World Cup Begins And We’re Missing The Boat
Written by Major Tom
Filed under: Sports
June 10, 2006
It’s the biggest show on earth and its happening right before our eyes. FIFA World Cup 2006 finally took off last night amidst great fanfare and excitement. It’s easily the biggest sporting event there is and would you believe, it’s even bigger than the Olympics. I was pleasantly surprised to catch the second half of the opener between host and heavy-favorite Germany and upstart Costa Rica on RPN 9, just about the time German striker Klose scored on a follow-up of his own miss, on the day he was celebrating his 26th birthday—that for a dramatic opening day. My World Cup time clock was a little bit off since I was thinking that the games would not begin till Sunday and if I hadn’t stayed late enough last night, I would have missed the action-packed first game, when in fact do not intend to miss a single night of the coverage. I should blame the lackluster local TV coverage of the World Cup for nearly missing my first night, lackluster in a way that RPN 9, the TV station now carrying the live coverage, have not made even the slightest effort to drum-up this World Cup broadcast when usually there should have been. This astounds me to no end. I mean, this is one of the grandest sports spectacle to be had, if not the grandest, and yet the local television carrying it have not made sure that the viewing public would be reasonably aware of the games on local TV. Just like that upcoming Pacquiao-Larios fight in July where ABS-CBN had been drum beating about it even when it’s still a month before the bloody fight night comes, too far early in fact that I thought it felt like ABS-CBN is cashing so darn well on what could be a very expensive fight to hold or sponsor (They even have this text your answer contest; just like in the Pinoy Big Brother show). This un-ideal situation had left me guessing what TV outfit would carry the games, and it felt like having a lotto ticket in hand—I could never be so sure.
Perhaps, you could say World Cup awareness here in our country is so low and interest for it is nearly nil that RPN 9 did not find it imperative to publicize its present broadcast of World Cup games. Football is not really a sport where Filipinos are crazy about and in my observation only a very small number of the population actually patronizes it, and even a fewer number who had actually played it. Yet in my mind, this could have been the best time to promote the sport of football to our youth, for I believe every sport should be worth endorsing. Sports help take our kids away from youthful misconducts like drugs and violence. Besides, football is one sporting event that we Filipinos could excel if only we put our mind into it. I could in fact see a Wayne Rooney or a Diego Maradona coming out of our midst—small but terrible. Its an event where height is not might, unlike basketball where even our mightiest basketball superstars get bludgeoned in international competitions by far taller and heftier players from countries like China and South Korea. The natural physique of the Filipino is best suited to this game—the smugness and quickness is there. The Philippine Football Federation, the governing agency supervising football in our country should have taken it as their duty to make sure that this year’s World Cup, or for any year for that matter, would not pass us by like a mirage in the desert or like a slight wind that has just gone by. For if we miss it, it’s like we Filipinos are missing the boat. The bus has left and we just missed the ride.
The world celebrates FIFA World Cup. I could even feel the games like a soothing summer wind passing by. The reverberation is felt from one end of the globe to another. And we should be celebrating it too.
I agree with you regarding the wrong choice of sports for the Pinoy to try to excel in. We would have a better chance at soccer in the international sports arena where, like you mentioned, height is not a factor unlike basketball. I guess it’s the Pinoy’s colonial mentality at work there.
However, basketball seems to be favored by many Pinoys simply because any place can be used as a court. Be it the street alleys, school and public playgrounds, or even the backyard. Unlike soccer, where a big space IS a requirement, and that’s not including the gears like those spiked shoes that costs a fortune. Can you imagine the neighborhood children playing soccer in the rice fields and in slippers? That’s why locally, soccer is almost always associated with the upper class folks and schools.
I guess it all boils down to space and economics…. just my two cents.
Happy Independence Day Tom.
Comment by snglguy — June 11, 2006 @ 4:26 am
I too lament the fact that local channels don’t broadcast the World Cup games live. Solar Entertainment owns the rights to the live coverage. Channel 67 is scrambled, no visual just audio. I found out much to my chagrin that I have to shell out something like P6,000 to get the live feed. Most of the matches are shown in the wee hours of the morning which is fine by me since I’m a night owl.
