The Philippines: Filling the Sports Page with Nostalgia in a Pandemic Abbreviated Season

• Main Author: Sarmenta, Severino R, Jr.
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2021
• Subjects: sports nostalgia during the pandemic; media during the pandemic; Communication; Film and Media Studies; Social Media; Sports Sciences
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/comm-faculty-pubs/11; https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/time-out-national-perspectives-on-sport-and-the-covid19-lockdown
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

As the Covid-19 virus spread across Asia; the Philippines was forced to shutter its sports schedule. Sports media were left without events and athletes to report on and attention shifted to the impact of the pandemic on speculations for the possible return of games and tournaments as well as on how players were coping without a sports agenda. In looking for alternative stories; nostalgia became new content again in Philippine sports media as contests from bygone eras reappeared on television and interviews with former prominent athletes; teams as well as media personalities emerged on websites; social media platforms and print media. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion that can be resorted to in times of stress and stories of past achievements; events and former athletes helped provide content and a respite from the health crisis.