WE have always been fascinated by the lessons reflected in the biblical story of David and Goliath and the ramifications inherent in our life both as a community and as a nation where the eternal struggle between the terribly disadvantaged poor and the rich in our midst is a daily testament to the inequalities of life that are often perceived as failures or wrongdoing by those in power.
Even in the wonderful world of sports, where the media and fans often refer to the seemingly weaker individuals or teams as the underdogs, there are stories of triumphs that fortify the hopes and lifts the spirits of the so-called underdogs.
One such glowing example was the recent NCAA championship victory of the Letran Knights over the San Beda Red Lions, reinforced by an awesome import in Ola Adeogun in a sudden-death overtime thriller in the best-of-three finals.
Knights have always been symbols of courage and tenacity and are surrounded by an aura of glory. Indeed in the championship series, the Letran Knights displayed incredible courage, the coolest of temperaments under extreme pressure and a spirit that bristled with a deep conviction that they could overcome the odds and eventually triumph as they eventually did.
It was a combination of grim determination and a sense of playing for one another that was a philosophy taken from the storied pages of Gilas Pilipinas.
Laban! Puso! had been the constant cry of our Gilas national team against almost insurmountable odds. And this mantra, if you will, was embraced by the Letran Knights as though it was their very own.
For sure, San Beda was beaten but hardly disgraced as the Lions clawed back as only lions could do. But this was no jungle. It was a basketball court, where the ultimate finesse of the Knights prevailed in an epic series that was dutifully capped by the heroics of the little guard with an impish smile Mark Cruz and the fire and ice that mirrored the qualities of Kevin Racal.
They were the ultimate architects of the heroism of the Knights molded into a unit by rookie coach Aldin Ayo, whose ties with his alma mater when he was a member of two championship teams gave him an added impetus to achieve what on the surface and in the minds of the pundits was a near impossible task.
The fact that eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao identified with the Knights was most appropriate because he too was the knight in shining armor, who beat the odds and some notable opponents en route to redeeming our country’s stature in the world of boxing and inspiring a generation of young fighters from among the ranks of the poor to look at their poverty not as a burden but as a challenge.
The Letran Knights were not even expected to make the Final Four, let alone enter the finals and win the championship in an unbelievable overtime classic. But then, the soothsayers had apparently forgotten what little David did to the giant Goliath.
We were pleased to be part of former Letran Knight Senator Freddie Webb’s Saturday afternoon show, “Fastbreak” with Boyet Sison, on dzMM Teleradyo, prior to the finals and were struck by the confidence shown by Cruz and Racal who glowed with the spirit that Knights somehow exude.
They were nice kids who were the type you’d wish would succeed. That they did was a tribute to their resolve.
We were quite honestly happy for them because we have always been against the use of imports in the collegiate leagues that somehow give the richer institutions a decided advantage. It didn’t work this time which, in a sense, further glorifies the achievement of the Letran Knights.
As my longtime friend Senator Freddie Webb shouted out – Arriba Letran!