PLAYING it safe amid the rampaging coronavirus pandemic is going to cost the PBA and its teams plenty.
Commissioner Willie Marcial admitted that millions would be lost by the PBA and its teams the longer the Governors Cup games remain suspended.
“Malaki-laki itong magiging pagdurugo na ito,” Marcial told Malaya-Business Insight, citing the monthly salaries the teams need to shell out aside from lost revenues in live gate attendance and sponsorships deals.
“Maaaring abutin ng hanggang P80 million sa bawa’t buwan,” added Marcial. “Conservative (figure) pa iyon.”
Marcial reiterated, however, that the huge sacrifice has to be made in order for the league to do its part in helping curb the spread of the virus and for the safety of all the personnel involved.
“Kaya nga sinabi ko sa mga governors, ‘Alam ko na malaki mawawala sa kita natin, pati tulak ng teams. Gastos sa imports, sa mga players. Pero hindi ko puwedeng isugal safety ng lahat,’” Marcial said.
That explains why resuming the conference under a bubble or semi-bubble set-up , according to Marcial, is last in the PBA’s contingency plans.
“Masyadong malaki magagastos ng teams at baka di kayanin kapag nag-bubble ulit tayo,” explained the league chieftain.
The PBA primarily spent for the 2020 Philippine Cup, which was staged at a cost of around P70 million in Clark.
In the last semi-bubble in Bacolor, teams spent for their food and accommodations, with some of the players shouldering part of the cost just to get the tournament going again.
The actual figures have yet to be released, but Marcial surmised that each team must have dug deep in their pockets during the Bacolor stint.
As agreed during the last PBA Board meeting there would be no pay cuts to be imposed on the monthly salaries of each player, unlike in April of last year when a 20 percent reduction was ordered amid the uncertainty of Season 46 pushing through.
“I-average mo na lang ng mga P350,000 each player kada buwan,” noted Marcial. “So sa 15 players mga P5 million na iyon kada team. Sa 12 teams mga P60 million na iyon.”
This time, each team has the additional burden of paying their imports who have guaranteed contracts whether they play or not.
“Malaki talagang dagok iyon, lalo na kung idadagdag mo mga lost revenues natin sa advertisements, sponsorships, di pa kasama TV,” said Marcial. “Aabutin nga ng mga P80 million.”
Marcial is now left hoping the COVID infections take a downward trend, especially in Metro Manila, for the PBA to be allowed to resume play and stop the financial bleeding.
“Kapag nag-Alert 2 na tayo ilalaro ko na,” said Marcial.