By Ian Chew
The huge crowd watching the game between the Slingers and Purefoods. There hasn’t been a crowd like this at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for a sports event in a long while. (Photo ©Â Les Tan/Red Sports)
It’s a sad fact – but you would probably never see this happen among Singaporean supporters.
Midway through the third quarter as Slingers’ Filipino point guard Al Vergara stood on the free throw line, the near capacity Indoor Stadium crowd of mostly Filipino expatriates rose as one with chants of “RP! RP!”. RP by the way stands for Republic of Philippines. (I can still feel the goosebumps as I write this.)
I remembered turning in amazement to Shamir from the Today newspaper (who was also quite dumbfounded beside me) and saying, “Have you seen anything like this before?”
The deafening roar of the 5,500-strong crowd continued to reverberate around the stadium each time their favorite Purefoods team threatened to embark on a mini-rally. Even the Slingers looked slightly shell-shocked at fervent support for the visiting team.
“It’s kind of strange to hear boos ringing in our home game when one of our players step up to take the free throw,” confided Darren Ng in an earlier interview.
But when facing any visiting team from the Philippines, the Slingers had better get used to that treatment.
“We are extremely passionate about basketball back in the Philippines, especially about the PBA league and these scenes are common,” explained one Filipino fan to me later. “In fact, if you manage to get Ginebra Kings (the most popular PBA team in the Philippines) down to the indoor stadium, I would even be willing to pay $50 for the ticket!”
Yet the fanatical Filipino crowd occasionally reared its ugly head as well. It happened when Purefoods head coach Ryan Gregorio got into a shouting match with one of the Slingers fans during the fourth quarter. That prompted the entire Filipino contingent seated above to rain down not only their abuse, but objects as well at the hapless fan! Fortunately, the visiting team managed to calm down the fans or I doubt the stadium security could have done much to hold back a full-scale riot.
Slingers’ Managing Director Bob Turner is taking everything in his stride.
“I think the atmosphere is unbelievable tonight and it bodes well for the Slingers team as we prepare to embark on our ASEAN league next year,” he enthused. “Hopefully, we can get our locals to support us in a greater way.”
The Slingers head coach was also excited about the record fans turnout.
“It was a fantastic atmosphere at the stadium and the players were sometimes playing on adrenaline off the energy from the crowd… It’s great for basketball!” he said.
Would someone pass the message to the Singaporean fans?
Chris Daniel of the Slingers lays up for two. Slingers found themselves in the odd position of getting booed by the mainly Filipino crowd while playing at home. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE0i1SvrJJs
For some idea of the passionate Filipino crowd, see how worked up they get in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter when a fan got involved in a shouting match with the Purefoods coach!
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Hi Les…coffee? that will be great. I think you will remember me, coz we were beside each other during the match. And yeah, hope to see you soon. 🙂
Hi Francis,
Sorry to hear that you were not properly credited for the work you did. It’s a total bummer and I feel your pain.
Folks don’t appreciate the amount of money and effort that go into getting the photographs and expect it to be free, happily ripping it from you and saying sorry as though that’s the end of it.
It’s a matter of integrity and when you don’t see it on display then you stop and say “Hey, you can do that to me once, but you won’t do that to me again.”
I’ll buy you a coffee next time we meet.
les
Hi Les…Im the photographer of the photo published in Today. The best they could do was apologize. I asked for an erratum but I never got a reply after that. I guess, this is media here in Singapore. Yes, it’s great to have the photos seen in the newspaper, even without pay as long as the credit is there. But sad to say that I really felt neglected after my last email. And yeah, I did think to sue the writer, but then I have to back out. I just dont want to go the trouble of the process. But if that happened in the Philippines, then I won’t hesitate coz I got three lawyers to help me. And this is a big issue among photographers in the Philippines, and the EXIF is used as evidence.
Another photo of mine appeared on Straits Times that same day and the same thing happened. The photo was credited to IMSG. Cheryl did give me a call to apologize personally for the matter, and I do accept her sincere apology. Shamir Osman did apologize through email, but his reasoning didn’t actually convince me and he didn’t really sound sincere about it.
Apologies have been given. But the damage is done. Its like, you can kill someone and be sorry for it, but you won’t bring back the life of that person you killed with your sorry. Best I can do is forgive, but the other party should do their best to amend the mistake. An Erratum is all I wanted. Nothing else.
Suing? Well, that’s quite a step to take. Not to mention who you are taking on. Mediacorp, which owns Today, will tie you up in knots.
i read in other blog that the photog will suing the reporter and news org for not giving credit to the photog…
huh huh! news reporter & the org you cannot run from this…
Most likely the writer was not a basketball watcher long enuf…
If you have step into the Gay World in the late 80s for the NBL Div A……
it is sad that Singapore Basketball has been ill managed to such a stage….thanks to the incapable ppl at BAS….
