This is the UAAP without us

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UAAP feels pinch of La Salle’s absence
By Jasmine W. Payo, Francis OchoaInquirerLast updated 05:32am (Mla time) 07/20/2006
Published on page A24 of the July 20, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
AT WHAT price does discipline come?
Whether the league admits it or not the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is feeling the pinch of De La Salle University’s suspension, and most of it is coming from the cash registers.
Sponsors have backed out, venues have become smaller and live attendance is expected to shrink from last year.
According to an official from ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., the television network that doubles as the UAAP’s marketing arm, approximately half of the league’s top advertisers have pulled out this season. The percentage as to how much La Salle’s absence has to do with it is even greater.
“Admittedly, there are less advertisers because the landscape is different,” Jojo Garcia, ABS-CBN’s customer development head for sports, told the Inquirer. “Some clients cited the absence of La Salle, but it’s also more than that.”
He did not elaborate on the La Salle factor, but Garcia said the game venues chosen this season -- Ninoy Aquino Stadium and Rizal Coliseum -- also had a hand in turning away some of the UAAP’s top advertisers.
“Both the venues are smaller,” noted Garcia. “For some clients, it’s different compared to Araneta (Coliseum) in terms of prestige and accessibility.”
Raised eyebrows
The timing of the switch to smaller venues also raised eyebrows. Last season, the UAAP played the bulk of its games at both the Blue Eagle gym of Ateneo de Manila University and the Araneta Coliseum. This year, with La Salle serving out its suspension for fielding ineligible players in its basketball team in the last three seasons, there will be less games at the Big Dome.
UAAP secretary general Bren Perez of host University of the East says the switch of venues was coincidental.
“The PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) offered us the venues, through chairman Butch Ramirez,” said Perez. “They invited both the UAAP and the NCAA to make it the home of both leagues. And we considered it because they gave us discounts.”
And the league needs discounts where it can take them.
Among the missing notable sponsors who usually plunk millions worth of advertising money to the league coffers are Globe Telecom, a heavy advertiser during the college basketball tournament, Nestlé Philippines and Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp.
“We lost our top three clients, but we’re still negotiating with others,” said Garcia. “It’s a work in progress. We have to move forward.”
Globe, whose president is La Salle product Gerry Ablaza, usually competes with Smart Communications for advertising spots during the basketball tournament.
Nestle’s ice cream product, meanwhile, institutionalized the cheer dance competition, a regular fare highly anticipated by college basketball followers.
Other top advertisers who have pulled out their spots are Mentos, Milo, Polo and Close-Up.
“We’re currently selling the cheer dance competition,” added Garcia. “Yes, it will be next month, but we’re in the process of negotiation.”
No figures were given as to how much both the UAAP and ABS-CBN stand to lose this season, but the price could be substantial.
Absent rivalry
Further hurting the league’s profits is the absence of the blockbuster games between arch rivals Ateneo and La Salle, who meet at least twice every season. For the television carrier and for the league, every game between both squads is an automatic cash cow, not just through ticket sales.
Last year, Ford launched a new car model at halftime during the first-round match between the two glamour squads.
“We get spot buys for Ateneo-La Salle games,” said Garcia. “There are also spot buys for games featuring other teams. But we can command better rates, the premium rates, for Ateneo-La Salle games.”
Although league observers see a decline in attendance rates with no Ateneo-La Salle rivalry to look forward to, host University of the East still noted the strong opening-day attendance, which nearly reached the 15,000 mark.
“As far as attendance and the crowd is concerned, we had no problems on opening day,” said Perez.
But numbers can sometimes be deceiving, especially if only the opening day weekend is concerned. Already, the league will be playing with a depleted schedule -- La Salle’s absence means 14 less games.
The fact that the Archers bring a full-house crowd and that the Blue-versus-Green rivalry never fails to pack playing venues means that a fat chunk of the attendance rates just got flushed down the drain this season.
But the UAAP is willing to weather the financial storm, if only to prove there’s no price too steep to pay for discipline.
“We have just renewed a five-year contract with ABS-CBN and there will be good years and not so good years,” said UAAP board representative Anton Montinola of Far Eastern University. “They’ve earned from the Ateneo-La Salle games in the past and this year may not be a good one. So it will just average out.”
Besides, as Perez puts it, “the league is still doing okay, we’re moving on. We’re doing our best as host, and so far, we’re having no problems.”
La Salle made the bed by fielding two ineligible players for three seasons, including during its championship year in 2004. Unfortunately, it’s the league that has to find ways to sleep through the night on it.