CESAFI: Going Beyond Basketball
Bleacher Talk
October 26, 2008
CESAFI: Going Beyond Basketball
Now that all the talk about the CESAFI basketball season has ended, it’s time to make an assessment of the season that just passed. Even if the tournament is already over, many questions still remain. Some are valid, and others are downright stupid. But the most valid question will always remain, “How can the CESAFI continue to boost its stock as the top collegiate league outside of Manila?”
Like any product being sold in the commercial market, the CESAFI is more than just a basketball tournament. It’s the most unique basketball experience in Cebu whose influence and reach have taken it beyond the level of just being a mere game being played among eight basketball teams.
It’s from this angle that we’ll take a peak at the CESAFI 2008 basketball season. On top of being a basketball tournament being played, it’s a brand with its own personality. It’s already a permanent fixture that’s intertwined with Cebu Basketball and can become an institution by itself as long as it’s preserved and cared for.
And so what should CESAFI protect, nurture and grow? What is CESAFI’s identity? Its image?
For now, it’s worth looking at one aspect (among the many) that makes the CESAFI basketball tournament what it is today. The level of collegiate rivalry that has built through the eight years of the CESAFI has grown to record levels every year with the 2007 and 2008 seasons as the benchmark for fan support and following. Fullhouse crowds were a norm at the championship series, semifinals, opening ceremonies and crucial elimination round games. But it was more than just the crowds that made it unique. It was all about the opposing sides coming out to support their respective teams in every way possible (as long as it was allowed inside the Cebu Coliseum). There were opposing bands showing off which was better: simple drum beating or a blend of horns, lyres and drums, with choreographed dance steps. There were “ledge” dancers from the talented third sex from yes, both sides. And there were those streamer and poster waving diehard fans from both the student body and alumni of all schools.
Next step? Build this rivalry. The CESAFI is CESAFI primarily due to this rivalry among Cebu’s top schools and it ought to be strengthened. Yes, it’s already strong, but there are more ways to make it even better. And this doesn’t have to deal with basketball. One concrete step is to grow and project the popularity of volleyball. It’s the most logical choice as a second sport that can grow in popularity and can surely carry the momentum of the rivalry spilling over from basketball. There should be a way to make a strong link between the CESAFI basketball and volleyball tournaments and not treat these as two separate events. The recent volleyball finals that ended this past week illustrated that there is a rivalry in other sports, too. The USC Main Gym drew a good size crowd that came out to support all teams in the finals and games for third place. Remember that this were the kind of crowds that watched CESAFI’s basketball games in the past. Like basketball, volleyball also has the many elements that will draw fans: rivalry between schools, competitive games and good-looking players.
The other interesting thing is that volleyball (and other sports) is not a UV-dominated sport. Thus, it becomes the alternative championship that schools shoot for without a dominant UV lording it over. USPF didn’t make it to the Final Four of the basketball tournament but its women’s team were champs in volleyball. USJR may have lost to UV in the basketball finals, but look who’s on top in men’s volleyball? Talking about consistency, USJR’s women’s volleyball team also made it to the finals, making the Jaguars a regular fixture in the championship of both basketball and volleyball. They’re also fighting it out for a finals appearance in football. The results from badminton escape me at the moment, but USJR, UC and UV are also consistent at the top.
From the bigger picture outlook, we can see that all the other events also have the elements that can benefit and complement from the rivalry stemming from the basketball wars. There’s a need to strengthen the link among all CESAFI events with basketball as the lead or kick-off sport to get things going. This rivalry should then be spread across all the other events/members of this link, making the other events just as important as basketball.
I can already see it in the future. All events will draw more following and support from fans and the media, creating a buzz that will stretch from basketball opening day until the last day of the last played event of the school-year. In the long run, the CESAFI can stand out as THE inter-collegiate rivalry that goes beyond basketball.
October 26, 2008
CESAFI: Going Beyond Basketball
Now that all the talk about the CESAFI basketball season has ended, it’s time to make an assessment of the season that just passed. Even if the tournament is already over, many questions still remain. Some are valid, and others are downright stupid. But the most valid question will always remain, “How can the CESAFI continue to boost its stock as the top collegiate league outside of Manila?”
Like any product being sold in the commercial market, the CESAFI is more than just a basketball tournament. It’s the most unique basketball experience in Cebu whose influence and reach have taken it beyond the level of just being a mere game being played among eight basketball teams.
It’s from this angle that we’ll take a peak at the CESAFI 2008 basketball season. On top of being a basketball tournament being played, it’s a brand with its own personality. It’s already a permanent fixture that’s intertwined with Cebu Basketball and can become an institution by itself as long as it’s preserved and cared for.
And so what should CESAFI protect, nurture and grow? What is CESAFI’s identity? Its image?
For now, it’s worth looking at one aspect (among the many) that makes the CESAFI basketball tournament what it is today. The level of collegiate rivalry that has built through the eight years of the CESAFI has grown to record levels every year with the 2007 and 2008 seasons as the benchmark for fan support and following. Fullhouse crowds were a norm at the championship series, semifinals, opening ceremonies and crucial elimination round games. But it was more than just the crowds that made it unique. It was all about the opposing sides coming out to support their respective teams in every way possible (as long as it was allowed inside the Cebu Coliseum). There were opposing bands showing off which was better: simple drum beating or a blend of horns, lyres and drums, with choreographed dance steps. There were “ledge” dancers from the talented third sex from yes, both sides. And there were those streamer and poster waving diehard fans from both the student body and alumni of all schools.
Next step? Build this rivalry. The CESAFI is CESAFI primarily due to this rivalry among Cebu’s top schools and it ought to be strengthened. Yes, it’s already strong, but there are more ways to make it even better. And this doesn’t have to deal with basketball. One concrete step is to grow and project the popularity of volleyball. It’s the most logical choice as a second sport that can grow in popularity and can surely carry the momentum of the rivalry spilling over from basketball. There should be a way to make a strong link between the CESAFI basketball and volleyball tournaments and not treat these as two separate events. The recent volleyball finals that ended this past week illustrated that there is a rivalry in other sports, too. The USC Main Gym drew a good size crowd that came out to support all teams in the finals and games for third place. Remember that this were the kind of crowds that watched CESAFI’s basketball games in the past. Like basketball, volleyball also has the many elements that will draw fans: rivalry between schools, competitive games and good-looking players.
The other interesting thing is that volleyball (and other sports) is not a UV-dominated sport. Thus, it becomes the alternative championship that schools shoot for without a dominant UV lording it over. USPF didn’t make it to the Final Four of the basketball tournament but its women’s team were champs in volleyball. USJR may have lost to UV in the basketball finals, but look who’s on top in men’s volleyball? Talking about consistency, USJR’s women’s volleyball team also made it to the finals, making the Jaguars a regular fixture in the championship of both basketball and volleyball. They’re also fighting it out for a finals appearance in football. The results from badminton escape me at the moment, but USJR, UC and UV are also consistent at the top.
From the bigger picture outlook, we can see that all the other events also have the elements that can benefit and complement from the rivalry stemming from the basketball wars. There’s a need to strengthen the link among all CESAFI events with basketball as the lead or kick-off sport to get things going. This rivalry should then be spread across all the other events/members of this link, making the other events just as important as basketball.
I can already see it in the future. All events will draw more following and support from fans and the media, creating a buzz that will stretch from basketball opening day until the last day of the last played event of the school-year. In the long run, the CESAFI can stand out as THE inter-collegiate rivalry that goes beyond basketball.
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