"for He satisfies the hungry and fills the thirsty with good things."

10.12.2013

Oh yes, I'm a fan


I am officially coming out in the open. I have been a long-time basketball fan, especially so collage basketball. I have debated with myself  about doing this post at this time at the expense of joining the bandwagon (oh no, that is not something we do, do we?) but I think this is such a fitting time since UST IS AT THE BRINK OF ANOTHER CINDERELLA FINISH!!!

Fierce Tigers Fans (Photo by Czeasar Dancel/NPPA Images)

That said, I am going to claim now that I have been a Growling Tiger fan since I was in third year high school. Haha. But I think my liking for the game began with summers spent at my favorite cousin's home in a far flung barrio, playing one-on-one or with her brother in the middle of nowhere under the blazing mid-morning heat. And in the afternoons we would cheer our lungs out at the barangay pa-liga. Do I hear young and wild and free? :)

Though as much a crazy fan as any (watching my fave teams win do-or-die games inspired me to ace quite a few do-or-die exams back in collage), I have only watched UAAP basketball live a total of two times to date. The first one was back in 2009, barely a month of living in Manila and fresh out of an open-heart surgery! It was the 2nd round matches of Ateneo-UST and FEU-UE, which eventually became the final four match-ups that season. There was a wildly noisy and engaging crowd at the Araneta Colliseum that day. I remember my mom being super scared that I might literally shout my heart out due to my still healing chest wound. haha.

The other game I watched live was just last month, another Ateneo-UST match (and UE, this time playing --woohoo!--UP). Yes, THE Ateneo-UST do-or-die game. Dangerously heart-stopping, definitely not recommended for post heart-surgery patients. haha. 

Up to the very last minute I was still undecided about going and who to tag along what with all my work-load and activities at church, not that I complain. A Wednesday in September is just not the best of times. But I finally decided to go and I went alone. Here are some things I learned from that afternoon which made me think cheering loudly (for UP as well as UST) all by myself was well worth it.

1. Why I like college basketball: Although I also watch basketball for the game itself (I have learned quite a few technical things from more than a decade of spectator-ship) , school pride makes it all the sweeter. Your team is your team forevermore if you are an alumni. Even if they're down on their worst season (UP) or riding the tide towards what will be their best yet (UST) you couldn't just suddenly decide to cheer for the opposing team. You can't change teams. You just can't. Well, I can't. I was the crazy woman by herself up at the upper box raising her hands and shouting at UP's last lost--almost won-- game this season. But I'm sure I was not the only one doing that. :)

2. Try this if you're really stressed out and not functioning properly: go watch a game live. After that game I seriously felt that my brain has been washed off all the grime that's blocking my thought process. I was alert and super enthusiastic. That is what all the shouting, cheering and not-minding the outside world for a few hours can do. But, like all of the best of the world's antidotes, TAKE IN MODERATION. And make sure to face the world with your freshly scrubbed grey matter afterwards. What I really mean is, you have a life to return to, don't use this as an escape from it. And another precaution: I only tested that it works when your team wins. Hehe.

3. The gem that I really took out of this: If I could cheer that loudly and that long for my favorite UAAP team, I should do better than that when I worship God, the Lord of lords. Worship is of course an issue of the heart but sometimes we are just too lazy to lift our hands, we get tired easily, we clap mechanically, we wouldn't even raise our voices when we sing. Or shout in praise. God deserves far more than that from us. So for me, taking my experience from cheering on a mortal sports team, I always try to capture that excitement, that passion and direct them to the One to whom they are rightfully due.

Having borne my heart out, let me finish with one last pahabol message:

GoUSTe! Make History today!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Your thoughts: