20 December 2011
UGANDA : Power Class
It is understandable that for the majority the lasting memory of one of the most dramatic play-off series in Ugandan basketball history will be the big three Isaac Afidra sunk from downtown to turn Game Seven on its head as the clock wound down. For me though it is one particular scene amidst the mayhem following the final whistle that left a lasting impression.
Going into the decider under immense pressure considering the manner in which the Warriors had evened the series a few days earlier, the Power team had still had the presence of mind to bring along Robert Wanitho, their teammate who had broken his leg in that Game Two loss that had seemed to hand the title to their rivals. Now triumphant after the great comeback in the series and in the final game, the Power players had Wanitho pick up the hard-earned trophy for them. It is the kind of gesture that provides evidence of and lends hope to my belief that the commercialism that has taken over and adulterated sport has after all not robbed us of all the core values that were the initial attraction.
It would have been easy for Afidra, Ben Komakech and all the other on-court heroes of Power to bathe in the glory of victory and forget about the 25yr-old centre who had not really contributed and who in only his second year with the club was not yet the 'family member' that, say, long serving Joseph Ikong is. But, credit to the champions, they didn't. In doing that Power showed true class, and it wasn't lost on me that Isaac Lugudde, the player with the closest ties to and who most exemplifies the lifestyle of the USA, the birthplace of basketball and home to the capitalism that ripped the soul out of sport, was at the forefront of this old-fashioned sporting gesture. It reminded me of Barca handing the La Liga and Champions League trophies to Eric Abidal, following his recovery after surgery on the tumor on his liver that had threatened not just his career but his life.
Having resisted the evils of commercialism by grooming their own 'raw material' rather than buying 'finished goods' as well refusing shirt sponsors for long, Barca have now succumbed. But playing in a country where racism in sport is rife, and in a region where tribalism is the order of the day, it was good for sport that Barca honoured a black Frenchman so. It is the true Power of sport.
Going into the decider under immense pressure considering the manner in which the Warriors had evened the series a few days earlier, the Power team had still had the presence of mind to bring along Robert Wanitho, their teammate who had broken his leg in that Game Two loss that had seemed to hand the title to their rivals. Now triumphant after the great comeback in the series and in the final game, the Power players had Wanitho pick up the hard-earned trophy for them. It is the kind of gesture that provides evidence of and lends hope to my belief that the commercialism that has taken over and adulterated sport has after all not robbed us of all the core values that were the initial attraction.
It would have been easy for Afidra, Ben Komakech and all the other on-court heroes of Power to bathe in the glory of victory and forget about the 25yr-old centre who had not really contributed and who in only his second year with the club was not yet the 'family member' that, say, long serving Joseph Ikong is. But, credit to the champions, they didn't. In doing that Power showed true class, and it wasn't lost on me that Isaac Lugudde, the player with the closest ties to and who most exemplifies the lifestyle of the USA, the birthplace of basketball and home to the capitalism that ripped the soul out of sport, was at the forefront of this old-fashioned sporting gesture. It reminded me of Barca handing the La Liga and Champions League trophies to Eric Abidal, following his recovery after surgery on the tumor on his liver that had threatened not just his career but his life.
Having resisted the evils of commercialism by grooming their own 'raw material' rather than buying 'finished goods' as well refusing shirt sponsors for long, Barca have now succumbed. But playing in a country where racism in sport is rife, and in a region where tribalism is the order of the day, it was good for sport that Barca honoured a black Frenchman so. It is the true Power of sport.
# posted by afrbk : 14:17
