From an outsider’s perspective, DLSU has been known to be an institution that prides itself in its excellence in its athletics programs, particularly in the UAAP. Having won back-to-back General Championships (GCs) prior to the current season, as well as being the other half of the “most storied rivalry in Philippine sports” with Ateneo de Manila University, DLSU has never shied away from the spotlight. However, is this really what Lasallians feel towards their own?
Although the fact remains that basketball will always be the Filipinos’ favorite pastime, which other sports do Lasallians know and follow? The LaSallian takes a look into the perception of UAAP sports among DLSU students.
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Basketball and volleyball continue to dominate
In order to find a possible answer to the inquiry, an online survey was conducted, and it garnered a total of 108 respondents. DLSU students were asked which among the sports the University competes in during the UAAP season they were aware of and whether they follow them.
As expected, among the sports in which La Salle competes in, Basketball and Volleyball still remain as the two sports most commonly known to Lasallians with 103 and 100 votes, respectively. The list runs down as such: Cheerdance (85), Beach Volleyball (72), Swimming (65), Football (57), Badminton and Lawn Tennis (52), Table Tennis (50), Taekwondo (49), Judo (43), Baseball (40), Chess (34), and Softball (31).
Factoring in Media
Apart from the survey conducted, The LaSallian asked some of the correspondents why they think basketball and volleyball are the commonly known sports in the Lasallian community. Joseph (III, AB-DSM) shared that this was due to these sports’ strong presence in the media.
“From television and print to social media, there would always be articles, pictures, and comments about basketball and volleyball,” he said. “There [isn’t] a day wherein I will not see any related posts and news about these two major sports.”
Meanwhile, Helena (II, BSA) commented that both basketball and volleyball have also been a huge marketing tool in a lot of advertisements. This, in turn, affects the average Filipino’s daily lifestyle in using the products thanks in part to the sports engagement in the advertisements. “Unlike the other sports, basketball and volleyball have a lot of advertisements from TV commercials to magazine spreads and even billboards,” she said.
On the other hand, some remarked that other sports are not as popular due to a lack of media coverage. Jansen (III, BS-CHE) observed that other sports are left uncovered by the Philippine media, with no live coverage or even news about it. Conversely, Maria (I, ISE-MKT) shared that they don’t have a particular liking to other sports other than basketball and volleyball.
“I am not a fan of other sports [other] than basketball and volleyball,” she mentioned. “I don’t hate swimming, badminton, etc., but I am not just fond of these sports.”
School spirit in Sports
Regardless of the varying degrees of popularity among the different contests, all sports remain to have equal weight in determining which school will become the overall champion in the UAAP. Likewise, the common denominator in every sport is the characteristic of bringing out the best between competitors in seeing who would emerge victorious.
As in the case in the UAAP, the victories and defeats are nonetheless celebrated among each school’s community. Ultimately, a sense of school pride is instilled among the Lasallian community as seen throughout the games, no matter how small the crowd present is. With that, perceptions tell but half of the story, as passion in sports is a universal human quality.
*Names are changed