I’ve been a soccer fan since my childhood but ever since I returned to jolly old Pinas I have lost touch with this great game.
Oh well.
Comment by Daphne — June 11, 2006 @ 7:46 am
i totally agree that we filipinos have a better chance getting recognized internationally in sports like soccer or baseball even. wala na tayong pag-asa sa basketball kahit ano pa siguro gawin natin.
Comment by rudyman — June 11, 2006 @ 1:13 pm
To snglguy: I do not intend really to push soccer as a replacement to basketball–that’s is kinda illusionary knowing how basketball has been inculcated already into our culture fior centuries now. But I just thought that maybe we can have another sports to excel in, toe-to-toe with basketball.
Yeah, football seems to be closely associated with kids belonging to the upperclass, which shouldn’t be in my opinion. But here, only guys from Ateneo and La Salle seem to have interest in it.
But you know, guys like Ronaldo were once poor kids who had to play soccer without the proper equipments. He even had to walk miles just to play on a regular field. Children in Africa learns the stuff by playing it on places like beaches and wide rural plains. Maybe, we just need to push the sport a little and maybe then, aside from basketball, we could have another passion.
Comment by Major Tom — June 11, 2006 @ 3:22 pm
To Daphne: And much to my chagrin, it seems that RPN 9 won’t be broadcasting it live on a regular basis. There was no coverage last night and I missed the much-anticipated England game against Paraguay. I had to watch some clips from CNN. Luckily, there is this CCTV broadcast and it was clearer than crystal. Never mind that I didn’t understand the commentators.
It’s sad that my cable subscription had no Solar channel in it. I’ve got this subscription with SykCables’ rival and I should have switched long ago. What an unfortunate circumstance.
But I guess, the CCTV coverage is just but right to me.
Comment by Major Tom — June 11, 2006 @ 3:28 pm
To rudyman: That seems to be the situation pare although right now, the present crop of basketball superstars we have may stand a little bit of chance in the international arena. With some luck and something like a small miracle, then maybe we ain’t that hopeless in basketball.
Comment by Major Tom — June 11, 2006 @ 3:31 pm
in defense of basketball: it’s a team sport that enshrines individual play as much as team play - that can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it, but it’s immensely attractive not just to the Pinoy psyche: the concept that one man, at the right place at the right time, can change the course of mighty rivers, and the game as well
ever wonder why there are no Pinoy super teams? or why we vote for the personality rather than the platform? we are, at heart, very individualistic, and basketball just oozes with that. soccer, while it can have it’s moments, does not ^_^
Comment by jorge — June 12, 2006 @ 1:20 am
Hi jorge. I am nighty glad you came by once again. I’ve always been looking forward to your “blog resumption”.
Your opoinion is very veritable. But my view is not inclined towards that. Basketball is good to us and its a very good sport but I was just hoping that maybe,—and should be—football is one sport where we could also put our mind into it.
Comment by Major Tom — June 12, 2006 @ 8:19 am
ideally, i agree - we are better suited anatomically for football than we are for basketball - pero masaya basketbol e! ^_^
Comment by jorge — June 12, 2006 @ 8:14 pm
major tom! read my latest post, we can watch LIVE World Cup Football for FREE on the internet, and if you bring your monitor resolution down to 800*600 you can get a real good picture, parang tv talaga!
Comment by bambit — June 13, 2006 @ 4:47 pm
FIFA is really hot!
Comment by racky — June 13, 2006 @ 8:08 pm
To jorge: Yun nga, we love basketball since its fast and furious, and high-scoring; unlike soccer kung saan masyado konti lang ang scores. Pero, I am certain it can be also fun in many ways.
Comment by Major Tom — June 14, 2006 @ 4:48 am
To Bambit: Thanks really for the link info. I’m sure gonna download it. Can’t believe its free–its like its too good to be true. Sana it runs on my dial-up connection.
