Numbers don’t lie: Sports fans are back (Sabong News)
Author
Ramon Bonilla
Date
APRIL 22 2022
The gates are now open.
Gone were the days when we were restrained to digital viewing of our favorite sporting spectacles that were staged in controlled environments — basking in bright lights but without the touch of fan interaction. An offbeat of what was supposed to be an event that is great in capacity and rumbling in action, those months of confinement, virtually far from reaching the doorsteps of big-ticket leagues, are finally over. With attendance soaring to new highs and Filipinos trooping to the arenas like a mad crowd wanting to get the best seat each game day, the industry that was once half alive could be seeing a reawakening that the players, team owners and organizers have long aspired amid this pandemic.
The PBA Governors’ Cup Finals saw a new record for the biggest attendance amid this health crisis when the Smart Araneta Coliseum welcomed 18,251 fans in Game 5 last April 17. The protagonists of the finals series, Barangay Ginebra and Meralco of corporate rivals San Miguel Corporation and MVP Group, could only marvel at the sea of supporters that flooded the historic venue in Quezon City. It was a steady progress of gate attendance for the centerpiece event, with Game 4 reaching a mark of 17,928. Back in Dec., 4,800 fans attended the Christmas Day special that featured the ‘Manila Clasico’ match between Ginebra and Magnolia.
Not even a fire inside the Big Dome last Wednesday could spell a difference for a legion of fans that are expected to flock the Mall of Asia Arena today for Game 6. It could be a treat for the partisan crowd, mostly in Ginebra shirts, if the storied franchise closes the affair and hoist the championship trophy via the shorter route. A seventh game could be sweeter, and of much grandeur, as the PBA penned the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan as a possible venue. Definitely a win for the league that has endured setbacks during this pandemic.
In volleyball, the Premier Volleyball League also had a good number of attendance when over 13,000 fans watched the Creamline Cool Smashers outlast PetroGazz Angels in Game 1 of the Open Conference Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The collegiate leagues — UAAP and NCAA — finally returned to action. The UAAP had opened its games for live audience, with the most notable in the tight quadruple-header schedule being the rival showdown between Ateneo and De La Salle last April 12. It was a different scene at the MOA Arena, with the usual crowd of blue and green transformed into a throng of pink supporters to show unity as the National Election nears. The NCAA could open the gates for the crowd on its last playdate when reigning champion Letran and many-time titlist San Beda clash on April 29. No decision has been made but it is possible that the organizers will allow audience in a yet to be determined venue.
They say, numbers don’t lie. These crowd totals aren’t estimates. These are important details for the industry players to note, a reminder of how passionate the Filipinos are towards sports. This might also serve as an inspiration to strive even more — of producing high quality events and ensuring the safety of every attendee. While the presence of coronavirus still poses a threat to every individual, the image of packed arenas could build the sense of confidence among fans, that there is no other way but to walk back to our old selves and old leisure.
