UAAP UE head coach Jack Santiago
Photo courtesy: Inquirer Sports
The UAAP season has started again after taking a pause because of the rapid rising of COVID-19. A season that is barely starting but has now surrounded by controversies.
An issue of misconduct arose last April 2 in a league between the University of the Philippines and University of the East.
Jack Santiago, UE's head coach, whispered like a devil to one of his players to deliberately harm Ricci Rivero, a UP player.
In desperation to win the game, a terrible hope became ash as he was caught and is now being sanctioned with a two-game suspension.
"Violence is never an option," said Tonichi Pujante, the UAAP Season 84 basketball commissioner.
As a coach, his responsibility was to keep the athletes in their utmost condition, not the other way around.
Indeed, he must be enlightened once more by the rules; to teach him the true essence of sportsmanship and impart the art of handling defeat.
Not to sound overreacting, but he might still repeat what he had done. His misbehavior might further damage the athletes and the UAAP's high reputation. We can never tell.
The coercive measure must be much harsher to be properly disciplined. Santiago must not be able to offer practical advice on the field for the whole season because—come to think of it this way—what if his unethical command was materialized?
In the game of basketball, it is a measure of your skill, talent, hard work, and determination; asking to consciously harm a certain player from your opponent is like admitting that your team does not have the talent or skill to win the game in a fair fight.
Although basketball is a physical game, they must not intentionally harm one another because sportsmanship is the key to fair and ethical play.
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