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| By: Toby Pavon and Aram Odumreb |
Manila, Philippines - The Philippine Basketball Association marked the beginning of its 2016 All-star weekend with a press conference reiterating their goals of putting up a great show for the fans in the coming days. But unlike previous press conferences for the All-star Weekend festivities, two women sat at the far right of the table next to the South All-star Team, not as commentators or spectators, but as participants, basketball players eager to entertain the fans.
Both Mercado and Ramos are relishing the opportunity to bask in the limelight of one of the most anticipated sporting events in the country. Aside from the usual all-star game, the PBA will feature a 5 on 5 Women’s Basketball game, a change of pace from the on-going 3 on 3 Women’s basketball tournament.
This comes as a welcome development given the PBA is the most popular professional sports league in the Philippines which attracts audiences from all walks of lives around the country. Only now, young girls will be able to see for themselves that basketball, even at its highest level, welcomes all genders.
The PBA has started embracing women athletes as early as last season when the 3 on 3 Women’s tournament was introduced. This season the PBA made the conscious decision to hire the services of female referees to officiate during regular PBA games. The addition of a women’s event in the All-star Weekend is another step toward promoting female athletes at the professional level.
Only time will tell when Mercado and Ramos will realize their dream of sitting in a press conference answering questions from reporters about a professional league of their own.
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