The Philippines has traded crowded stadiums for overflowing online streams. Once confined to television broadcasts, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) now opens its virtual doors via telecommunication platforms and social media. Gone are the days of jostling for the best seat in the arena, as fans can now witness collegiate glory with just a single tap and, of course, prayers for a stable internet connection.

The now digitalized UAAP breeds a new fan: the emoji-wielding social media spectator. La Salle’s “Lumot Apologists” is a prime example, as they have transformed themselves into the hilarious Greek chorus of Philippine varsity sports. These die-hard fans livetweet every dribble, block, and questionable call, keeping all spectators of the sport glued to the online action. However, their passionate online presence hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Student Discipline Formation Office (SDFO) has summoned similar accounts to address these alarming reports about their potentially problematic social media behavior.

Stirring contentions

The so-called “Lumot Apologists” don’t just spread digital cheers; they also stir up online drama and fan wars with rival universities. These La Salle fans are known for their fiery comment sections, sparking online feuds with other schools, especially those who are a threat to the DLSU teams. Some supporters even take it a step further, creating troll accounts to really rile up their opponents and supporters.

The La Salle faithful reveled in their recent basketball championship win, but their celebrations could have been smoother sailing online. User @NelleEvanGogh ignited a firestorm with a divisive tweet. They proposed splitting the UAAP into two divisions: a top league for La Salle and their nemesis, the UP Fighting Maroons, and a secondary division for the remaining teams. Needless to say, this suggestion didn’t exactly win any fans from rival schools, igniting, yet again, more fan wars and trash-talking.

Unraveling measures

Now that these sports fandoms have created a new arena on social media, fan accounts wasted no expense flocking to Twitter (who even uses X to refer to the app?) after every win or loss to share their insights. This led to the creation of memes after the game’s results to spark an uproar which often results in arguments with their fellow fans. 

The SDFO has decided that any accounts that have engaged in online behavior deemed inappropriate or offensive to the DLSU teams will be slammed with inappropriate conduct, especially if the users are found using demeaning and harmful language. The SDFO explains that such conduct reflects poorly on the individuals involved and tarnishes the sport’s reputation and its respective fan community. SDFO’s director, Dr. Barb E. Dahl, has released a statement on banning the use of fan accounts for all Lasallians as these posts and behavior of the fan community negatively reflect the University and its policies. Upon scanning their school IDs, the office will require Lasallians to show their Twitter accounts to crosscheck students who own these alleged fan accounts online.

Naughty or nice

Such a provision was met with mixed reactions from numerous Twitter users. User @GreenFriedPear shared that the rage came from a place of concern, only defending the school from bitter haters who throw unwarranted comments at the teams, “I was just retaliating against these fans who said that the green plastic clappers were not environmentally friendly. I know they aren’t, but why would they say that?” 

On the contrary, user @EcoAdajarLuvB0t was relieved to hear that more accounts will cease to exist, saying, “At least there would be less of them swooning over my handsome nonchalant setter Eco. I was gatekeeping him so hard until he went viral on TikTok” As such, there were also more neutral responses, indifferent to and unaffected by the implications of the policy, user @CaninoKaLang said, “Actually, I’m not even from La Salle.” 

However, this was not the first time the SDFO took action on sports-related banter. The summoning of stan accounts coincidentally occurred exactly a year after it reprimanded the Lady Spikers for displaying “too much swag” on and off the court. Unsurprisingly, the fans may have followed suit and embodied the stylish, or to some, boastful, confidence of their idols in their online activities. 

Nevertheless, it is inevitable to suppose that the extreme degrees of competition, both on the court and on the web, that come with the UAAP season is what makes it the charming spectacle that fans from all over the country tune into. Whether the move by the SDFO was an effort to instill kindness and sportsmanship in the face of rivalry or a conscious decision to stifle the freedom of expression of each student might probably be a question that will be left unanswered because, at the end of the day, was it ever really that serious?

This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Spoof 2024 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSSpoof2024.