👋 This is a bilingual weekly newsletter. If you are looking for real analysis, raw stories, this newsletter is for you. Subscribe now. 👇 Scroll to bottom for ENGLISH VERSION 【作者補充說明】本文發出後,有朋友提供了更完整的背景補充,在此一併說明與修正: 事件中的女球員實際上已入選沙巴州隊並代表出戰全國賽,落選的是國青初選名單,而非州隊名單。當時她因「頑皮」被教練冷處理、出場機會減少,加上球隊戰績欠佳,導致最終未能入選國青。 這引發其家長不滿,進而在社交媒體上多次抨擊沙巴籃總。不過,兩位小朋友的父親在周五正式為自己的不當言論作出道歉。 本文初稿中對「落選州隊」的描述有所錯誤,特此更正,並感謝讀者的指正與補充。 但也正因如此,我更覺得這起事件值得我們認真看待——無論原始的處置是否合理,或家長的反應是否過激,制度是否出了問題才是我們更該討論與反思的核心。如果制度不改變,類似的事情還是會繼續發生。 前幾天跟朋位閑聊,他忽然問我:「你怎麼看沙巴那件事?」 他說的是最近那起U17選拔風波 —— 一對兄妹在全州賽中表現亮眼,但最後卻連州代表隊的初選名單都沒有入選,在社交媒體上引起熱議。 據了解,兄妹倆不是因為實力不夠,也不是紀律問題,而是因為他們的父親曾在去年因為女兒表現好卻落選州隊,在網路上發表不滿,引起了州籃總某些高層的不悅。甚至傳出風聲:「他們家的誰都不能選。」 當我看到這件事,心裡沒有太大驚訝。所以我回答朋友的,是這樣一句話: 「採訪大馬籃球二十多年,像這種事或類似的事情早就見怪不怪了。老實說,有點麻木了。從最基層到最高層,我們的體系裡總有一些『潛規則』,大家都說:懂的都懂。」 選拔,不該變成報復的工具選拔應該是為了發掘人才,是一場根據實力、態度與潛力來做決定的過程。但當制度失去透明與標準,選拔很容易變質成一種權力的展現,一種懲罰異議的手段。 當一名球員是否能上場,取決於他爸媽在網路上說了什麼,當選拔變成「站錯邊就全家都完蛋」的政治遊戲,我們失去的,不只是幾名球員的機會,而是:
最可惜的是,我們教會了孩子「努力沒用」我們常說:孩子要懂得拼、要敢爭,要相信努力可以改變命運。但這起事件給他們的訊號卻是:表現好沒用,閉嘴比較安全。 在這樣的文化下長大的孩子會變得越來越小心、越來越沉默,甚至開始懷疑:我到底還要不要那麼認真打球? 這不是籃球該傳遞的價值觀。而是一個制度出了問題卻長期沒有被正視的結果。 那句話,敲醒了我最近我在讀《最強的職業球團經營聖經》—— 這是日本B.League主席島田慎二寫的一本書。裡頭有一句話,直接敲醒了我: 「不要憎恨人,要憎恨制度。」
當有人犯錯時,我們不該急著責怪那個人,而是應該去找出制度上的漏洞,並把焦點放在「如何讓這個系統不再犯同樣的錯」。
我才驚覺,也許是待在這個生態太久,我們已經習慣了。面對這類事件,第一反應總是「這就是現實啦」——這其實是一種無力的認命。 我們知道問題在哪,但我們選擇了習慣、沈默。 如果我們繼續習慣錯的事,那就是默許它發生說白了,我們不是不知道錯在哪裡。我們只是太常說:「沒辦法」、「不想惹事」、「看開一點」。 結果呢? 一次又一次,有潛力的球員被踢出局; 而當這一切發生時,我們選擇不去碰、也不去問,我們以為自己是旁觀者,但事實上,我們就是那個默許它繼續發生的人。 改變,要從基層開始很多人以為制度問題只在高層,但真正能改變未來的,是基層。因為基層不是只教投籃與防守,而是塑造:
如果孩子從 U12、U15、U17 開始就學會了:
那我們從一開始就錯了。 再多的海外移訓、再多的比賽平台,都補不了信念的崩壞。 那我們能做什麼?我們不能期待明天制度會自動變好。但我們可以從現在開始做對的事:
這些不是理想——而是基本的專業。 結語|我們可以更好,只要我們願意改我知道這些話,可能會讓一些人不舒服。但如果連我們這些看見問題的人都選擇閉嘴——這個環境只會繼續傷害下一代。 體育不只是追求勝利,它也是一場價值觀的教育。 如果我們連「讓孩子單純打球」這件事都做不好——我們還能期待他們從籃球中學到什麼? 這一次,我不想再說「見怪不怪」。 我想說的是: 我們可以更好,只要我們願意改。 感謝你願意花時間閱讀。 — Jordan 🇬🇧 ENGLISH VERSION 【Author’s Note – Clarification】After publishing this article, a friend provided additional context, and I would like to clarify the details accordingly: The female player in question was selected to represent Sabah and played in the national tournament. What she failed to make was the youth national team preliminary squad, not the state team. Due to behavioral issues ("being mischievous"), the coach reportedly benched her or reduced her minutes as a disciplinary measure. Combined with the team's poor performance, she was ultimately not selected for the national squad. This triggered frustration from her parent, who repeatedly criticized the Sabah Basketball Association on social media. However, as of Friday, the children’s father has issued a formal apology for his inappropriate remarks. The earlier draft of this article inaccurately stated that she was left out of the state team. I sincerely appreciate the correction and thank those who provided more accurate information. And yet, this only reinforces why this issue deserves deeper attention — Because if the system doesn’t improve, incidents like this will keep happening. All They Want Is to Play — Can We Give Them That?The other day, I was casually chatting with a friend when he suddenly asked me: “What do you think about the Sabah selection controversy?” He was referring to the recent U17 selection controversy — a brother and sister who had performed well in the local tournament but didn’t even make the preliminary squad. The news sparked heated discussions on social media. As I understood it, the siblings weren’t left out because of poor performance or disciplinary issues. The real reason? Apparently, their father had voiced his frustration online last year when the daughter — despite playing well — was left out of the state team. That post reportedly upset some people in the state basketball association’s leadership. Rumor had it: “No one from their family should be selected.” When I heard about this, I wasn’t all that surprised. So I told my friend: “After more than 20 years of covering Malaysian basketball, I’ve seen too many stories like this. Honestly, I’ve become numb to it. From the grassroots all the way to the top, our basketball system has always had its share of ‘unwritten rules.’ Everyone knows. No one says it out loud.” Selection should not become a tool for revengeSelection is meant to discover and develop talent — it should be based on skill, attitude, and potential. But once transparency and clear standards are lost, selection easily turns into a power play — a way to punish dissent and control narratives. When a player’s chance to play depends on what their parent said on social media…When selection becomes a political game of “stand on the wrong side, and your whole family suffers”...What we lose isn’t just a few athletes.
The real tragedy? We’re teaching kids that effort doesn’t matterWe always tell our kids: work hard, be bold, fight for what you want. But this incident sends them a different message:“Even if you perform well, it won’t matter. Staying silent is safer.” In an environment like this, kids grow up becoming overly cautious, overly quiet —and eventually they start asking: “Why bother trying at all?” That’s not the value basketball is supposed to teach. It’s the product of a system that’s broken — and has been ignored for far too long. One sentence shook me awakeRecently, I’ve been reading Best Text of Sports Club Management by Shinji Shimada, the chairman of Japan’s B.League. There’s a sentence in the book that hit me hard: “Don’t hate the person. Hate the system.” When something goes wrong, we shouldn’t be so quick to blame individuals. We should be asking:Where did the system fail? How do we fix it so it doesn’t happen again? It made me realize — maybe I’ve been in this ecosystem for too long. So long that I’ve come to normalize these situations. Every time I hear about something like this, my first reaction is:"That’s just the way it is." But really, that’s not acceptance. That’s powerlessness dressed up as wisdom. We know what the problems are — we just choose to tolerate them in silence. If we keep tolerating what’s wrong, we’re letting it continueLet’s be honest — it’s not that we don’t know what’s wrong. We’ve just grown too used to saying: "Nothing we can do." "Don’t stir the pot." "Just let it go." But what’s the result?
