Just a clever way to condescend

WELL, it seems we have accumulated a number of random thoughts coming to the weekend and they are mostly on a sporting theme, particularly on the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Plus we do have other interesting stuff added to the mix.

Of course, they are never meant to convince rather to make you think, and yes they are indeed a clever way to condescend.

And here we go…

We should focus more on sports and sports development rather than stupid and useless beauty contests. So she’s Miss Universe, then what? Even the title itself is utterly stupid.

Just imagine if Hidilyn Diaz dreamt of being “Miss Universe” and joined beauty contests instead of sports. Of course she’ll absolutely fail as she’s not “beautiful” according to “Miss Universe” standards. But she chose sports, particularly weightlifting, and became an Olympic champion.

Incidentally, after all that hype and falling flat in the end, Miss Philippines Universe Rabiya Mateo seems to have faded into oblivion and is largely forgotten. Meanwhile, Michelle Gumabao realized that she is primarily an athlete and is now one of the top scorers of the Philippine Volleyball League.

I know you’re hurting so I’ll just rub it in… we’re already assured of four Olympic medals – Gold,  Silver, Bronze, possibly Silver or Gold, and another Bronze, possibly Silver or Gold  — and it all happened under President Rodrigo Duterte’s watch. Hate him or love him but you cannot deny the fact that he’s the only President with bragging rights to this.

Moving on, sports and politics never mix well. The last time someone mixed sports with politics was Adolf Hitler during the 1936 Berlin Olympics which, of course, didn’t turn out well. Now it seems mainstream media and the usual suspects in the Philippines have been mixing politics with sports, particularly with gold medal winner Hidilyn Diaz to fit their anti-Duterte narrative. Obviously they’re inspired by Adolf Hitler.

It seems all the questions these so-called media people are asking Hidilyn Diaz are about politics with the ulterior motive to get sound bites. For God’s sake, she’s an athlete, an Olympic gold medallist, not a politician!

This means if any other Filipino athlete wins an Olympic medal, particularly gold, they better cram on everything about the so-called West Philippine Sea arbitration and their criteria for a presidential candidate. Also include the status of our economy and our pandemic response as this will be the questions media will be asking them.

Gone are the days when media interviews an Olympic medallist on the athletes’ particular sport, training and what it takes to win that medal. I suppose only in the Philippines.

C’mon now, don’t be shy and admit it, you really don’t give a shit about Hidilyn Diaz and her gold medal or the Olympics for that matter. It’s all about your hate for Duterte and this is just another issue you can somehow twist to fit your narrative. You’re really pathetic.

Still on sports but this time on another entirely different level and venue minus the traditions, pomp, pageantry and nationalistic pride when playing for one’s country – this one’s all about the money and the heady mix of politics.

Manny Pacquiao has never fought for flag and country; he has never officially represented the Philippines in the South East Asian Games, Asian Games and the Olympics.

That line “ang laban ko ay para sa bayan” and that moniker “pambansang kamao” are just pay-per-view marketing gimmicks to endear him to the gullible. They don’t actually mean anything as Manny Pacquiao only fights for himself and money.

Take note that every time Manny Pacquiao steps into the ring he’s not fighting for Juan Dela Cruz but Louis Vuitton. 

Of course, they can take comfort that Manny Pacquiao was part of our Olympic delegation to the 2008 Beijing Olympics as flag bearer but not as an athlete, boxing or any sports. So he did officially represent the country as a flag bearer but never as an athlete.

A colleague, a boxing fan for that matter, said, “If they give out medals for flag bearers in the Olympics, then that 2008 Beijing Olympics flag bearer gig was Manny Pacquiao’s greatest performance in the Olympics, his gold medal moment.”

And here’s more interesting stuff…

Korina Sanchez – you know, the woman who married Mar Roxas – recently posted on social media that she regularly takes Ivermectin. Every two weeks. It’s good to know that Korina Sanchez is now free from fleas, ticks, heartworm and other parasites affecting dogs.

Meanwhile, a certain Raymond Gutierrez came out as gay and Kris Aquino is still waiting for a sign from Noynoy. Really, who cares?

Finally, democracy and freedom of speech are not dead. Only Ninoy, Cory and Noynoy Aquino are. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com)/PN