PBA requests for audience return in December

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is looking to offer an early Christmas gift to their avid fans once the 2021 Governor’s Cup kicks off.

After the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) placed Metro Manila under COVID-19 Alert Level 2, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial immediately bared his proposal to the national government.

Under Alert Level 2, restrictions were eased and contact sports are already allowed depending on the respective Local Government Unit (LGU) of the area.

With that being said, Marcial hopes that the re-entry of the fans as the PBA continues will also be given the go signal by the national government especially that the tentative date for the PBA’s next conference will be on November 28, 2021.

“The players play better and the atmosphere in the venue is energetic when there are fans. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time,” said commissioner Marcial during the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, fans were never allowed to re-enter professional league gaming venues and watch the games live.

PBA first returned to their normal playing schedule last year but had to deal with the bubble-type format, the only setup the IATF allowed for professional games.

“We will sure have a game on Christmas Day so we will provide promos and free tickets for fans if the IATF permits. We’re looking into going back to normal for the upcoming conference,” added Marcial.