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Blame Marquez for PBA Plunge?
By: Marc Anthony Reyes
August 1992
What ails the PBA?
Commissioner Rey Marquez himself confirmed the 24% decrease in audience attendance in the First Conference. And from the looks of it, the condition may have worsened in this conference as double-headers have been played before sparse and sleepy crowds.
So, what keeps the people from going to the NASA, in spite of the string of fast-paced hardcourt actions, sideshows and innovations?
“Hindi ko nga maintindihan, siguro nagsasawa na ang tao sa panonood ng PBA, ‘yun nga’ng ini-launch nilang mga dancers and Prudential Challenge, parang lumalabas na nagta-trying hard sila,” said a 30-year old tailor who watches the games with his two sons every Sunday. Some disgruntled spectators at the gallery could not hide their sentiments and even went to chanting, “hanggang si Marquez ang nakaupo, tuloy ang pagbagsak ng PBA” in chorus.
Marquez, who assumed the position of commissioner at the start of the 1992 season, was criticized for the unexpected nosedive in audience patronage. He succeeded Rudy Salud, under whose administration the PBA reached its peak.
Others, however, reacted in favor of the soft-spoken commissioner and blamed external factors for the decline. “Nagkaroon kasi ng pagpapalit ng gobyerno, nadagdagan ang channels sa telebisyon na nagpapalabas ng alternative entertainment. Tapos, meron pang Olympics mania,” elaborated a 20-year old Political Science student.
“Marquez should not be compared with Salud, (Leo) Prieto and (Mariano) Yenko,” stressed a 48-year old self-confessed PBA fanatic. “The PBA (at Marquez’s time) has already lost its novelty and is faced with stiff competition with other sports.”
Surprisingly, last Sunday, the NASA was in full capacity as fans trooped once again to fill the seats that had long been void. “Does it look like the PBA is losing its attraction?” Senator John Osmena asked. “Of course, Commissioner Marquez is doing a fine job. Let’s give him enough time to really proved his worth.” Purefoods head coach Ding Panganiban, likewise, expressed reverence for Marquez, “Perhaps, the people are expecting too much from him considering that Rudy Salud did a very good job in the past,” he quipped.
Aside from the sideshows, where the all-female group called Whiplash gyrated on court with exciting dancesteps and revealing outfits, the jampacked crowd that night was treated by the one-man show of Samboy Lim. Although bothered by his sprained right ankle, Samboy dazzled all night with his aerial artistry. “Si Samboy lang ang bumubuhay sa tao ngayong semifinals, hindi mo malaman kung ibibigay ang bola o isu-shhot,” adulated a 60-year old grandmother of four.
To catch up with the viewers’ unpredictable frame of mind, it seems that the PBA has to do a lot of dusting off in its old friendship with basketball fans.
Decline will soon be over
The PBA, in its crucial stage of recovery, is moving heaven and earth to regain its lost glory. Commissioner Rey Marquez cited several factors responsible for the PBA’s unexpected decline and aired plans for the future of the country’s premier basketball league.
The empty seats, the sparse and sleepy crowd and the poor TV ratings may soon be a thing of the past. “I think it’s just a cycle for every five or six years,” claimed Swift coach Yeng Guiao.
The PBA’s waning drawing power, contrary to popular belief, had manifested as early as last year. “In fact, the 1992 season is the recovery period of the very poor 1991 season,” stressed Marquez, who assumed the position of Commissioner at the start of the season. “Considering that the PBA is also a form of showbusiness, whose main fare is to entertain the fans, we are facing up to stiff competition with various sorts of entertainment,” he quipped.
“But these factors should not be an excuse,” Marquez averred, “The important thing is to decide on what to do in the future. We can’t afford to be sitting there like those times when (the PBA) was on its peak.”
The PBA, according to Marquez, makes it a point to demand the best performance and behavior from the players, managers, coaches and referees. “There must be no lulls in hardcourt action,” he added.
“We also employed a customer-oriented marketing approach. We’ve moved the game on an earlier time and tickets now are in easy access,” Marquez explained. And to prove that the pro league is indeed on the verge of rally, the commissioner noted a modest 5% increase in gate attendance in this year’s All-Filipino conference as compared with last year’s for the same number of game days.
Although there have been no concrete decisions arrived at yet, the PBA is crowing over the exciting possibility of changing venues. And at the latter part of the season, considering that there are lots of contracts expiring, we may witness a number of trades and transfer of players.
