DISCLAIMER: MAJORITY OF THE PHOTOS ARE NOT MINE. PICTURES ARE LINKED TO ORIGINAL OWNERS. SCREENSHOTS OF TWEETS ARE ALSO LINKED TO ORIGINAL OWNERS. 
PANORAMIC VIEW FROM LOWER BOX BY: ANYA AFRICA.
“No need for a statistician to come to the conclusion that Ateneo-La Salle match ups draw in the big crowds in a sea of blue and green.” said spot.ph. Sunday, October 4, 2015, the long awaited first face off of long time rivals De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University in Season 78 of UAAP Men’s Basketball happened in the Mall of Asia Arena. The two schools have been rivals since their NCAA prime and it became even more of a rivalry when both schools moved to the UAAP. The game was covered and broadcasted on live television by ABS-CBN sports+live action and before the game started, like how it is every year, there was a big hype over the game because it was and is THE RIVALRY GAME of every UAAP season. Absolutely everything about the game was covered in every media platform. There were interviews, tweets, snapchats, statements basically, everywhere and everything. And with that, I present:
THE TOP 5 OUTPUTS ON MEDIA/BY MEDIA ABOUT THE DLSU x ADMU RIVALRY/GAME
I. “Biggest Rivalry in Philippine Sports”
the statement above was made seconds before the game started and it absolutely caused an uproar in the both schools. Supporters of both schools cheered there green and blue hearts out, where it evem came to a point that no could understand each other. If ABS-CBN’s goal was to immediately hype up the thousands of people watching the game live and at home, then they definitely succeeded. However, I think making this statement is sort of undermining the bigger leagues in basketball, specifically the professional basketball league, PBA.
II. The video highlights of the DLSU x ADMU game
In the highlights game, you can definitely see and feel the tension and excitement of the crowd and of the players. ABS-CBN sports and live action announcers, though known for talking non-sense and such in the middle of games, did a pretty swell job in narrating the happenings of the game.
ABS-CBN Sports and Action. (2015). UAAP Season 78: DLSU vs ADMU Game Highlights. Retrieved from:
III. Halftime
Prior to the Blockbuster game, there was also UAAP’s Cheerdance Competition which also tested the school spirit of each of the participating schools in the UAAP. Though both schools were not successful in winning, the cheerdancers and cheerleaders still showed their school spirit and performed great performances during the halftime break. Ateneo with their Blue Babble Battalion and DLSU with the Animo Squad and the ultimate cheerleaders, the DLSU Little Archers.
Netizens, showed their support and immense respect for the cheerdancers who just competed and had to perform for the halftime.
Also during the halftime, DLSU’s adorable little archers decided to give away t-shirts and it just so happens that one of the shirts landed on the announcer’s table. The announcer then said, though not quote for quote, “A little archer just threw a shirt at me, I think he wants me to wear it but I won’t.” Which, in my opinion can portray differently to different types of people. It could mean that he had a bias towards the Ateneo or simply that He didn’t want to be caught in between. Either or, annnouncers should be more careful in terms of the words they choose when commenting on games like this.
Another thing to take away from the halftime would be when the little archers bowed and began to run to exit the court. As they were exiting, the boys of the DLSU team lined up and each gave the little archers their high fives. As they reached the Ateneo bench, the Ateneo boys also put up their hands to give the little archers their high fives, but they simply missed their highfives. There are no clips of said interaction yet, but it was definitely eye catching. We could see that at a young age, these boys are already given the notion of rivalry between two schools. Maybe they were just “in the zone” for the game, but it sure does look like these boys already know that “blue is the other side.” I guess their influences are their parents, environment and most probably the media
IV. Supporter’s Reactions
According to Marion Macmac and Luigi Jacinto from DLSU’s The La Sallian, (Oct 5 2015) “Over 17,000 fans gathered at the Mall of Asia Arena to witness another La Salle-Ateneo classic.” Every season, the DLSU vs ADMU game would always be the hardest game to get tickets for. Whether it be first round eliminations or just normal leagues, DLSU vs ADMU always brought the most supporters from both inside and outside school. Ateneo-La Salle games call for extra security, patience (to camp out at the ticket booths) and extra space for the audience, according to spot.ph.
Aside from the outrageous yet totally verified tweets on how hard it is to get tickets, there were reactions about how important and intense the game was which in my opinion is 100% correct.
Once the 4th quarter hit DLSU and ADMU kept the fight extremely close until the DLSU Archers prevailed and finally won the game. It absolutely felt like the championships. Jerie Pingoy, Ateneo point guard, also pointed out how though they lost, the rivalry was what made the game so interesting.
When La Salle won, PLDT, major sponsor of the DLSU x ADMU game announced that there would be a victory party for the winners. Though yes a victory party was to be granted, It probably felt like such a slap to the face of the other schools who, in reality, have better standing and stats in the UAAP season. Again, undermining the other schools and making it all about DLSU and ADMU.
Before getting into the whole hype of UAAP season, I did not understand why college basketball, specifically DLSU & ADMU, was bigger that our professional league. I think media and its users definitely play a big role in the marketing and hype of college basketball rivalry.
V. Rivals only in the court
Whats good about this generation is we’ve become more sociable and open to different possibilities. The DLSU x ADMU rivalry is definitely more tame than it was years ago. There are more friendships than enemies, and if there were any enemies, it was only on the court and it was all for fun.
Other than that, it was an Archers win, and as a student of De La Salle University, I was obviously extremely happy about it. Most of the media response was good and some, like Filipino fashion, were funny. I think it’s a Filipino thing to make something not favorable, funny or to make it seem lighter. And because it was an archers win, the DLSU side was definitely proud to sing their alma mater, including me.
Never shall we fail, indeed.
BONUS
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