Why not collegiate battle royale?

They’re not actually rival or opposing leagues. UAAP and NCAA are two battlegrounds that don’t cross over. While they’re both school-based, their paths aren’t on a collision course. They'd rather play on their own backyards and not bother each other.

- By JOAQUIN M. HENSON

There used to be a Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) which ran from 2002 to 2020 and brought in top schools in the country to vie for national supremacy. Conflicts in schedules compromised the continuing format of PCCL and it didn’t seem like some schools were interested to participate after their own seasons ended. The ambitious goal of gathering teams from all over the country eventually led to PCCL’s disintegration.

Perhaps, a revival of a scaled-down PCCL with a shortened schedule would be more practicable. A round-robin format involving only the champions of UAAP, NCAA, CESAFI and NAASCU might spark interest from covering networks but teams must guarantee the participation of their full lineups. Whether it’s feasible or not is a question that only the schools can answer. It will require a commitment because after the seasons of the four leagues end, players don't often regroup until preparations for the next campaign begin.