The PBA is getting Boring because...

The just concluded PBA Finals between San Miguel Beermen and Magnolia Hotshots deserved all the attention of the Philippine basketball universe.

It was the battle of the last franchise that accomplished the grandslam and the most powerful team ever-formed in the league, trying to do the same. 

Two successful and popular franchises played in the finals but the vibe that I got from the fans was a big, blaah. 

I think, if we do a survey on the fans of the other teams regarding the 2018 Finals, I will bet more than half of them will not answer this question correctly - What was the series record? 

I am pretty sure that majority of you, are reading this article, because you agree.

But the biggest question now is, why?

The PBA is dismissing the art of story-telling. 

Why did a lot of Filipino basketball-fans fell in-love with Ginebra? Because they embodied one of the most alluring story in the history of mankind. The story of overcoming the odds.

So going back to the Finals, why should a casual fan watch that? Because? Uhm. Because it is the PBA finals?

The real reason why the PBA was enamored with this three-conference format is simple mathematics. More playoffs equals more playoff games. Playoff games have better sales than elimination games. More playoffs equals more finals. Finals is still the best, in terms of sales.

In short, more conference more profit.

Unfortunately, they did not see the negative effects. And one of it is the lack of time-frame to create arcs. 

If you are an anime fan, you should be familiar about arcs. Or in a much easier sense, story chapters. Different chapters were supposed to create different storyline.

In the PBA, that is not happening. The usual theme is the same for elite contenders. Can they maintain one of the top spots? Same for playoff contenders, can they avoid twice-to-beat disadvantage? And for up-and-coming squads. Can they reach the playoffs?

Storylines are built in a space of time that a person recognizes. In an 11 games elimination round, the  battle for one of the 8 spots is at the center right away and all throughout the conference.That makes it hard to put focus on other things, like, the brewing rivalries, great improvements, franchise-changing trades and so on.

And the fact that we have three conference a year makes it more boring. Think about the last movie that you enjoyed? If you watch it again, are you as happy as the first time? If you watch it again the following day, are you still happy watching it?

I think, a lot of fans are already experiencing that fatigue with experiencing the same thing, over and over again. 

Lastly, the characters in the story is not changing. SMB is still the most powerful. Ginebra is still the most beloved. Alaska is well-respected. Meralco and Globalport are still up and coming. 

And so on. 

Without anyone in the PBA management realizing it, the supposed road to new heights could end up into the lowest pits.