Having Imports in the PSL Improves PH Volleyball

The presence of imports, foreign athletes in general, in Philippine sports, whether it's in the collegiate level, or in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), has always been an issue that occasionally sparks never-ending debates. For some, the presence of foreign players, particularly in basketball, is hindering the growth of local players and that, the foreign players get more exposure. But for some, the presence of these amazing foreign players isn't a bad thing and in fact, it should be considered as a good thing as it allows the competition to level up to the international level. 

In the Philippine SuperLiga (PSL), the season has a three-conference format that begins with the Grand Prix- an import-laden conference in which each PSL will be allowed to have one foreign player on their roster and that's the first time that the league has imposed such a limit since the league's inception in 2013. And in last Saturday's podcast of "Usapang PSL" hosted by Benny Benitez, PSL President Ian Laurel explained how imports are usually contacted to play in the PSL. He began by saying that even though the PSL Grand Prix usually starts in February, those high-caliber, world-class foreign players have been contacted since October. Laurel also noted that these players have to decline offers from other leagues just to be able to play in the Philippines until the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic and stopped sports at is is. If the pandemic didn't happen, only two PSL teams would have brought back returning foreign athletes: Lindsay Stalzer of F2 Logistics, and Kat Bell of the defending champions, Petron. The rest of the field would have brought in new reinforcements and with the league imposing a one-import-per-team limit, it would have balanced things out in terms of it would have given each team a better chance of performance in each game. 

And while some can't help themselves but worry in terms of the locals getting less exposure due to the impressive performance of the foreign players, most people don't realize that having these high-caliber players from other countries has a positive impact not just on the PSL but on Philippine volleyball in general. Not only did they raise the competition in the local volleyball scene, but it also helped our local volleyball players perform on an international standard whenever they are called for a national team duty. More importantly, the presence of these gorgeous yet talented imports has boosted the popularity that the Philippine volleyball is now enjoying. 

More than given each PSL team a reinforcement for the import-laden conference, imports help improve the quality of Philippine volleyball so that our volleyball community can continue on its course towards becoming as equally-popular as that of Philippine basketball. Even the locals have already recognized that the impact of having these imports has on the volleyball scene. 

Photo is from Volleyverse