Getting into the Game
Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines and the UAAP is the most watched basketball tournament in the collegiate level. The Ateneo, one of the 8 universities participating in the UAAP, has one of the best basketball programs in the country. Since the UAAP is such a prestigious league, many universities go for the extra mile in training their athletes. This means training them not only to be physically ready but also to be both mentally prepared and mentally sound. Having the right spirituality is considered to be helpful in providing the players with inner peace and the right disposition before the games as it relaxes them. Consequently, some universities celebrate mass before games.
In celebrating mass, one can notice what type of music is being used. It can actually be observed that Jesuit music is the one being played. Songs like "Anima Christi" and "Ama Namin" are a few examples of songs that were composed by Jesuits.
During the UAAP season, our team always has mass before games. We celebrate the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist inside the locker room around 2 hours before the game. Players take turns in leading the readings in mass. Most of the time, the priest suggests that we sing along with him to make the mass more lively and pro active. This helps us relax our minds and prepare ourselves for the upcoming challenge.
Other schools don’t really practice the same tradition as the Blue Eagles. CJ Perez, an upcoming superstar of the Ateneo Blue Eagles shared that in his previous school, San Sebastian, they only celebrated mass at the start of the season. There were no masses held before their games. In fact, they didn’t participate in the singing since it wasn’t really required for them.
Former Rookie of the Year, Arvin Tolentino of the San Beda Red Cubs narrated that they also celebrated mass before their games but players were no active participants. Their masses were quick because there was no singing.
Former Ateneo Blue Eaglet, Kyle Suarez who now plays for the UST Growling Tigers, shared that they only celebrate mass if the games fall on a Sunday. However, if they are in the finals, they also hear mass to prepare themselves. Only their attendance in the mass is required.
From the other side of the fence, De La Salle players Prince Rivero and Andrei Caracut shared that they also celebrate mass but usually a day before game day. Andrei mentioned that they aren’t really required to sing in mass but it is most appreciated by the priest if they did. They just have to recite what is needed in mass. Prince, who is an exception, confided that he loves to participate in singing because he is very religious and it helps him concentrate more. He also noticed that his teammates are just shy in singing since they might end up laughing but they try to lip sing the lyrics.
Singing in mass makes one truly appreciate and value the mass. Just reciting the lyrics of the song is not enough because our heart is not into it. I remember an incident when I was still playing as an Ateneo Blue Eaglet. My teammates and I accidentally sang the wrong song in mass because our minds were on something else. The priest scolded us on the spot. This scolding made us distracted and mentally unprepared the next day. We lost the only game in our championship year. For the next game, we participated more and sang with all our hearts. We ended up winning the championship.
Singing during the mass brings us good luck and gives us more confidence in ourselves. Singing and being active in the celebration gives me and the entire team positive vibes that in turn, helps us achieve our goal that is to win the game. This is probably because our active participation in the mass through our collective singing brings us all together closer to each other and most especially to God.
There are times, however, that we don’t win. We all feel bad because we are all human. But the bond and fellowship created during mass and our singing helps me and my team accept what is not meant to be.