In my last post, I wrote about some issues kung bakit hindi ma-break ng darts ang glass ceiling when it comes to raising awareness and popularity of the “sport” dito sa Pilipinas.
Actually, sabog-sabog pa nga ang ideas ko in that post, medyo whatever comes to mind lang. Pero in this post, I will drill down on some of those issues. Para naman maging malinaw ang stand ko. But, take note, this is just my humble opinion. And everybody is entitled to one.
Okay. Issue 1: Popularity of darts in the Philippines.
Darts is NOT a mainstream sport in the Philippines. And there are many reasons why. For instance, ang cultural preference sa basketball, which has long been the most popular sport in the Philippines. Malaki ang impluwensiya ng basketball sa mga Pinoy, at isa ito sa mga pinaka-popular na covered sport ng media natin. Dahil dito, nalilimitahan ang pagyabong at awareness ng ibang sport, gaya na nga ng darts.
At dahil hindi nga popular, very limited ang exposure dahil very limited din ang media coverage. Hindi tuloy makapag-generate ng masa malawak na fan base ang darts dito, as compared to basketball nga, or boxing, or even volleyball.
Marami pang ibang reasons, which I am happy to talk about in future posts.
And then another thing: many still consider darts as just a game, and not really a “sport”, because they say it lacks the physical exertion required in other physically demanding sports like basketball or boxing or volleyball or track and field.
PERO, imagine this: to be able to really play a high level of darts, kailangang ma-develop mo ang tamang stance, pag-asinta, at pagbato sa mga dart pins, to accurately and precisely hit your targets.
And then you have to have the mental acuity para makapag-develop ng mga on-the-spot strategies, based on your score, to be able to finish a leg of the contest. And then, more importantly, to be able to consistently do this every turn in the oche.
Developing these characteristics will require discipline, mental strength and stamina, and even physical strength because, at the end of the day, playing darts still requires physical effort—hindi nga lang kasing-intense ng boxing or bastketball or weightlifting or running or pole-vaulting, etc. Pero it is still a physical game, which then qualifies it to be considered a sport, in a way, in my book.
Having said that, sure, darts has gained some popularity in recent years, thanks in part to the tournaments and competitions that are being televised and streamed by PDC, and much more importantly, sa Internet, which allowed Pinoys to watch such events; and then of course sa social media, kasi kahit papaano, at least those that are interested in darts and are masipag enough to really find avenues ay makakakita talaga ng mga darts events (competitions/tournaments).
There are also dedicated dart leagues and organizations in the Philippines now, although, interestingly, mas focused ang mga ito sa Visayas and Mindanao regions. I have had an email from Tito Soncuya on this before, kung bakit daw ganito. Sayang, na-save ko sana bago pa man ma-cancel ang email account ko noon sa isa kong website. (Although kung mayroong magaling na IT person or web administrator sa NDFP, malamang mare-retrieve pa nila ang email ko noon, para ma-prove ang mga pinagsasasabi ko rito regarding my correspondence with Tito.)
Anyway, while it may not have the same level of mainstream appeal as basketball or boxing, darts has its own community of enthusiasts in the country.
Pero, for darts to really break it into the mainstream dito sa Pilipinas, it really has to have the same level of awareness that people have of basketball. Kung saan bawat baranggay ay mayroong basketball court, or half-court.
In fact, isa pa ito sa mga reasons kung bakit hindi maging mainstream ang darts sa Pinas. Ang kawalan ng mga infrastructure or facilities para sa darts. Nakakatawa nga, kasi, considering the fact na ang kailangan lang naman ng darts ay isang maliit na lugar (mas maliit pa nga kaysa sa basketball court), tapos isa, dalawa, or tatlong boards lang, tapos mga dart pins. Ayos na, lalarga na. Bakit hindi magawa ng mga nasa baranggay ba. Compared sa basketball na talaga namang may napaka-extensive na infrastructure.
Sa tingin ko nga, mas madali pang palaganapin ang darts kaysa sa pagtatayo ng basketball court sa isang lugar. In terms of developing interest and talent sa naturang game ha. Kaya lang, wala eh. Unless talagang may mag-udyok sa iyo na maglaro ng darts, hindi mo ito malalaro. Hindi mo rin ito makikita. Pero basketball, kahit saan mayroon. Eh kung tutuusin, napakadaling i-establish ang isang “darts court” kumbaga, or “darts arena”, as compared sa pagtatayo ng isang basketball court. Bakit kaya hindi mag-invest ang mga barangay dito ano?
Kaya talaga namang even though may dedicated community of enthusiasts ang darts dito sa Pinas, napakahina ng pundasyon eh. Napakalimited tuloy ng opportunity para mas lalo pang makilala at yumabong ang darts sa bansa.
Until then.
Ronin