Playing it hard
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGXRjLJYPMU”/]
UAAP Rivalry: Claws versus Arrows
After almost 8 years, the match-up wheel finally hit a La Salle-Ateneo clash in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) basketball Finals, the spectacle that provided them and us: the “Dream Finals.” The same teams faced in the UAAP women’s volleyball finals earlier this year. Although DLSU won, these are, in fact, the best of both worlds for Filipino sports fans from different sides.
Whenever these two teams meet, fans, commentators, stars, and even fellow athletes grab their popcorn for an entertaining spectacle. But amid the drum rolls and intimidating screams is the players’ inner spirit to defy the enemy team and the history that relies on treacherous spikes, baskets, smashes, goals, and many more.
It started in basketball, during Manuel Quezon’s presidency. The Eagles were sharpening their claws for another powerhouse team: the San Beda Red Lions, who they faced in the National College Athletic Association’s (NCAA) 16th season in 1939. Although the Eagles-Lions were their match-up favorites back then, another team surprised the Katipunan-based squad in the finals⎯the Archers. Remarkably, the green-and-white squad blew the Eagles away in their first finals encounter and grabbed their first championship. After the game, one of the DLSU students allegedly threw fried chicken at the Padre Faura gate in Ateneo. However, another rumor about the cause of the rivalry said that it was because of the Jesuits and Christian Brothers clash that established Ateneo and La Salle respectively. The two had a scuffle on their individual educational grounds in the late 1800s⎯possibly passing on the heat to their offspring that until the recent championship tug-of-war, has been strong as the rivalry was greatly anticipated.
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Although a players’ “This is Sparta!” personality thrives more on the big stage, there is always the welcoming atmosphere hidden beneath the tough shell of athletes. For the show will always be fueled by the villainous but sensational war between its characters, but after the warfare, a scenery of camaraderie awaits those with a thirst for more.
References:
interaksyon.com
howtheyplay.com
nba.com
ufc.com
sportsjoe.ie
philstar.com
spot.ph
the18.com
quora.com
