CHICAGO - When Converge bought the Alaska franchise in the PBA last March 2022, the goal was to have fun while taking the fans along for the ride.
What happened instead is dismay and disappointment, the unmistakable symptoms of buyer's remorse.
Converge is finding out the hard way that no one really knows what's happening behind closed doors. And now that it has an inside look of the league they just joined, the FiberXers are mortified at what they've seen.
READ: PBA chairman to meet Dennis Uy over Delta Pineda impasse
In a tersely worded statement, team owner Dennis Uy decried a duopoly by the powerful San Miguel Corp. and MVP blocs, demanding a "level playing field" while citing fairness as a "core virtue of sportsmanship."
So, where does Converge and its broken heart go from here?
The answer lies in the title of a wildly popular NSYNC song: "Bye Bye Bye."
GOODBYE, AS IN ADIOS. SAYONARA. SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR.
A good friend of Uy, who requested anonymity, told me in a telephone interview that Converge is willing to sell the franchise rather than dealing with the league's push back and discrimination against Pampanga governor Delta Pineda.
"Sa kanila na lang yung liga. Hindi welcoming ang PBA. Pagod na kami," he said.
Denying Pineda, Comverge's choice as team governor, a seat in the PBA board is clearly the flashpoint of the FiberXers' hasty exit.
Can you blame them?
The FiberXers were allowed to set up shop but prohibited to choose the person they wanted to represent them as governor. What kind of business model is that?
Like any other organized activity, autonomy, not meddling, is essential to success and harmony.
But there are other factors pushing Converge away.
The PBA is in decline, Uy pointed out, unable to sell more tickets than the vibrant. ultra competitive UAAP.
The PBA appears to be no longer the No. 1 destination for choice top amateurs and pros. Hello, Robert Bolick and how are you doing Carl Tamayo?
THE PBA IS DEVOID OF ANY PARITY.
Only teams from the SMC bloc or the MVP group routinely make the semis and contend for a title. The last time an independent team won a title was 16 conferences ago in 2016 when Rain or Shine captured the Commissioner's Cup.
Who wants to watch a "competition" where the outcome is so predictable.
Also, the PBA has a commissioner, that is, never mind. You can fill in the blanks there.
Any hope of meaningful change in the PBA is dim.
"They won't allow it. And they have a total of nine votes to make sure their agenda is advanced," Uy's friend said.
No wonder leagues in Japan, Korea, and even Taiwan, have all leapt in front of the PBA in terms of quality of play and fan likability.
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