The Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) has suffered the same fate as the Soccer League, which must be canceled because it failed to obtain a permit to organize mass events (during the Covid-19 pandemic).
By
EDITOR
·3 minutes read
ANTARA FOTO/MOHAMMAD AYUDHA/AWW.
Pelita Jaya Basketball basketball player Wayne Lyndon Bradford (right) tries to get past the obstacles of Hangtuah basketball player, Alkristian Chandra (left) in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) Pertamax Season 2018-2019 at Gor Sritex Arena, Solo, Central Java, on Thursday (10/1 / 2019).
The Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) has suffered the same fate as the Soccer League, which must be canceled because it failed to obtain a permit to organize mass events (during the Covid-19 pandemic). In fact, a sport without a league is an irony.
Similar to the soccer league, hopes to restart the IBL emerged in September. At that time, the head of the Covid-19 task force, Doni Monardo, supported the resumption of the IBL while prioritizing health aspects (Kompas, 8/10/2020).
Along with the cancellation of the soccer league, the basketball community has had the feeling that the National Police\'s decision regarding the IBL permit would not be much different from its decision on soccer. Even though the signal was already clear, the news of the cancellation was still painful. A number of managers of the basketball clubs expressed their disappointment. The team is ready to compete, but the coveted championship is canceled.
A sport without competition has really affected clubs and organizers. The club has poured a lot of money into training, including hosting a number of friendly matches. Not to mention the costs related to the Covid-19 tests that were always taken by the team before every trip as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Basketball players are certainly very affected. Their days have been dedicated to training for competition. However, now the basketball players seem like they are having extremely bad luck, they have fallen and been hit by the ladder. First, they can\'t play. Second, clarity on when they will receive their salary is also increasingly unclear.
Even if it could roll out, Indonesian basketball could not yet be fully categorized as an industry as it has not met the requirements.
If, on a micro scale, players do not receive their salary, it is a real sign of the demise of the national basketball industry. Even if it could roll out, Indonesian basketball could not yet be fully categorized as an industry as it has not met the requirements. Especially if the league is canceled.
Don\'t dream of catching up with the basketball situation in the United States, which has long lived up to the rules of the sports industry. As an example, the valuation of basketball clubs in the US in 2019, according to Forbes data, reached billions of US dollars. The richest club in 2019 was the New York Knicks, which was valued at US$4 billion, equivalent to nearly Rp 60 trillion.
Kompas
Jan 7, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles the ball as New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) defends in the second half at Staples Center.
In Indonesia, there are not many clubs that live professionally. Only a few are supported by sponsors, even to the point of being able to finance their athletes for further study (to obtain a master’s degree). Not surprisingly, there is a social status that is quite elite among Indonesian basketball players due to adequate salaries plus further study facilities for athletes in some clubs.
The absence of the IBL practically wiped out the possibility of a revival of the national sports industry. Suggestions that the government should not generalize its policy making regarding the issuance of league permits is quite rational. In short, if a standard regarding health protocols has been met, certain branches of leagues should be allowed to be rolled out.
If the government generalizes everything, it closes the chance of reviving the sports industry, which helps drive the Indonesian economy more or less. It has been about seven months since basketball competition stopped. No league, no championship, no pulses of sports industry. And, that\'s an irony of the sports industry.
