Many colleges and universities offer students plenty of opportunity to play different competitive sports. This is evidently true for popular sports such as basketball and volleyball, the common highlights of the two well-known leagues: the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). 

For student-athletes, they are provided with scholarships by the schools they represent. For ordinary students and the non-sporties, UAAP and NCAA events allow them to unwind from their academic stress and bond with their friends and blockmates.

However, those immersed in the leagues are aware of stark differences between the two that somehow dictate league preferences.

But the ancient rivalry between the two collegiate leagues in the Philippines is actually “no rivalry” since they both reach out to specific school communities, have different pools of fans, and rosters of competitive players–one of the many reasons why there is a need for two leagues.

In a Rappler article, PR practitioner Tessa Jazmines said that since 1938, there have been two collegiate leagues entertaining collegiate (basketball) fans side by side, and there have been no major threats to their existence. Jazmines added that if there were only one league, there would be a big void for collegiate sports aficionados.

The two leagues are different in their own ways, they have their respective following and the collegiate crowd is huge.

Seems like the union of two leagues into one big league will only result in a larger pool of sport talents. After all, we don’t want to miss the talents of each student-athletes, we want to see their individual strengths, competitiveness, and primarily their own affairs, which we may not be able to see if there’s one huge league.

Let the strength of each league bring the best of both leagues, doing their own thing with or without the other. Without merging, their attempt to bring the two leagues together for one common goal and tournament can still remain–all for their universities, colleges, and for the country.

Reference: https://www.rappler.com/sports/8331-the-philippine-collegiate-rivalry-ncaa-vs-uaap/