“…For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe…” –Romans 1:16

During the crucial moments of last weekend’s UAAP battle between the University of the Philippines (UP) and Ateneo de Manila University, my daughter tried hard to get me into the game after I repeatedly told her I was no longer interested.
My daughter, I, and my wife are all products of UP and, for quite some time, I have lost interest in basketball—all leagues of the sport.
Why are there sporting competitions in the first place? To instill gentlemanly behavior, good manners, and right conduct in the hearts, minds, souls, and character of all athletes before, during, and after each game. This is no longer a concern for athletes, the institutions they represent, and even alumni.
I have long voiced this sentiment against the UAAP and other sporting competitions; as noted in a column from September 2014:
“I said it before, and I will say it again: We should immediately disband the existing collegiate basketball associations among colleges and universities in Metro Manila… The NCAA and UAAP games are meant to develop sportsmanship, camaraderie, and turn students into well-rounded citizens. Yet, it is clear that these games have become fertile training grounds for selfishness and self-glorification, where victory should be achieved at all cost. The money that schools have been spending on these games are clearly wasted, and should now be channeled to more productive endeavors… The bigger question here is this: Why are our students and athletes behaving rudely? If one looks closely enough, lack of disciple and unruly behavior are no longer the monopoly of student-athletes… More and more of our present day students across the country have become wayward likewise, whether male or female. Indeed, part of this problem could be attributed to a breakdown of school discipline… [This] breakdown on the other hand could be traced back to the removal of subjects like religion and good manners and right conduct from their curriculum, and to the castration, as it were, of the power of teachers and administrators to impose discipline on account of laws like the Juvenile Justice Law which punishes disciplinary measures with stiff penalties… Come to think of it, however, the bigger part of the problem actually is caused by a family environment where the father and mother themselves lack discipline and moral moorings, where children are no longer taught about the fear and love of God but, owing to their exposure to visual and online media, imbibe instead views, perceptions, and conduct that are often disrespectful, violent, immoral and downright evil.”

***
Reactions? Please call 0977-805-9058, 0918-574-0193, or 0933-825-1308; message me on Facebook at Melanio Lazo Mauricio, Jr. or attybatas; or email batasmauricio@yahoo.com or mmauriciojr111@gmail.com/WDJ