THE Philippine Sportswriters Association is having a hard time picking the singular performer who will be declared Athlete of the Year.
No, not because we are lacking in deserving big winners.
In fact, one problem facing the PSA, founded in 1949, involves boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, named by Sports Network and matchboxing.com Boxer of the Year, appears over-qualified for PSA’s grand award.
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You see, the PSA had actually picked Pacquiao Athlete of the Year at least a couple of times in the past.
But left with a slew of world-class victors and at least four Asian Games gold medalists, the PSA appears in a bind.
Knowing Pacquiao, he would be glad enough being lumped together with big Filipino victors like Efren “Bata” Reyes and Ronnie Alcano of billiards, Joan Tipon and Violito Payla of amateur boxing.
However, there were ready suggestions that Pacquiao, with his impact on world sports, could instead by given a bigger award, like Filipino Athlete of the Decade, while the others could be grouped together as Athletes of the Year.
There’s a happy excess of deserving performers.
But expect PSA’s resident worriers to come up with a perfect solution before the year ends.
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We already knew that, in Pacquiao’s case, it’s no longer a simple story of winning.
His achievements in 2006, the twin knockout victories over the legendary Erik Morales and a sensational dominance of Oscar Larios, another Mexican, are clearly a tale of greatness.
Yes, Pacman loomed the finest boxer of the period—and also the most marketable.
His worth in gold has, in fact, resulted in a fierce promotional tug-of-war between the venerable Bob Arum of Top Rank and the charming Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions.
Don’t look now. But some wags were quick to suggest that Pacquiao, given his price tag, should also be nominated Businessman of the Year, pointing to a hefty $5-million paycheck being dangled for him to fight world 130-pound king Marco Antonio Barrera, whom Pacman had knocked out in November 2003.
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Of course, it was easy to detect some malice in the suggested naming of Manny Pacquiao as trader of the year.
Pacquiao may have overlooked moral obligations when he signed a seven-fight pact with De La Hoya—only to renounce the deal and agree to fight again under Arum.
That he did not stammer in signing the multimillion-dollar contract with De La Hoya—only to next renege on it—with no evident remorse, also bared in Pacquiao the makings of a fearless trader.
It was neither bright nor honorable, but bringing Arum and De La Hoya to tangle over him could have sadly become part of Pacquiao’s managerial artillery.
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Maybe Pacquiao (taking after his fan, the President?) no longer saw anything wrong with a man not honoring his word.
He has become so big and great he must’ve thought he was free to form and evolve his own set of values.
Now a revered two-fisted battler, Pacquiao saw nothing wrong with signing contracts left and right, as long as the price is right.
Sorry, folks, but in so doing, Pacquiao has also succeeded in projecting (to the world) the Filipino as a slurping, smacking diner who should be kept a great distance from eat-all-you-can tables.
It’s, indeed, not very flattering, this picture of a greedy, mindless slugger—suwangay in kanto boy lingo—taking over the fearless Pacman whom Filipinos have learned to adore for his resiliency.
Can we blame cheated promoters for predictably dangling big money—a $5-million paycheck—to win back Pacquiao into honoring a written commitment?