Comment by Major Tom — June 14, 2006 @ 4:50 am
To racky: It’s hotter than the sun. You’re so lucky you can watch it live whenever you want to coz the venues is virtually just around your corner.
Comment by Major Tom — June 14, 2006 @ 4:58 am
It remind me of my younger days when I used to play soccer, we used to call it football though and I did shift to basketball as my sport for the (perhaps) lack of adverstisements and support from the concerned institutions during that time. Anyway, I agree with others that this sport should be pushed to pinoys co’z we can excell on this one! We are capable of kicking thier as* so to speak…..hehehe
Comment by Flex J! — June 16, 2006 @ 3:37 am
offtopic: dumaan lang po ako!
Comment by textmates — June 16, 2006 @ 8:07 am
To Flex J: To be sure, its one sport we can be so adept at. Like jorge said, we are autonomically fitted for it.
To textmate: Thanks for coming by. I hope you’d be here always.
Comment by Major Tom — June 16, 2006 @ 2:54 pm
We’ve got the world cup coverage continuously turned on at our office cafeteria. A couple of my office pals who were originally Trinis just got up and cleared their lunch table visibly upset when England went ahead of Trinidad -Tobago by a couple of goals. Toronto being a mosaic of all cultures, it is a soccer crazy town. Angolans having their own banner waving crowd and mini-parade makes people say - huh? Didn’t realize we had many Angolans around here? I love to see Italy get beat only to be amused by the Italian community rants and whining - upset Ginos curse on the radio talk shows.. and of course my loquacious but amusing barber, an Italian who paid $800 to watch Italy play at the world cup in N.Y. when it was held in the U.S. many years ago..he just doesn’t stop talking about soccer. World Cup Soccer is the greatest sports spectacle - beats the Olympics by a mile.
Comment by bw — June 16, 2006 @ 2:59 pm
Just want to point out that soccer has also failed to generate the same excitement and passion from North Americans. Surprisingly, however, the school systems — both public and private — support this sport and most kids play the game. But then again, once these students attain the physical attributes to engage in more taxing and competitive sports, most switch to baseball, football, or basketball. Even the children of immigrants — whose parents are diehard soccer fans — tend to do the same. To date, I cannot understand why this is so.
Comment by erisac — June 16, 2006 @ 10:45 pm
very true indeed. I think soccer fans in North America dig their teams back home - the European and Latin American leagues. Soccer for them is identified with their countries and their home leagues. Soccer is quite popular in the elem schools here in Ontario but there’s really no serious competition beyond the school leagues.
Comment by bw — June 17, 2006 @ 2:25 am
I’m crazy about soccer and i love most the World Cup, sayang di masyadong kilala sa atin tong sports na ‘to.
..Anyway, wanna greet you “Happy Father’s Day” Bro.Tom…hope i’m still welcome here even though i’m not a regular visitor ^_^
…Godbless!
cheers,
-kathy-
Comment by kathy — June 18, 2006 @ 6:10 am
To BW: What I know is that Canadians, being partly of French origin, if not mostly, is a little bit adept at soccer than Americans. I know that Steve nash, that NBA star, was first a soccer player before becoming a hoopster.
To erisac: That seems to be patent but hey, the U.S. team is ranked a high No.5 in the FIFA rankings. Many seems to disagree with this but I guess they deserve it all too well since they just took the highly vaunted Italian team to a draw.
To kathy: Thanks for the greetings. Maybe in due time, we filipinos can get the hang of the game known as “the beautiful game”.
Comment by Major Tom — June 18, 2006 @ 3:51 pm
Question lang po Major Tom, may sked po ba kayo ng World Cup sa RPN 9? Thanks!
Comment by Ver — June 25, 2006 @ 3:16 pm
Hi Ver…To my chagrin nga…what I saw in the RPN telecast ay parang broadcast for the openeing day lang kasi after that wala ng coverage. Talagang nainis nga ako. Siguro sa quarterfinals baka ipapalabas nila on a delayed basis, like 4 years ago sa PTV 4.
Nanonood ako ngayon ng World Cup sa CCTV1
Comment by Major Tom — June 27, 2006 @ 4:28 pm