IT has been amazing to see and feel the passionate support Filipinos have given the Warriors in their quest to once again be this NBA champion after 40 years. Yes, Pinoys love basketball. Yes, there are so many Filipinos in the San Francisco Bay Area and in California, in general, which explains why there are genuine loyal Warrior fans in the Fil-Am community. But there is something about the Warriors this year and Steph Curry, in particular, that resonates well with kababayans not only here in America, but with Pinoys back home who follow the NBA.
I think the first Filipino American in the NBA Raymond Townsend nailed it. A former Warrior player himself from the late 70s to the 80s, Townsend shared on Balitang America his insights about the Warrior’s much-anticipated victory.
Townsend said aside from the hard work and determination he saw in this current Warriors team, he talked about two characteristics that propelled it to victory.
First, the Warriors team worked together as a TEAM. It was a collective effort, all players working together as one, united by the same goal and that is to make the TEAM win.
Online conversation on social media called this #StrengthInNumbers, which describes how each player worked for the good of the team, and not for any individual’s narcissistic obsession.
This reminds me of the “Bayanihan” spirit among Filipinos, how we are wired to think and make decisions for the good of the group, more than for any one individual. Sociologists have discussed this to be one of the differences between the Eastern (Asian) and Western (the likes of US, UK, etc.) cultures in terms of philosophy and group dynamics.
Most Western cultures focus on the strength of the individual to make a group succeed. On the other hand, Eastern cultures focus on the collective good, making decisions and policies based on consensus.
The second characteristic that Townsend brought up during our interview was that this batch of Warriors has been willing to openly talk about their faith in God as their motivating factor in their pursuit to be Champions.
Steph Curry was even quoted to be saying, “I do a little sign on the court every time I make a shot or a good pass, and I pound my chest and point to the sky — it symbolizes that I have a heart for God. It is something that my Mom and I came up with in college and I do it every time I step on the floor as a reminder of who I’m playing for.”
Truly amazing and inspiring, especially during this time and age when all we hear from many other athletes is that they are the greatest boxer or basketball player or whatever. The focus is the self, the ego — something that turns off most Pinoys, who gravitate more toward hardworking, yet humble people who think more about the family, the community, and God as their motivating forces.
To quote my friend Jacqui Pastoral-Conclara’s post on Facebook: “Manny Pacquiao, Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, and now Stephen Curry joins the few professionals who publicly and constantly proclaim their faith and love for Jesus.”
Thank you, Golden State Warriors for the victory and the inspiration!
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
