Talks mount about ‘discontent’ in this PVL team

CHICAGO – Despite a straight-sets loss to Petro Gazz in their PVL debut on Wednesday, the hastily-assembled Strong Group Athletics team showed a lot of spunk.

Although the SGA spikers oozed with a lot of joie de vivre on the court, they’re not exactly floating on the wings of love outside the lines.

Several players, I am told, are unhappy. And few have made calls, eager to whisper their shared displeasure.

Among their beef include the need for new shoes and the desire to get at least the minimum league salary plus winning bonuses and other perks.

How is a team owned by billionaire Frank Lao so painfully deprived?

Before you jump to conclusions, here’s some clarity.

Per a source, when SGA assumed Gerflor’s franchise by paying the salaries of its abandoned former players and staff last November, SGA did so on good faith and in the spirit of yuletide

TEAMWORK.

And since Strong wasn’t ready to field a team yet, Lao made a pact with PVL president Ricky Palou that SGA will field a team in the All-Filipino Conference on the condition that only players’ allowances and meals will be provided for.

The main thing here is that Lao had no obligation to do anything until the next conference. But he did anyway.

The motivation was to help Team B players and out-of-school ladies have the platform to showcase their skills so they may be able to find a permanent home in the PVL.

But because the PVL had failed to inform the public about the prior arrangement, it now appears that SGA is lowballing their temporary players.

What’s happening to SGA here is an example of the saying “sometimes the good you do doesn’t do you any good.”

Now, all that goodwill is almost completely invalidated by talks of discontent and unhappiness among team members.

SGA does not deserve this, and most certainly not Lao, who forked roughly P2.3 million of his own money to help clean up the Gerlfor mess.

UNDRAFT MY HEART?

I’m hearing whispers that the rich teams are not necessarily welcoming to the first-ever rookie draft that will be implemented this June.

To borrow a pair of volleyball terms, the common sentiment, it seems, is to toss aside the idea of a draft and not serve it.

Here’s a clue, one week since this change was announced, nothing has been finalized.

Besides the draft, a team executive raised a separate concern.

PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo is a stand-up guy and volleyball lifer with five-star credentials.

Question is: With his previous ties with a corporate giant, can he be an impartial leader who will look after the interests of the small teams with the same zeal he will treat the contenders?

Just asking.

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