Cooking The Rivalry

Fried chicken.

That, according to legend, sparked the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. Shortly before World War II, underdog La Salle beat the top-seeded Ateneo team in the senior’s basketball division. La Sallians celebrated by throwing pieces of fried chicken (fried eagles) at the Padre Faura gate, aggravating an already seething rivalry.

It doesn’t help that both were exclusive schools that catered to the testosterone-filled sons of Manila’s elite. And they were playing not just for the basketball glory, but also for the attention of the all-girls schools in Mendiola.

The rivalry was intense in the NCAA but not as prominent as is currently in the UAAP, since Ateneo’s adversary then was San Beda College, while La Salle was pitted against Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

Hooliganism

The NCAA did not escape the hooliganism and violence in the early Martial Years.

“After one Ateneo-La Salle game at the Rizal Coliseum, Ateneans were requested to exit last to prevent any untoward incident. When the Ateneans finally exited, they found many of their cars with dents and broken windows. In the following round matchup between the two schools, held at the Loyola Center in Katipunan, the De La Salle supporters found their cars vandalized in return. These incidents infuriated supporters from both sides and probably intensified what was then just a friendly rivalry,” says Franklin Evidente of Inbound Pass.

Ateneo finally bolted the NCAA in 1978 after their title game versus San Beda had to be played behind closed doors when fan scuffles resulted in injuries. La Salle followed suit in 1980 after a violence-filled game with Letran which led to the suspension of the entire NCAA for that year by the Basketball Association of the Philippines.

However, La Salle’s application to the UAAP was rejected by Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas because “it would only bring back the hooliganism.” La Salle was eventually accepted into the league and started play in 1986. It would take several years, though, before they were considered legitimate contenders with both schools grabbing back-to-back titles in the 80s.

“UAAP basketball is the only thing”

But a rivalry doesn’t make sense if one half of it is a pushover. It died down in the 90s when Ateneo went through its dark ages. It bounced back in 2001, their first finals matchup since 1988. La Salle won the series 2-1, but got dethroned the following season as Ateneo won its first UAAP men’s basketball title in 14 years.

“As we went through the basketball season, [the] other administrators and I have shared with each other, that there are times when our alumni and students would express convictions which are a paraphrase of the famous dictum of Vince Lombardi about winning, ‘UAAP basketball is not everything. It is the only thing,’” Ateneo President Fr. Ben Nebres, S.J. teased in his commencement address to La Salle graduates in 2004.

As proof of this, La Salle walked out of the game when they lost the championship to Ateneo in 2008. They did not even bother to receive their runner-up trophy.

This is probably the result of years of brainwashing. Starting in pre-school, Ateneans and La Sallians are already taught to cheer for their school aggressively.

Field days in Ateneo can get as rowdy as UAAP games. “Lakasan niyo cheer niyo! Paabutin natin sa Greenhills!” screamed a third-grader to his teammates. With this kind of upbringing, it’s no wonder they grow up to be such zealous basketball fans.

Even the THE-QS World University Rankings get involved in basketball. Some La Salle fans brought tarpaulins stating the results of the ranking where they obviously topped Ateneo. The blue side responded by bringing tarps that had “Suspended” written on it.

50% blue, 50% green

According to basketball writer Raphael Bartholomew, “Ateneo and La Salle are the most prestigious private universities in the country. The question of which institution provides a superior education is a toss-up; the tie-breakers take place on the basketball court.”

And these tie-breakers can compete with the Star Awards in terms of celebrity turnout. Movie stars, professional basketball players, government officials and a handful of Forbes’s 40 richest Filipinos all flock to the 15,000-seat Araneta Coliseum to watch the decades old rivalry.

Ricky Palou, Ateneo’s athletic director, says the rivalry allows Manila’s elites to relive their carefree college days.

Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas describes the Ateneo-La Salle game as “you split the crowd in half, 50-50. One side of their gym was blue and one side of their gym was green and everybody was just yelling.”


A long-running tradition

“I suppose these two universities compete with one another as part of a long-running tradition, and sometimes it is fun and exciting to take part in it,” says Mais, a student of DLSU.

Although La Salle hotshot Joshua Webb tries to treat it like any other day, it really gets out of hand when he’s already there on the court. “With all the media coverage and everything, people tend to forget it’s just a game,” he says.

King Eagle Eric Salamat agrees and says, “For me, the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry will be forever. All teams have the same goal – to win the crown. It’s just more intense when it’s Ateneo and La Salle. Plus, it’s been there even before we were born.”

Off the court, La Salle and Ateneo players get along pretty well, even partying together in the post-UAAP victory bash. Except for the teasing, taunting and occasional brawls, Ateneans and La Sallians can actually be friends outside the games.

“If you’re part of the rivalry, you just don’t like each other. . . . Let the chips fall where they may,” Ateneo Coach Norman Black says. “We can lose to anyone but La Salle.”

Okay, maybe being friends is a little too idealistic.

Here’s a look at a teaser for the 73rd UAAP Season, courtesy of De La Salle University, this year’s host:

Mav Gonzales, Yahoo Southeast Asia