We think we’re just spectators. But in reality, we’re the ones quietly allowing this to keep happening. Real change starts from the grassrootsPeople often think these problems only exist at the top. But the truth is — change begins at the bottom. Because grassroots basketball isn’t just about teaching shooting or defense. It’s where we shape mindset, values, and how kids understand what sports really mean. If our players are already learning — at U12, U15, U17 — that:
Then we’ve already failed — from the very beginning. No amount of overseas training or elite competitions can fix a broken belief system. So, what can we do?We can’t expect the system to magically fix itself tomorrow.But we can start doing the right things now:
These aren’t lofty ideals — they’re basic professional standards. Final thoughts|We can do better, if we’re willing to changeI know some people might feel uncomfortable reading this.But if even those of us who see the problems choose to stay quiet,this environment will just keep hurting the next generation. Sports is not just about chasing wins. It’s about teaching values. If we can’t even give kids a fair, simple chance to play the game they love —then what are we really expecting them to learn from basketball? This time, I don’t want to say “I’ve seen it too many times.” This time, I want to say: We can do better — if we’re willing to change. Thank you for reading. — Jordan |
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👋 This is a bilingual weekly newsletter. If you are looking for real analysis, raw stories, this newsletter is for you. Subscribe now. 👇 Scroll to bottom for ENGLISH VERSION 大馬籃總/金群利杯全國籃球錦標賽,也就是「非華全國籃球錦標賽」目前正在進行中,決賽將於本週日上演。 趁著這個機會,我們不妨來談談這個頗具爭議、卻也帶有馬來西亞特色的概念: 「非華籃球」。 在大馬,由於籃球是在上世紀20年代初期,由來自中國的教師以及從中國畢業歸來的老師傳入,逐漸演變成華人學校及社群流行的運動。因此,籃球一向被標籤為「華人的運動」。 這並不是什麼貶低之語,而是多年來累積下來的現實。從學校到國家隊,多數球員、教練、官員與觀眾,確實來自華人社群。 推動改變,其實早在五十年前就開始了 事實上,大馬籃總(MABA)在過去五十年裡,一直希望讓籃球成為真正的「全民運動」—— 一項由不同族群共同參與、喜愛、並代表的運動。 早在 1973...
👋 First thing first, this is a bilingual weekly newsletter. If you are looking for real analysis, raw stories, this newsletter is for you. Subscribe now. 👇 Scroll to bottom for ENGLISH VERSION 上週,我分享了千葉噴射機如何透過組織重建、品牌經營,進而推動行銷與營收成長,建立起「組織改革 → 品牌 → 行銷」的三段式飛輪。 但這些,其實都建立在一個更關鍵卻常被忽略的前提之上:球團內部的理念是否一致(Alignment)。 如果你團隊裡的人,彼此朝不同方向用力,那麼就算你的船再快,也划不遠。 本週,我要繼續分享 B.League 主席島田慎二的《最強的職業球團經營聖經》這本書的讀後感,深入那條「看不見的底層軸線」——它存在於每一個成功的球隊、企業或內容品牌之中:一套清晰、可落實的哲學信念。 這是千葉噴射機組織改革的第一步。 一句話,改變整支球隊的命運...
Before tip-off, Coach Felton Sealey had a simple message for his young forward: "Just go out there and play free. Don’t overthink it." Michael Munnesvicky took those words and ran with them. On Friday night, the 22-year-old sharpshooter put on a show, draining six of his seven attempts from beyond the arc and scoring a game-high 26 points to lead Malaysia’s National Selection Team to a dominant 106–63 win over I-Shou University of Taiwan in the Tan See Seng Cup International Invitational. But...