1. Our sports leaders have resorted to all sorts of methods to achieve the top priority by short cutting a naturally long process. They recruit perceived ?winners? or potential winners from sources other than their own. Look at the most recent occurrences at the national and international levels. Fil-Foreigners represent the country in international competitions and sometimes in sports that I, a die-hard sports fan (BMX cycling) have never heard. This is not to belittle the great achievement of Randy Caluag recently and the Fil-Foreigners who have represented the country in the past and recently. I am very proud and grateful to all of them for their sacrifice just to bring honor to our country. But their achievements always fall below the priority and national expectations. Nobody is rejoicing a 7th place finish in ASEAN competition, or ASEAN countries in the latest ASIAN Games. Now we?re promised a higher finished (4th) in the next ASEAN Games. Are we satisfied with that achievement assuming we place 4th?

2. In the pursuit of the priority, our sports leaders from the middle to the lowest level have resorted to cheating. An example is when there are competitions in the regional, provincial, city, or barangay levels, they recruit athletes not from their jurisdiction and resort to all kinds of effort to present them as their own. Worse, age qualifications are met by all sorts of blatant and innovative or creative cheating. Is this how we develop the character of our valued youth? By instructing them to falsify birth certificates, present birth certificates that belong to their younger siblings, or just by altering their ages in birth certificates? Isn?t that a national disgrace and shame whenever our sports leaders get caught?

1. More kids will have the opportunity to develop their skills in different sports at a young age. There will therefore be more athletes in more sports. Common sense tells us that the law of average will give us more and better athletes. Chances are we will have more athletes with improved skills through the years. This alone will definitely enhance our winning chances in the future.

2. More importantly, these kids in sports who would otherwise be in drugs would develop rather than destroy their character. I?ve always told parents whose children are in sports, not necessarily basketball, ?You should thank God the blessing that your child is in sports?. Because most likely he/she is developing his/her character. He/she does not have to reach the level of being a scholar let alone a PBA star. Whatever the level of excellence he/she achieves are just bonuses. We all know the effects of character destruction in our youth. The whole society feels the evil effects of drug addiction. Worse is that there are a growing number of victims of this addiction.