The Final Score: PHL sports in 2011, glimpse of a golden age

We are, at times, too proud; too proud of what we know, too proud to change, too proud to accept that nothing in sports is infallible. Winners can lose. Losers can win. Dreams can be realized in full. Visions can be completed by installment. I am always asked, "What did the Azkals achieve?" And I usually reply, "They proved that any sport can spark a revolution." Go call it a marketing blitz. I choose to call it a revelation. The Azkals reveal so much about us. Will we totally embrace football? Do we completely welcome Filipinos who grew up abroad? The disappointment over the Under-23 Azkals made us wonder. David Beckham's arrival got our attention. Are we wholeheartedly convinced? Or do we continue to resist the urge to change? Gilas represented a shift. They tried to do things differently. They tried to achieve radically different results. Gilas, however, tried to innovate in basketball: a sport that best represents our stubbornness. Yes, I have no objections your honor. But there must be value in chasing a crazy ambition. Others say, "We're too short." Others say, "We play too much like NBA stars." Others say, "It can't be done." Skepticism never inspires. Because it proposes that we shouldn't even try. Our link to the SEA Games is back. Two networks aired the event simultaneously. That's a start. Because sports officials deserve national acclaim if they deserve it and national scrutiny since they deserve it even more. I'm glad national athletes have the spotlight back. Even if it means revisiting the age-old problems teams face. Even if it means accepting the painful truth. Winning gold medals in the SEA Games isn't easy. It never was. It never will be. Hopefully, 2011 marked the SEA Games' return to true relevance. Manny Pacquiao remains the Philippines' biggest sports star. Yet Manny also became the year's biggest source of debate. Did he win? Did he lose? Fans struggled to grasp Pacquiao's mortality. Expectation, after all, can be indestructible. Pacquiao, no matter how hard he tries, no matter how hard we believe, is not. What happened between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez went against the personal belief of many: that Manny is untouchable inside the ring. I still shake my head when I read this tweet from my friend Lisane - for me, it's the sports tweet of the year: "So apparently I don't understand boxing! How did Manny win?! :))" The Azkals played. Nonito Donaire prevailed. Gilas placed 4th. Gary David went berserk. Maristella Torres jumped and won. Petron ruined Talk 'N Text's grand plans. And visitors arrived: Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, David Beckham. Kobe and Beckham shared a moment with Pacquiao. Phil Younghusband shared a moment with Becks. Air Force won. Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena emerged. In 2011, sports in the Philippines forced us to unlearn some of our personal truths about Philippine sports. It was our right to have been stubborn. It was likewise our right to have felt the difference. - GMA News