UAAP Update?

Some Atenean I am. First, I had no idea that we had such a sterling record. Second, and to the minds of most of my friends, I had no idea that we had just been dealt our first loss. For the record, no one else, with the possible exception of Manny Pangilinan, felt more ecstatically blessed when the Eagles won the UAAP in 2002-2003. That season had special significance for me. Not only didn't I witness a single Ateneo victory that fateful season, my roommates (after discovering that I had the uncanny ability to will Ateneo into a loss simply by watching a game) refused to allow me to watch any games at all. It was with bittersweet pride that I accepted my roommate Kim Chong's offer to view his Ateneo championship season DVD first; never had a man's inaction meant so much to so many.

I confess that, for me, this UAAP season slipped under the radar. With all the things that have been happening to me lately (my son Manuel's impending birth, the opening of our preschool, and other matters), I didn't particularly care about this season. For one, the Ateneo's storied rival, the De la Salle Green Archers, were not participating in this season's UAAP, due to allegations of improper conduct on the part of some De la Salle sports officials. While I would be the last person to advocate undying enmity against an equally passionate nemesis, I must confess that the lack of any such undercurrent of "hatred", took some of the excitement out of the season for me. More importantly, I realized only recently that the only reason why I continue to cheer for my alma mater in the UAAP is because their success means so much to my friends. As an academic institution, the Ateneo means the world to me; I cannot imagine what I could be without the intellectual and spiritual formation I received from the Jesuits. I just can't summon the same fervor I have for the profound spirituality that can be found in the drive for Christ-centered excellence, a lesson drilled into me by years of Jesuit instruction, for the Ateneo's sporting events. But since the UAAP games mean so much to my friends, some of whose productive working week depends almost entirely on the Eagles' success on the court, I continue to hope, and pray, that the Ateneo wins.

I just hope that we remember that ad majorem dei gloria: all these we do "for the greater glory of God". Last I checked, we can do so regardless of victory or defeat.