By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
It is no exaggeration to say that basketball dominates this country. You can always count on the proud fans of our national team to show up in competitions. As small as a country that we are, our love and support for the game of basketball knows no bounds. And how could we not? The game merely requires players, a ball and a hoop. The combination of the game’s simplicity and Filipino resourcefulness produces some of the awe-inspiring ways we make do with what we have. Images of shirtless kids playing with a ball and a hoop in the middle of slums are countless.
However, as I grew older and the influence of the internet grew rapidly, I came to learn of the sport that dominates the entire world, football. Or as our very American inspired English would like to call it, soccer. It not only maintains a hegemony of the number 1 spot on earth when it came to sports, but also brings out the passion and craziness among people.
Over in England, where the sport of football/soccer was created, a famous quote can be heard, “It’s the hope that kills you”. Teams would often lose just by 1 or 2 points. No wonder hope can truly kill you. Whereas in basketball, where the lead often burgeons to double digits, a loss with 1 point is a bit harder to swallow.
And, as Filipinos, we are no strangers to being killed by hope. As a colony of Spain, our forefathers fought an uphill battle against the colonizers, but through countless sacrifices and an ocean of blood spilled, they gained hope of independence, a light at the end of the tunnel. That light was then snuffed by American imperialism.
Under foreign rule once again, hope seemed gone. That is, until talks of Philippine independence sprung up again. Light seemed to penetrate the imperialism covering our country. Then American imperialism was shattered, broken by Japanese bombs and bullets, and once again hope was burned down by warfare.
Even under Imperial Japanese rule, our forefathers fought and fought on. But despite the determined movements, hope, seemed always out of our grasp. Then, as years of warfare terrorized this country, we were able to raise our own flag. Not under any foreign flag, but alone up in the air, under the sun. Hope was caught, and independence was achieved.
Throughout our lives, so long as we breathe, we will face challenges, obstacles and so many more inconveniences. And so long as there is an opportunity, there will be failures, and defeats. The more we grow older, the more will we have to face uphill battles. It may take time to get back up, and it may be longer to try once again.
However, this democracy we are living under, was not merely given to us. Filipinos fought for freedom and they achieved independence.
Let hope be fuel for our actions that get us closer to our goals. Anyone can be ambitious and anyone can dream. But only if we chase after them can we reach them. Let hope be the sun that shines over us all. Though it may be gone for some time, it will always come back. **
