The first semester of UAAP Season 79 is about to conclude and the hoopla has peaked particularly in the men’s basketball tournament with the DLSU Green Archers. So far, the badminton, swimming, beach volleyball, table tennis, and taekwondo seasons have concluded with mixed results for La Salle. The Green-and-White has clinched a number of first place finishes, while some campaigns ended in heartbreak or bitter disappointment.
With or without a winning streak, many from the Lasallian community still give their passionate support to the men’s basketball team. While much attention has been given to them, however, let us not forget that we also have the Lady Archers, whose victories and struggle receive little fanfare in comparison. The same goes for the second semester, with the Green Spikers, who are under the shadow of the Lady Spikers. Of course, the UAAP is not limited to the aforementioned sports.
The Philippines is dominated by basketball and volleyball, as proven by the fact that the country has hosted a number of prestigious international events of the two sports. We cannot force people to like something or take a cup of tea that is not theirs. We all have our own preferences and interests which we must respect. However, we must not forget that the UAAP General Championship (GC) is a joint effort of all the teams donning the Green-and-White colors.
Each champion team earns 15 GC points for their respective universities. Whether it be taekwondo, baseball, badminton, football, judo, you name it, the number of GC points awarded to the winning team stays the same. All of the different events have the same weight to the GC, something which DLSU has taken home a number of times, and something that the school from Taft is competing for again this year. Despite the added media attention and hype, the Green Archers or Lady Spikers winning their respective events also contributes the same 15 points to the GC race.
We all want the teams representing La Salle to win, of course, particularly the sports of our interest. Despite this, let us not forget that all athletes work just as hard as their counterparts who play in televised games. Day in and day out, the students who don the name of La Salle work hard not only in the playing field or court—they also attend daily classes and study for tests. They go through academic hell week just to wake up early in the morning for training, or a varsity game.
For all fans and supporters of DLSU, remember that we say “Animo La Salle!” not only for the teams who mean dearest to us, but to all teams donning the Green-and-White and competing for the name of the University.
