The seventh edition of the Friday Night Lights (FNL) basketball gets underway this Friday.
The FNL has for the last few years been the curtain-raiser to the basketball league. However, unlike before, where the winners have been decided by results on court, this time, the team with the most online votes will be declared champions. This is a development that has upset the patrons involved.
The captain of the winning team last year, Jonah Otim, found this new arrangement bizarre.
“If a team does not have to win a game on court, but has to depend on the number of online votes, this defeats logic. Then who will be interested in playing as well to win? The fans are going to be robbed of any entertainment.”
In fact to the Gazelles player Judith Nansobya, she was left confused: “I cannot understand where this idea came from. So, it does not matter whether you have a good team on court if you do not have a huge online following.”
However, FNL director Tom Ocamringa said involving fans more will create excitement, to aid in the growth of the annual event. Ocamringa explained that it is up to the teams not only to win, but also appeal to the fans through entertaining basketball.
That will determine how much backing they get based on the votes got. In a nutshell, this year’s FNL is increasing from eight teams to 10, which will make the competition stiffer at the YMCA in Wandegeya, where the games will be.
The winner will bag Shs 3 million courtesy of the support from Roke Telkom, Betway, House of DJs and Diners Lounge, the new FNL partners.
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