NO ONE LEFT BEHIND: Pinoyliga steps up for the casual hooper as it launches awareness campaign

With basketball slowly getting back to action, there are some who thinks that it should be inclusive to everyone as only the PBA were given a go-signal to resume their activities.

That is why Pinoyliga, the country's premier digital statistics platform, had launched Basketball Will Be Back, a campaign designed for the followers in the recreational and casual scene, which is one of the most underappreciated aspects in the country's most popular sport.

Founder and CEO Benny Benitez noticed that there is a need to keep them remembered, as one of the key facets of amateur and semi-professional basketball were also affected by the coronavirus pandemic that brought a halt to all sporting activities.

"It’s our campaign to keep casual recreational basketball alive in the consciousness of our basketball fans," he said, as they are on their mission that no one must be left behind.

With 27 partner leagues nationwide, including the flagship Pinoyliga Cup, the campaign will be their primary voice as they will amplify their thoughts both on their website and in social media, in which they hope for resumption of action from those below the country's first professional sports league.

"Pinoyliga will be the voice of the casual recreational leagues considering that they don’t have full operations now that its pandemic."

The players and the partner leagues are on the spotlight of this campaign, in which they will be the primary beneficiaries of their alliance with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

"They will be able to benefit from the close partnership of Pinoyliga with SBP with regards to updates from the governing body", he said on the country's NSA for Basketball, who had already created the guidelines which are in line from the International Basketball Federation.

"If we need to start putting the structures [to return], we should do it now," he added.

Recreational and casual basketball was meant to be the reflection of the Pinoy style of the game in its purest form: free-flowing and fast-paced. The mantra of "Ball is Life" became synonymous with the sport here as it was everywhere in the country.

For Benitez, this is something about the healing nature of sports as it was the necessary tool for the people to motivate them in life. And with the campaign, he hopes that those who just play for fun will finally get that chance to grab a ball again.

Photo: Pinoyliga Cup (FILE)