I rarely watch basketball nowadays. But there was a time when I was a fan of a basketball team.
I was a fourth year college student back then in 2007. During that special second semester, I got lucky with my class schedule, which allowed me a lot of free time in the morning and in the afternoon. Since we had no helper then, I used the free time to do some household chores, chief of which was the almost-daily task of folding clothes.
My only consolation during this boring routine was that I got to watch television and my viewing habit coincided with ABC's live telecast of PBA games. It was the first (and probably the last) time I would get to watch almost every game of a PBA All-Filipino Cup, from the opening ceremony right down to the Finals night.
At the start, I was a bit naive about the teams in the PBA so I began by rooting for the underdogs: Air21 and Sta. Lucia. However, Air21 really stunk (I mean, really stunk) on their first game during opening night so I shifted my loyalty to Sta. Lucia.
I didn't expect much from the team, though. I was rooting for an underdog, after all. But, after a couple of early losses, the team finally got wins. And win they did. Again and again, the team pounded the other teams to submission with their relentless, blue-collar defense. Their offense, primarily delivered by Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes, often disappeared at times but the team prevailed through sheer grit and hustle.
The Realtors were fascinating to behold, a world apart from the sheen and glamour of the Magnolia, Alaska, and Purefoods squads, and as their winning streak continued, so did my excitement escalate: I could be watching the next championship squad blossoming before my very eyes.
History would prove my hunch right and the Sta. Lucia Realtors won its second championship in 2008 (Green would be the color of that year in basketball. Later, the Boston Celtics, another team I rooted for, won the NBA championship).
And that's how my life as a basketball fan started and ended. By the next season, I didn't watch PBA anymore (Excuse: work) nor did I want to watch. The Sta. Lucia team divested themselves of some key players and the "aura" just wasn't there anymore.
Still, it was fun while it lasted.
I was a fourth year college student back then in 2007. During that special second semester, I got lucky with my class schedule, which allowed me a lot of free time in the morning and in the afternoon. Since we had no helper then, I used the free time to do some household chores, chief of which was the almost-daily task of folding clothes.
My only consolation during this boring routine was that I got to watch television and my viewing habit coincided with ABC's live telecast of PBA games. It was the first (and probably the last) time I would get to watch almost every game of a PBA All-Filipino Cup, from the opening ceremony right down to the Finals night.
At the start, I was a bit naive about the teams in the PBA so I began by rooting for the underdogs: Air21 and Sta. Lucia. However, Air21 really stunk (I mean, really stunk) on their first game during opening night so I shifted my loyalty to Sta. Lucia.
I didn't expect much from the team, though. I was rooting for an underdog, after all. But, after a couple of early losses, the team finally got wins. And win they did. Again and again, the team pounded the other teams to submission with their relentless, blue-collar defense. Their offense, primarily delivered by Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes, often disappeared at times but the team prevailed through sheer grit and hustle.
The Realtors were fascinating to behold, a world apart from the sheen and glamour of the Magnolia, Alaska, and Purefoods squads, and as their winning streak continued, so did my excitement escalate: I could be watching the next championship squad blossoming before my very eyes.
History would prove my hunch right and the Sta. Lucia Realtors won its second championship in 2008 (Green would be the color of that year in basketball. Later, the Boston Celtics, another team I rooted for, won the NBA championship).
And that's how my life as a basketball fan started and ended. By the next season, I didn't watch PBA anymore (Excuse: work) nor did I want to watch. The Sta. Lucia team divested themselves of some key players and the "aura" just wasn't there anymore.
Still, it was fun while it lasted.
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