia to prepare for the Premier League Championships where she could have earned more points to boost her world standing. All karate tournaments from the middle of March onwards have since been canceled.  

Since she cannot come home to the Philippines to train, Tsukii has pitched camp in Japan. She said: “I have months to wait until the next tournament. It is a bit hard to do without a goal in front of you, but you want to focus on getting ready for the next battle. But I do believe this decision is very important for the safety and health of people. I respect and want to thank everyone who fights at the frontlines to save people’s lives.” 

Perhaps, when the damage from COVID-19 has abated, Jaldon will once again have his daily dose of sports shows on TV, while Alcantara and Tsukii will continue their careers in the international circuit.  

When that will be, we cannot yet tell for sure. We do not even know if post-pandemic, sports events and fitness activities will go back to how they used to be. But if there’s one thing that sports has taught us, that is so long as there’s time left on the clock, there’s always hope. 

Sports has always been a unifying theme in the midst of trouble and uncertainty, and more so when people have overcome a global crisis. One day, when this is all over, the ball will resume bouncing, and sports will be one of the ways the human race celebrates its road to recovery. – Rappler.com

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