So there.
By: Marc Anthony Reyes
August 1992
What ails the PBA?
Commissioner Rey Marquez himself confirmed the 24% decrease in audience attendance in the First Conference. And from the looks of it, the condition may have worsened in this conference as double-headers have been played before sparse and sleepy crowds.
So, what keeps the people from going to the NASA, in spite of the string of fast-paced hardcourt actions, sideshows and innovations?
“Hindi ko nga maintindihan, siguro nagsasawa na ang tao sa panonood ng PBA, ‘yun nga’ng ini-launch nilang mga dancers and Prudential Challenge, parang lumalabas na nagta-trying hard sila,” said a 30-year old tailor who watches the games with his two sons every Sunday. Some disgruntled spectators at the gallery could not hide their sentiments and even went to chanting, “hanggang si Marquez ang nakaupo, tuloy ang pagbagsak ng PBA” in chorus.
Marquez, who assumed the position of commissioner at the start of the 1992 season, was criticized for the unexpected nosedive in audience patronage. He succeeded Rudy Salud, under whose administration the PBA reached its peak.
Others, however, reacted in favor of the soft-spoken commissioner and blamed external factors for the decline. “Nagkaroon kasi ng pagpapalit ng gobyerno, nadagdagan ang channels sa telebisyon na nagpapalabas ng alternative entertainment. Tapos, meron pang Olympics mania,” elaborated a 20-year old Political Science student.
“Marquez should not be compared with Salud, (Leo) Prieto and (Mariano) Yenko,” stressed a 48-year old self-confessed PBA fanatic. “The PBA (at Marquez’s time) has already lost its novelty and is faced with stiff competition with other sports.”
Surprisingly, last Sunday, the NASA was in full capacity as fans trooped once again to fill the seats that had long been void. “Does it look like the PBA is losing its attraction?” Senator John Osmena asked. “Of course, Commissioner Marquez is doing a fine job. Let’s give him enough time to really proved his worth.” Purefoods head coach Ding Panganiban, likewise, expressed reverence for Marquez, “Perhaps, the people are expecting too much from him considering that Rudy Salud did a very good job in the past,” he quipped.
Aside from the sideshows, where the all-female group called Whiplash gyrated on court with exciting dancesteps and revealing outfits, the jampacked crowd that night was treated by the one-man show of Samboy Lim. Although bothered by his sprained right ankle, Samboy dazzled all night with his aerial artistry. “Si Samboy lang ang bumubuhay sa tao ngayong semifinals, hindi mo malaman kung ibibigay ang bola o isu-shhot,” adulated a 60-year old grandmother of four.
To catch up with the viewers’ unpredictable frame of mind, it seems that the PBA has to do a lot of dusting off in its old friendship with basketball fans.
Decline will soon be over
The PBA, in its crucial stage of recovery, is moving heaven and earth to regain its lost glory. Commissioner Rey Marquez cited several factors responsible for the PBA’s unexpected decline and aired plans for the future of the country’s premier basketball league.
The empty seats, the sparse and sleepy crowd and the poor TV ratings may soon be a thing of the past. “I think it’s just a cycle for every five or six years,” claimed Swift coach Yeng Guiao.
The PBA’s waning drawing power, contrary to popular belief, had manifested as early as last year. “In fact, the 1992 season is the recovery period of the very poor 1991 season,” stressed Marquez, who assumed the position of Commissioner at the start of the season. “Considering that the PBA is also a form of showbusiness, whose main fare is to entertain the fans, we are facing up to stiff competition with various sorts of entertainment,” he quipped.
“But these factors should not be an excuse,” Marquez averred, “The important thing is to decide on what to do in the future. We can’t afford to be sitting there like those times when (the PBA) was on its peak.”
The PBA, according to Marquez, makes it a point to demand the best performance and behavior from the players, managers, coaches and referees. “There must be no lulls in hardcourt action,” he added.
“We also employed a customer-oriented marketing approach. We’ve moved the game on an earlier time and tickets now are in easy access,” Marquez explained. And to prove that the pro league is indeed on the verge of rally, the commissioner noted a modest 5% increase in gate attendance in this year’s All-Filipino conference as compared with last year’s for the same number of game days.
Although there have been no concrete decisions arrived at yet, the PBA is crowing over the exciting possibility of changing venues. And at the latter part of the season, considering that there are lots of contracts expiring, we may witness a number of trades and transfer of players.
So there.
