“No one has ever become poor by
giving.” – Anne Frank
I have only made myself available for sportscasting for about three
years, and just about to enter my second year in doing court announcing gigs
regularly. It is a guaranteed thought that my combined experiences are still
nothing compared to anyone you see on TV doing sports, but in my perspective
those experiences that I got are sufficient enough for me to give back to the
industry that has been very good to me.
I am not rich. Whatever allowances I get on these gigs, I use it to pay
for my monthly liabilities. But all the same, it doesn’t give me an excuse to
not give anything back. More than the money, the exposure and the opportunities
I get from all of these are something that some people wanted (and wanted so
bad) but are not getting it. That thought is enough for me to know that I am
blessed. And what kind of douche would I be if I become so selfish to not share
it?
The common fear in giving is that the giver might not get anything in
return. It’s human nature; I don’t blast people for it. But I am a living proof
that it is not the case. When you give, something will be given to you in
return.
Somebody talked me out of doing the PSL opening ceremonies (and also
talked the PSL out of me doing the opening ceremonies) back in February this
year so I can do the dry run of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers home game against
Japan. It’s a regular gig that has pay (and of course, volleyball players)
compared to a one-shot thing that has no pay, except for an accreditation ID
that would allow me to enter the venue and watch the actual game the next day.
It was a no-brainer for me… I took the latter. If it means that I can see my
favorite local basketball team (the national team) play live without the hassle
of falling in line on the box office for good seats, then hell yeah! I’d do it
for free! It was the happiest game that I called at that moment and I won’t get
paid for it… AND IT’S FINE! The next day, I got the best seat in the house…
table official’s row, beside the Japanese bench. I was one of the very few
witness of Julio Lamas repeatedly giving the substitution box a variety of
kicks. One of the best weekend ever!
Aside from the joy that I got from watching the game live, the more
valuable thing that I gained is that I got to know more people that do pretty
significant stuff in the industry that I am in. I got to know the people from
SBP who work so hard in putting up the FIBA WCQ games as great as possible.
Every person in that group is so dedicated to what they do, it made me want to
work with them more. That’s why I make myself available every time a home game
will be held here. Calling the dry-run game and doing everything else in
between within my boundaries in exchange for free food, free fast internet, and
the live FIBA home game. Best volunteer work ever!
True enough, they are able people that can do those tasks without me.
It would much better if I would also be able to give back to people who wants
to be in this industry as well. When I was the one aspiring to become one,
opportunity was all I asked, and almost none was given, so I chased
opportunities. It was pretty difficult and exhausting, but it was so worth it.
Somehow, I’d like to give back to aspirants by giving them opportunities as
soon as I get them. If I find a way to get somebody in the business and get a
chance to teach them a thing or two about what I know so far, I’d gladly give
them.
It's the joy and luxury that I am getting right now from the Metro
League. It’s a tournament run by the Metro Manila Sports Fest that is a project
of the Metro Manila Development Authority in partnership with the Philippine Basketball
Association and Barangay 143 (yes, that Pinoy made cartoon to be shown very,
very soon). Coach Bonnie Tan and his group gave me the greenest of the green
light to train court announcers and let them do actual games. The game
officials that are handling the games are the exact people from the PBA and PBA
D-League. The games are using PBA D-League rules. Some teams also have some ex-PBA
and PBA D-League players. With this kind of setup, CA trainees will definitely
get some more intense game experience while maintaining a high (perfection) standard
in conducting the games. It’s a learner’s paradise!
It’s the opportunity that I wanted to share that hopefully all
aspirants should take advantage of. It’s not every day that these kind of
opportunities show up. I’ve been there, and I know how difficult it is.
You might ask the reward again… well, it also allowed me to do
something productive in my down time, since the PSL is still in its off-season.
Furthermore, it also gave me the opportunity to do commentating for the Metro
League. For the first time in my six-year stint in the world of sports
broadcasting, I will get to call on broadcast livestream/TV the game of
basketball.
Give something. Give anything. The universe will always find a way to
repay you.
---
Follow the writer on Twitter and Instagram: @sportscastengr
No comments:
Post a Comment