FOR those who are still curious, the Philippine Basketball Association no longer uses balloons to celebrate championships; the main explanations are practical and safety-related.
Like the NBA, Asia’s pioneering pro league now uses confetti machines which are more convenient to use.
READ SMB reigns supreme after great comeback over Magnolia in Game 6
Unlike balloons which had to be put in the rafters a day before the championship clincher, a confetti machine can be brought out to the court just moments after the final buzzer has sounded.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said the league stopped using balloons since the time of former Commissioner Chito Narvasa.
The balloons were discarded also for safety reasons.
There’s always the danger of the nylon strings holding up the net that carries the balloons in the rafters being accidentally hit during the game.
“May tali yun sa tabi ng ring. Kapag yun tinamaan ng bola, laglag lahat yun (balloons). Kaya delikado na rin,” said Marcial.
Back in 2015 when San Miguel ended a 14-year title drought at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, only a few balloons fell from the rafters.
It turned out that three sets of balloons placed on opposite sides of the Big Dome were tied so tightly to the metal braces of the ceiling that staffers failed to release them during the SMB party.
Only balloons on one side were released. The rest of the balloons were released an hour after the awarding ceremonies, to the consternation of officials.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
