Animo, One Big Fight: RJ Ledesma tackles Ateneo-La Salle rivalry in his new book 

Aside from Ateneans and Lasallians, UAAP fans and sports enthusiasts have witnessed the intensity of this rivalry so many times in the past few years. Almost all ADMU-DLSU matches have been sold out and both teams have been fairly competitive. But really, how did this rivalry begin? 

 

This is what TV host-columnist-author RJ Ledesma aims to explain in his new book, "BLUE BABBLE, GANG GREEN: The Ateneo-La Salle Rivalry." 

 

According to Ledesma in his new book, the Ateneo-La Salle archrivalry can be traced back to the late 1930s during the first "friendship game" of the two schools, and amplified during the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the UAAP. However, he also noted that the "rivalry" goes beyond basketball and further into 19th century America, when the Jesuits who led the Ateneo schools and the Christian Brothers who lead the La Salle schools had a teaching dispute. 

 

Ledesma started "BLUE BABBLE, GANG GREEN: The Ateneo-La Salle Rivalry" back in UAAP Season 70 in 2007-2008, when DLSU bagged the men's basketball championship, a year after the Archers were suspended from UAAP. 

 

"My columns are usually humorous and self-deprecating in nature and deal with topics on flirting dating, gayumas, etc. However, I was so inspired by the comeback of DLSU that year that I departed from my usual column topics and decided to write about the storied Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. Then every year or so, I would write an article exploring the different aspects on the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry (and sometimes, the Ateneo-La Salle collaborations)," he explained to GMA News Online.   

 

Although Ledesma is a bonafide Lasallian, he said that to give equal insights from both sides for the book, he interviewed alumni from both schools. He also talked to "cross-breed alumni" or those who went to both schools, such as Br. Ricky Laguda, FSC, former president and chancellor of DLSU and a graduate of ADMU, and Paolo Trillo, team manager of the Ateneo Men’s Senior Basketball team and a high school graduate of De La Salle Santiago Zobel School. 

 

"On top of that, while I was drafting these essays, I would show them to my close friends from the Ateneo to make sure that their school was written in a favorable light," he added. 

 

For the book, he also got to interview the former Superior General of the De La Salle brothers, Br. Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, FSC, who shared his own perceptions of the La Salle-Ateneo rivalry from a global perspective. 

Rivalries of all stripes
 

So you're not from Ateneo nor from La Salle. Why should you read this book? RJ told GMA News Online that the topic is interesting to those who have been mesmerized, infuriated, or simply interested in the rivalry. 

 

"I found that even the Iskolars ng Bayan (University of the Philippines students) were fascinated by this rivalry, even if from an anthropological basis. I think the book gives us a chance to explore the concept of rivalry through the lens of these two schools, and how it can be reapplied into passionate rivalries that exist in your own lives," he added.  

 

Ateneo-La Salle rivalry has went on for decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Blue Eagles continue to sing, "Through joys and tears, through the laughing years, we sing our battle song: Win or lose, it’s the school we choose; this is the place where we belong!" And the Green Archers still cry, "We'll hold your banner high and bright, a shield of green and white, we'll fight to keep your glory bright, and never shall we fail, hail to thee our Alma Mater!"

 

The author shares, "I don't think the rivalry will end. I think our rivalry actually pushes both schools to bring out the best in each other. However, I think that there are many fruitful collaborations (aside from romantic) between Ateneo and La Salle, which can be great for both nation and church-building. And you can read about it in the book." — VC, GMA News
 

 

"BLUE BABBLE, GANG GREEN: The Ateneo-La Salle Rivalry" is published by Anvil Publishing, Inc. It will be available in National Bookstore and Powerbooks this week.