(A blast from the past. The column which follows was first published in August of 1994, AMANDALA no. 1303. Dr. Manuel Esquivel’s UDP was in power, having won an upset general election victory in June of 1993. The Kremandala/Johnson Raiders were two-time semi–pro basketball champions at the time this column was published.)

The Belize Government apparently helped to subsidize the Belize vacation tour last week of Los Angeles Clipper Pooh Richardson, other UCLA basketball alumni and some Hollywood actors. In return, the basketball players played three friendly games against a Belize team selected by Pulu Lightburn and coached by Pinas Staine. The American basketballers also ran training camps in Belize for young men ages 8 to 17.

The visit received major publicity on Channels 5 and 7 (television) and on the BCB (Friends FM and Radio Belize Gold). The attitude of the BCB sportscasters was remarkably enthusiastic, when you consider that these same three people criticized and disrespected the Belize semi-pro basketball league all season long, and in so doing seriously damaged the attendance at the BBL games.

This is a tricky subject for me to deal with; first of all because there is some personal animosity involved, and secondly because there is basketball rivalry and jealousy here.

The fact of the matter is that when the Kremandala Raiders joined the semi-pro league in its inaugural year (1992), the defending champions were Jah Jam, a team which featured the three BCB sportscasters as prominent managers and coaches. There was a bitter rivalry between Raiders and Jah Jam. Raiders beat Jah Jam 4 straight times, and after last year the three individuals decided to give up semi-pro basketball and dedicate themselves to sportscasting full time.

Anyway, this column is not just about basketball: It is more about business and industry and jobs in our community. The semi-pro basketball league generates, for seven months out of the year, part-time jobs for 90 players. The BBL franchises also generate about 40 to 50 part-time jobs for coaches, managers, statisticians, masseurs, custodians, flag men, halftime entertainers, etc. Semi-pro basketball employs about 10 referees and 12 to 15 desk personnel. The BBL provides income for print shops, ticket vendors, radio announcers, food and bar employees, security guards, policemen, videographers, etc. 

In addition, the BBL pays all the bills for the amateur basketball games at the Civic.

If one were looking at the economic benefits the BBL provides for this community, then one would say that there is no reason why the industry should not be supported, even subsidized by the government if necessary. But there have been problems, especially this year. The impression some of us are getting is that the politicians in power have a negative attitude.

So they jumped on the one-week NBA bandwagon. But this was a case of selling 7-day dreams when the reality was right there to support for 7 hardworking months. Which is more important, for a Belize player or two to be lucky and good enough to make the NBA, or for 90 Belizean players to continue having jobs?

I noticed that AMANDALA editor Glenn Tillett did not cover the “NBA tour”, although the newspaper purchased photographs of the games from David Jenkins. I think he should have covered the tour, but I can’t be angry with Glenn. He is also the general manager of the Johnson Raiders, you see, and he saw all the s— that came down this year, and he felt the pressure and the pain. So I think that when he saw the same people who dumped on the Raiders and the BBL getting so excited and positive about the exhibition games last week, it turned him off.

In this column, I have tried not to let my anger show. The whole season, while we were losing thousands and thousands of dollars, I tried to act like a businessman. This is an issue which now requires public debate, because the BBL is more than sports: it is an entertainment industry.

The most important thing a young black man in Belize City can have is a job, any kind of legal job. When you dedicate yourself to eliminating those jobs which do exist, then I think your agenda is a sick and dangerous one. 

P.S. The exhibition games are not really a fair showcase for Belizean players, because the pre-game commitment is not to defending our national pride. Instead, before the games the Belizean players are warned that they must be careful not to hurt the Americans. This inhibits our players, takes away from the aggression you need in international competition, and prevents our players from performing at their best.