Nevertheless Slingers vs Purefood was a very sucessful game…
Can see Alvin Patrimonio leh…..
Hey Dick, thanks for your kind comments. Whether the Gin Kings can make it to Singapore would depend on PBA and the Slingers’ schedule. In fact, I’ll look forward to that as much as any Philippine fan because the stadium does seem awfully quiet without you guys around!
Anyway, all the best for your team’s best-of-seven final!
Hi Ian,
This is Dick, We met in the MRT on your way home after that Purefoods game (hope you still renember me) I am the one who mentioned to you regarding paying more if Ginebra will come here to play… I read your article and it was great…Thanks for appreciating filipino brand of basketball and especially the Filipino crowd….Hope you can help the organizers to bring Gin Kings here… I guarranty you your stadium will explode…To have an idea of th9is ballclub check in youtube: Ginebra Gin Kings players to watch Mark “The Spark” Caguioa, Jayjay Helterbrand, Erik “Major Pain” Menk
I guess its the practice of the news org itself.what a shame…
I agree with u not to let photog’s give free picture to the stingy news org..
In all probability, it’s the editorial staff and not the writer who messed up the credit.
It’s happened to me before when they’ve used my pictures in the Straits Times. The person asking for the picture at these events, the writer, usually passes it on to a photo editor, who, if he is awake, will then have to do the proper crediting.
So sometimes, they drop the baton. And unlike a website, once it’s printed, that’s it. No chance for correction.
I also learnt to stop giving pictures away to the papers because these are multi-million dollar entities and if they can’t afford or be bothered to send a photographer of their own for a sports event that happens in Singapore, the last thing we should do is to give them free pictures. I know it’s a thrill to see your picture and get a credit and that’s fine. But when they mess up the credit, man, that really is a big downer.
In any case, you shouldn’t give it to them for free because when they need pics from the agencies like Reuters or Associated Press, they have to pay approximately US$50 for each so don’t let the papers take you for a free ride. Goodness knows they can afford to pay for the picture if they have to.
les correct..im referring to the Today Sports News article with the picture to misled the reader that it his picture…so unprofessional for the writter to not give credit to the owner…
NO GOOD LAH! mr.Shamir
Steel, I presume you are referring to TODAY, the newspaper not crediting the photographer properly even though they used his picture for the game?
Oh really? why there’s no credit for the photo owner? that’s not correct…when u read the article and see the pic,i looks like it was taken by Mr.Shamir…not professional. if i wer the photog i would have sued because there’s a clear intent to misled the reader, its against IP laws..the reporter or the news org should give due compensation and or apology to the photog…
to:mr.shamir,i tot ur good but NO GOOD lah!
Hey Dawn, I think we’re only starting to see what passionate supporters are like in basketball games. All thanks to the Filipinos.
The turnout during the Philips Cup 2 years ago when teams like Argentina and Spain stopped over in Singapore probably had the same numbers but the kind of passion was not even close to what we saw on Tue night. And to think that 22,000 fans turned up for the PBA finals, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like!
Hi Steel,
This is Cheryl, the PR consultant for the Slingers.
Please credit the photo to Francis Espeleta, as he kindly let us use the photograph.
Glad everyone enjoyed the game!
Great game…to the organizers, please bring in GINEBRA! the stadium will explode..but not the same referees and officiate.it was really terrible…
To:Today’s reporter Mr.Shamir, nice article and photo too…is that your photo?great shot..can i have permission to use it?
22,000?!? That’s incredible, Philip. What an awesome sight and sound it must be.
5,500? You guys should definitely come to the Philippines. Game 7 of the recently concluded conference finals between Ginebra Gin Kings and Air 21 Express drew in a record crowd of 22,902. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.
Passion Passion Basketball Passion.
This was the first time I have heard a 5,500-strong crowd shout “Defense! Defense!” live and it was amazing. I can’t describe it. You had to be there to hear it.
I’ve caught some NBA bball games on television and you can hear the crowd shout “Defense!” but hearing it live is something else.
I’ve never heard anything like it before in Singapore.
Just awesome.
Ian, I agree with you – the atmosphere was just electrifying. I half-thought the roof would cave in every time Purefoods managed a steal or fast break, so loud were the roars of approval. The spectators seemed to take a particular shine to #18 guard James Yap. He’s apparently something of a celebrity – a former MVP in the PBA, as well as husband to Kris Aquino (former President Corazon Aquino’s daughter).
Even the Philippine ambassador to Singapore was present, and someone was giving out Philippine flags to supporters.
I’m wondering if this may even have been the largest turnout for a basketball game in Singapore history?