The merger between the world’s best sports TV coverage group, ESPN and the country’s local Sports 5 spells a new era in sports broadcasting.
ESPN stands for Especial Sports Programming Network and has been America’s most extensive television coverer of the best sports events in the world like boxing title fights, the Olympics, world athletics championships, swimming, world-class tennis, major league baseball, FIFA world soccer, golf and many more. During the 70s, a local TV network attempted bringing to Philippine audiences live coverage of the MLB (Major League Baseball) World Baseball Series thru the satellite telecommunication system.
Many baseball aficionados were elated initially because the TV executive in charge of the transmission was a die-hard baseball fan and had desired that Filipinos get to watch world-class baseball on local television. The effort lasted only a couple of years for lack of commercial sponsors.
I am hoping that ESPN 5 (that’s the new name they will carry) can bring about a renaissance even if most of the events to be covered and shown will be American sports in nature.
For one thing, I don’t know how Filipinos will identify themselves with American football, cricket or ice hockey and some other event that is not regularly played in our country.
These three sports are extensively covered by ESPN because of their large audiences in various continents around the world.
Cricket is competitively played in India (1.3 B pop.), in England, Australia and other Commonwealth countries that have felt the British influence.
Its rules are somewhat akin to baseball but are quite complicated to understand. You have a batter who tries hitting at a ball thrown by a pitcher and an umpire standing by. That is all how I understand the game.
American football might be appreciated to a degree but its stop and go action, unlike basketball, will not sit well with Filipino audiences especially with the masa who goes gaga over non-stop action.
For a while, I did like it when I was a resident in LA many years ago. I had to master the names of proficient talked-about QBs and the passing records they are successfully able to throw to their teammates for the TDs (touchdowns).
But I did not like ice hockey and the NHL. There was always fighting due to shoving and pushing. But Americans lapped that up.
I think executives of the Kapatid Network should seriously review and take a survey among Filipino sports fans which games they would prefer watching and following in the Philippines.
Major League Baseball is soon to wind up its regular season as the NBA hostilities unwrap. Thus, the World Series is the marquee event that is on the calendar this October till early November. Baseball has a great following among folks in the sixty and up age bracket.
Because the cold winds of autumn and the snowy winter will prevent fans from going out to watch outdoor spectator sports, indoor games like the NBA will keep the American sports fanatic queueing up at the ticket booths of many coliseums around the USA.
Boxing will never run out of time. All year round, action inside the ring is extensively watched around the world.
Billiards I believe has a huge grassroots fan base here. ESPN covers it including straight pool and snooker as the playing arena is not as wide, square meter wise.
Still, for the Filipinos to get benefited by this exposure to TV sports, ESPN 5 should avoid airing sports events that cannot find identification with the local sports fan, including aspiring potential national athletes.
Martial arts like karate, taekwondo, wrestling and mix martial sports will also find their place in the local boob tube. Gymnastics, swimming and athletics likewise.
A toast to ESPN 5! Cheers! (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) Titus 3:4: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done but because of his mercy.” GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
