Responses to Michael Keon Athletic Scouting

One of the main reasons is the gatekeeping of many of the national sports associations (NSAs) which are either incompetently managed by leaders who are either without any sports qualifications or sports management skills. Gatekeeping and monopolistic management result in other symptoms such as corruption and political intrigues. The present sporting landscape has been brought about after the demise of Project Gintong Alay with the legislation and creation of the Philippine Sports Commission. An agency, whose main job is to promote sports as a propaganda tool for the government.

Some sports leaders keep saying it is an INVESTMENT. But investing in what? Investment means you reap rewards. EUPHORIA, JINGOISM, and TEMPORARY DISTRACTIONS? This country is in essence spending BILLIONS on PRIDE and INSPIRATION.

Hard-earned TAX MONEY is spent on PSYCHOLOGICAL and CONCEPTUAL CONSTRUCTS? How do you return the billions into government coffers on these medals? Simply answered, it can not be returned.

Sports are self-depleting and self-consuming. That is why in developed countries it is run by private sports federations, regional, and down-to-club systems that fund and generate income for their respective sports.

This is how it’s supposedly done but the Philippines has a welfare system for sports. Politicians and big business interests have created a patronage-dependent sports environment. This is the reason sports and the athletes therein are susceptible to political intrigue and dependence on a handout system that eventually kills sports programs when funding or political mileage from sports is not worth funding.

This is the reason why sports keep going into endless boom and bust cycles since GIntong Alay went away. But ELITIST COMPETITIVE SPORTS are dying from a lack of talent because the lower levels that were present during and before Gintong Alay is just not there anymore. LGUs and regions have reduced lower-level sports programs.

There is also the loss of sports facilities and infrastructure throughout the years from urban sprawl and population growth. Another is the lack of engagement by the population in basic active recreation. Due to the lack of free spaces and recreational parks and low-level sports facilities. Add to this the reduction of PE time to one hour a week. Due to the creation of MAPEH and the poor quality of education that has necessitated the cutting of physical activity of school children.