Once upon a time, the PBA was the gold standard of basketball in Asia.

It is the continent’s first professional basketball league and claims to be “the second oldest continuously existing in the world after the NBA.” The league enjoyed a few decades of immense popularity and success following its founding in 1975 as it ingrained itself in the fabric of Philippine culture.

In more recent years though, the PBA’s popularity has waned. Vehemently lopsided trades gradually seeped into the league’s landscape in the mid-2000s before eventually becoming so commonplace that the old adage about life’s inevitabilities could be updated into, “Death, taxes, and one-sided PBA trades.”

Gate attendance has suffered and the league, instead of addressing its parity issues head-on, has resorted to gimmicks to reinvigorate its fanbase. Earlier this week, the PBA announced that it will introduce a four-point line when its 49th season begins in August which, unsurprisingly, drew the ire of most fans.

The four-point line will be 27 feet away from the basket, almost five feet away from the 22.1-foot three-point line. This is not the first time the PBA has experimented with the four-point line, as it was already tested during the past two All-Star Games. This innovation is expected to make games more exciting as it makes it easier for teams to rally back from large deficits in the fourth quarter.

One important historical note to remember amidst this four-pointer hoopla is that the three-point line was once a publicity stunt too. The NBA only adopted the three in 1979 which was 18 years after it was first instituted in the short-lived American Basketball League and only 88 years had passed since the sport itself was first invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. However, the NBA and basketball were far from mainstream back in those days and was ripe for innovation in order to make it a more appealing sport.

The PBA’s bold move to introduce a four-point line might one day be remembered as a stroke of genius, but given the circumstances and context, it is foolish.

Local fans have made it clear that they want two things from the PBA: Parity and an environment that is conducive to the national team’s success. Putting in place a four-point line does nothing to alleviate either of these concerns and only increases the deviation of the PBA’s rulebook from that of FIBA, bringing it closer to SlamBall rather than the gold standard of basketball.

On a national scale, it is quite unfortunate for the progress of a Philippine basketball program that is fresh off a better-than-expected showing at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament held earlier this month. These types of shenanigans might lead to a slight spike in viewership of the PBA early in the season due to simple curiosity, but it is unlikely to lead to any substantial uptick in the league’s popularity.

If these are the types of new rules that the league will continue to roll out in the coming years, it will be difficult for anyone to take it seriously. This will only lead to more players exploring other options whether it be with the MPBL or abroad. It is difficult to imagine the future of the PBA as long as it continues to function as if it is in its own fantasy world, overlooking the lack of gate attendance and entertaining delusions of being a leader in the world of basketball.

The league’s leadership would be wise to remember that though the American Basketball League and American Basketball Association were the pioneers of the three-point line, neither of them were still around past 1980 when the sport was only beginning to become a mainstream attraction.

Considering all of the negative developments over these past few years, compounded by this questionable rule change, it seems like the PBA is destined for the same fate as the forefathers of the three-pointer if it continues on this path. It is in dire need of a change in leadership if it is to survive and to put it in the simplest terms possible, the four-point line “just ain’t it.”