So how did you react when the Gilas lost
the match to the towering Iranians during the FIBA Asia Championship?
It was a little heartbreaking for me and
disappointing at the same time to see the Gilas missing their shots, which the
Iranians took full advantage of en route to their FIBA Asia championship win. Unluckily,
our Gilas players were not able to replicate their previous stellar performance
which saw them finally overpower the mighty Koreans after several attempts
before. On a positive note, however, our beloved country is already assured of
a slot in the FIBA World Cup to be held in Spain next year.
Yes, we lost the match to Iran, but still
gained something valuable out of it nonetheless.
Filipino fans did not take the Gilas’
painful loss sitting down as they stormed to Facebook and Twitter to make their
sentiments known. And who bore the brunt of their online rants? The Iranian
players unfortunately (as if you don’t know). The fans turned to both their
sense of humor and imagination in order to come up with witty and at the same
time very insulting remarks about the Iranian players. Most of the remarks that
I have read zeroed in on the alleged body odor of the Iranians (puso vs.
putok). Obviously, the fans took revenge by resorting to below the belt unkindness.
How insensitive can they get? Can we not
just be gracious in defeat? Is this how we treat our foreign guests? I thought we are known for being hospitable?
Our country’s historical run in the
tournament has been marred by issues of discrimination perpetrated by the Gilas
fans, with our Iranian opponents at the receiving end. This could be used as a
prime example for Francis Bacon’s Idol of the Tribe. In my own words, this
pertains to a situation where an individual’s sense of nationalism has caused
him to make nasty remarks about others who do not belong to his own
race or tribe. It cannot be denied that the match united Filipinos (both basketball and non-basketball fans) to a significant
degree, but their unified online rudeness towards Team Iran was uncalled for and very unsportsmanlike.
Being proud of one’s race or country is
highly encouraged. Racism, never.
Filipinos cry foul at the slightest hints
of discriminatory tirades against them. But are we not also guilty of making
the same offense towards people of other nations? And yet we are hurt when given our own dose of it?
In any game, winning is all that matters undeniably. But how about being gracious in defeat? I think it matters too.
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