FIBA Asia home court advantage isn’t all that apparent in first game
For many Pinoy fans, the Philippines' hosting of the FIBA Asia Championship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cheer on our national team at home in an important international competition.
Perhaps some might be expecting a truly vicious, hostile cauldron in the Mall Of Asia Arena this week. A wave of noise that would have visiting teams shaking in their boots even before the opening whistle. Think Boston Garden hosting the Celtics in the '80s. Or Old Trafford, Man United's home, when Chelsea comes over for a kickabout.
“I'm hoping to see a crowd that rivals a Ginebra-TNT game, or an Ateneo - La Salle match, but united” said my friend Joe Dy on Facebook. Joe intends to catch a game soon.
Sadly there was very little of that fervor when Gilas defeated Saudi Arabia last Thursday, 78-65. The atmosphere was a bit less than pulsating. The noise just isn't there.
Instead we got a largely polite crowd that did cheer on the big scores but hardly gave Gilas an edge, in my opinion. There are several reasons why this is so, from what I can see.
Firstly, the house wasn't full, even though tickets were extremely hard to come by at the ticket booth.
ALSO READ: Korea stuns China in FIBA opener.
The ticket for the Thursday afternoon session actually got you into a triple-header, the China-Korea tiff at 5:45 p.m., the Philippines game, then the nightcap between Kazakhstan and Thailand.
Problem is, there were a significant number of Korean and Chinese fans who took in the first game and left after Korea upset China by four points. Their seats could not be “re-bought” by Pinoy fans, resulting in scores of empty seats in many of the sections.
Ideally there should be a way to allow those seats to be acquired by Pinoy fans after the first game of the session concludes. Perhaps SM Tickets can issue numberless tickets just before tip-off. That way a full house can be ensured.
However there could be safety issues with a scheme like this.
Incidentally, I like the ticket pricing very much. There's a ticket for every budget, with Gen Ads going for as low as P100 a pop. Azkals home game organizers please take note.
Whatever organized cheering present was disjointed and uncoordinated. There were three groups of Gilas cheerers from what I could tell. One bunch on the east side, a gang on the west side with drums, and the Ultras Filipinas, a group that supports the Azkals, behind the north goal.
CHECK OUT: Slideshow: photos of Philippines – Saudi Arabia.
All three groups were in the nosebleed seats, far away from most of the crowd. In fact the general admission and much of the upper box were characterized by large swathes of empty seats.
All three groups cheered lustily but only once did I hear one group pick up and continue the cheering from another group. There was no spontaneous cheering from the masses that I could pick out. No crazies in the lower box sections who were there to whip up the Pinoys into a lather.
In the Korea-China game there was one such lady in the Upper Box area who shouted herself hoarse in support of the Korean team. Korean fans were spontaneously clapping and cheering in unison during that game, as were the small band of Iranian expats during the Persians' 115-25 romp over Malaysia that kicked off the tournament.
Perhaps Gilas could have made an effort to organize the cheering a bit. Maybe create a group of elite cheerleaders from the idle UAAP cheering squads, give them easy hand instructions for communication purposes, station them around the lower box area, and lead the throng in simple cheers.
There was a simple but very catchy “Laban Pilipinas” cheer that was coming from the group in the west side. Unfortunately they were the crew with the drums, and after starting the cheer a capella, would accompany the cheer with drumbeats.
My seatmate, Ebong Joson, who has experience running the Kaholeros, another Azkals cheer squad, observed that the drums drowned out the cheering and made it harder for people in the crowd to join in.
I would agree. I think that drums should complement cheering, not overpower it. Drums alone sans cheering is the worst in my opinion.
ALSO READ: Qatar rallies in 4th to upend Japan.
I tried cheering the “Laban Pilipinas” in section 221, Lower Box but it didn't catch on. (Maybe I lack the charisma?)
I hope that the cheering and fan support improves as the tournament goes on. Because the experience of watching live is still fantastic.
Gilas has a great display outside the entrance to the arena proper, on the second floor. It contains not just info about the event, and biographies of the Gilas players, but also a sweeping history of the game in our country.
Sepia-tinted photos can be seen of Pinoy Basketball glory days of yesteryear. The galactics of Philippine Hoops lore gaze at you smiling, many holding aloft trophies and medals. The names are etched in the annals of the sport. Loyzaga. Mumar. Lorenzo. Jaworski.
There's an extraordinary photo of the Philippine team playing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics against Uruguay. The caption says that in those days the game was played outdoors on a Tennis court. In the crowd you can see what look like umbrellas. It's raining, and they're playing Basketball. We finished fifth that year.
Hoops is in our DNA. It's embedded in the very fabric and culture of our nation. This is a special moment in our Sports history. It bothers me that the passion we have for the game isn't yet being translated into a good enough atmosphere for this competition. I'm hoping that the subsequent games will be better.
Gilas labored against Saudi Arabia, a team no one expects to contend. Tougher opponents loom. It's obvious that the squad needs all the help it can get. Lets hope we, the fans, can give them the extra push in the coming games that wasn't there on Thursday.
Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
