‘Think about it – it’s been 14 years since the Powerade team made that amazing run to the finals – and I still get stopped by PBA fans like a manager of Mercury Drug Rada Street or a Grab driver who are happy
to chat me up and talk about that team.’
ADVANCED happy birthday to the United States of America! Happy 249 years!
I have to admit that I was tempted to just write “America,” then realized it would not be accurate, America being the collective name of two of the seven continents of Planet Earth, and each continent itself composed of several independent countries. Of the independent countries in North America, it’s only the most populous of them all, the United States, that is celebrating its 249th year of independence. So I figured I should stop saying “America” when what I really mean is the United States, because the US is not America and America is not the United States.
If the Gulf of Mexico is renamed the Gulf of America, let it be clear that the America so referred is then all the states and territories that comprise both North and South America.
Now that I’ve put that greeting behind me, let me write about being victorious in defeat. No, I’m not referring to the Japanese who, despite being forced to their knees in World War 2 by the Allied forces (led by the United States of America) have done pretty well in the post War era (post-World War 2 era, to be exact) and remain an economic powerhouse even in the 21st Century.
I’m also not referring to the Germans, who, on the other side of the world, suffered the same fate as the Japanese. But the Germans, too, have done quite well post-War, even successfully reuniting their divided country and surviving the rocky years immediately following reunification. Today, Germany retains its place as an economic powerhouse, in fact, the main economic engine of Europe.
Nor am I referring to the Democrats because there is no way they can be described as victorious in defeat. Far from it.
Instead, I am referring to something as apolitical as a PBA basketball team – the Powerade Tigers that I had the privilege of representing on the Board of Governors of the PBA, and who, for a brief moment in time, wowed the basketball world in a way not seen for a long time before or after.
To come from being the 8th and last qualifier among ten teams to becoming one of two finalists in the 2011 All-Filipino conference remains a stuff of legend. And to be able to do this sans marquee names, capitalizing only on a never-say-die attitude long associated with a more famous hard beverage franchise, is what made the basketball fans sit up and take notice.
But like many stories that seemed too good to be true, fate conspired to snuff out the promise of the Powerade Tigers. And so to relive the memories, I had to bring everyone involved with the Tigers franchise together. Including the members of the first Tigers team, the Coca-Cola Tigers, who made history on Christmas Day in 2002 by being the first Cinderella franchise in a long time to bag the most coveted championship. I was also the team manager and governor of that team. What a way to bookend my years in the PBA, yes?
Think about it – it’s been 14 years since the Powerade team made that amazing run to the finals – and I still get stopped by PBA fans like a manager of Mercury Drug Rada Street or a Grab driver who are happy to chat me up and talk about that team. Which to me is proof that even though we weren’t the ultimate champions, in many ways we were victorious in defeat.
All because we simply refused to quit.
