I HAVE been in the world of sportwriting for more than four decades, closer to five actually because I started doing sports features way back in 1977.

Assigned beats then were the NCAA, UAAP, MICAA, WNCAA, and road running.

But my dream beat was the PBA.

It took a little time though before I finally got my PBA accreditation and pass, and believe me, I would watch practically every game I could, commuting from Paco to Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, just like other die hard PBA fans then.

The PBA was the beat for me and in the late 70s to the 80s and 90s, those for me were the glory years of the league with every little boy dreaming of someday playing in the PBA, and pretty female fans, including celebrities swooning and fantasizing about PBA stars. We in the sports media in turn were having our own fantasies about these beautiful celebrities.

I was contributing heavily then in Sports World, Sports Weekly, and Sports Digest, even as I had stories in other sports magazines and was already a contributing writer for national dailies like Manila Times , Manila Standard and Bandera.

And basketball was a regular subject for me, mostly features on players, coaches and officials, even team owners like Fred Uytengsu, who was an intimidating figure to a lot in sports media.

I was ecstatic when I could watch out of town PBA games, either thru the PBA or sponsored by a PBA team. Players were rockstars in the provinces the way women’s volleyball players are now.

I made a lot of friends in the PBA, many of them retired from full time work like me, but still remaining friends, even becoming clients in my management consultancy work. You see writing has always been on the side but it remains as my constant love.

What I have now, I earned from my long stint in the coporate world as a management guy, when I was with Victoria Court in the 90s, running its operations. My friends increased, including colleagues and even some PBA players, after all, I could give out free rooms. Alaska even had a party in Hotel La Corona in Ermita one Christmas a d in Lipa, the Ginebra team stayed in Hotel La Corona de Lipa, which was part of the Victoria Court Group.

When I got married in 1983, my best man was ex Utex player Fritz Gaston with whom I work with now at the Philippine Sports Commission( PSC) as one of its four commissioners.

Among my entourage, I had Frankie Lim, Ed Cordero, and Bambi Kabigting while my kids’ ninongs include Fritz and Ed, plus Hector Calma and Steve Watson.

I consider myself very fortunate that I was given the opportunity in life to live part of it among those basketball legends, meeting and interviewing them, as I said even becoming personal friends with some including their families.

The Crispa-Toyota rivalry, the grandslam years of some teams, icons like Robert Jaworski, Mon Fernandez, Bogs Adornado, Atoy Co, Philip Cesar, Manny Paner, Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codinera, Johnny Abarrientos, Hector Calma, and Vergel Meneses just to mention some, seeing imports like Billy Ray Bates, Norman Black, Andy Fields, Bobby Parks, Sean Chambers, and many others, coaches Baby Dalupan, Tommy Manotoc, Ed Ocampo, Dante Silverio, and Perry Ronquillo, team owners Fred Uytengsu and Danny Floro, the list of memories and names is endless for me.

That was how intertwined my life was with the PBA then, though I admit that my interest has toned down and I do not go out of my way to watch live PBA games but still follow it, albeit not as much definitely from before.

And so you may ask, why am I reminiscing about Asia’s first professional basketball league?

Well, the PBA is a far cry from how it was in those glory years, number one would be in terms of live attendance, even during finals except if Ginebra will be there, gone are the fans that used to pack the games. Same with watching games on mainstream television stations .

It is a very different world now for the PBA, a lot of challenges , perhaps problems would be the more appropriate word, that need to be faced and overcome .

Actually, I will need to do another piece, which I will, just to dwell on the matter including the many suggestions from basketball fans like me who are saddened by what we see now in live games and many other concerns.

Bottom line for me is there is no single solution simply because there are too many problems facing the league presently.

And so, I pose the question, what is the future for the PBA?

Share your thoughts with me.