Sportsmanship dead in UAAP

By Al S. Mendoza

(Happy birthday to Mario C. Baloto of Mangatarem, who celebrates on July 22.  Friendly Mario is the younger brother of my bosom buddy, Fred, my high school classmate at Mangatarem High School not too long ago.  Kaaron Mario, iner tayu mambuwer ey?)
 

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IT is in sports that we are supposed to always see gentlemen of the first order.

Not anymore.

Take the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines).

Before it opened its doors for the 74th season of the UAAP basketball tournament, fireworks erupted in the boardroom.

Central issue of discussion was Greg Slaughter.

Slaughter, the 6’11” Cebu-born center of Ateneo, became a Blue Eagle last year.  He was recruited from Cebu’s University of the Visayas.

Under UAAP rules, a recruit needs a one-year residency before he could play for the school that recruited him.

Slaughter had met that rule and was all set to play this season.

However, the UAAP rule also said a player, while under the one-year residency, must not play in a commercial tournament outside of the UAAP.

But when Slaughter was tapped to play for the Philippine Team (Smart Gilas), he acceded.

Your country needs you, anytime you drop everything, including your girl friend.

That’s what Slaughter did: Answer the call of duty.

That became the issue when his case was subjected to review.

That materialized even when the UAAP Eligibility Committee had cleared Slaughter, saying the kid played for flag and country and, therefore, he was automatically exempted from the rule.

Still, a hopelessly unconvinced FEU tossed the case to the board for voting.

Ateneo, the host for the season, naturally inhibited itself from the voting in lieu of Slaughter being a reserved Eagle since last year.

The result: 4-3 in favor of Slaughter.  UP, Adamson, NU and UST voted to allow Slaughter to play while FEU, La Salle and UE voted no.

FEU, La Salle and UE showed their unsportsmanlike-conduct but still, in the end, it was La Salle that suffered the biggest black eye.

Why, because La Salle has always been Ateneo’s archenemy. It was expected to oppose Slaughter in the voting.  For, surely, Slaughter would be a huge threat in the two schools’ storied rivalry for basketball supremacy in the UAAP.

I’ve said this line in another column but I have no second thoughts saying it again here:  La Salle missed exhibiting the highest norms of gentlemanliness and sportsmanship when it voted against Slaughter.

The reason is self-explanatory.

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