CHICAGO - When I broke the news last week that Ced Domingo was leaving Creamline, it sent tremors of disbelief in the Philippine Volleyball League (PVL) community.
For Cool Smashers fans, it must have felt like Coke was taken out of their cola and now they'd have to deal with the discomfort for the rest of their sporting lives.
Through a social media post, Ced acknowledged the "hard decision" to part ways with a team where her game grew and where she sparkled like Polaris.
READ Ced Domingo reveals 'hard decision' as she leaves Creamline for Akari
Sentiments aside, this happy divorce was destined to happen. Much as we love to romanticize loyalty and everlasting union in sports, it seldom gets realized in a marriage between a high-profile team and superstar player.
In the end, Ced did what's best for her and she must be appreciated for the courage to cut the cord that tied her to Creamline for four blissful years.
Moving to a new team does not promise a good fit, let alone championship success. The universe doesn't work like that.
But the Akari Chargers can provide Ced the opportunity to validate what we already know: That when left to her own devices, she will flourish outside the giant shadows of the great Alyssa Valdez.
NEW HORIZONS.
Snagging a prized talent to be the face of the franchise cost Akari a lot of light bulbs.
Per multiple sources, Ced's deal allegedly included a P450,000 a month pay, a P2 million signing bonus and a car.
To be clear, it's not my job to pocket watch and meddle in other people's business. But reporting bears an obligation to parse the facts from the fiction. So, I verified.
"Hahahaha. No," an Akari team official said to flatly dismiss the rumors.
"I doubt if Ced got that much to join Akari," PVL president Ricky Palou told me last night.
Palou also said that the escalating salaries and perks are beginning to make him worry about the health of the PVL's parity.
"We definitely will be taking steps to make things more reasonable," he added.
As it stands, it's universally acknowledged in PVL circles that stars are now being paid like PBA players.
AND THAT'S A GOOD THING.
Thanks to these volleybelles, the sport has grown exponentially in the Philippines, easily surpassing the PBA in popularity. Sponsors are flocking. TV viewership is through the roof. And playing venues are bursting with paying customers.
All of that adds up to money, the bulk of which need to trickle down to players' salaries.
Unfortunately, payroll growth favors the rich teams. It's an economic reality plaguing the PBA where small teams have as much chance of winning as snow falling in Manila.
READ: How big have PVL salaries become these days?
The challenge therefore is to make PVL players well-paid while maintaining the competitive balance among teams across conferences.
It's going to be tough. But it can be done,
Simply because the PVL has the best leader in all of the sports leagues in the country.
Ricky Palou will figure it out.
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.
