It's All About Chris Tiu

It’s funny, to say the least. Cute tiu. Oh, I mean, cute too.

MANILA, Philippines—Right now, one of the most frequently photographed spots in the Ateneo de Manila University is probably in Gate 1, right by the Blue Eagle Gym. There, larger-than-life standees of the entire Ateneo seniors basketball team hover over pedestrians and motorists, orange basketballs perched on their fingers.

However, more often than not, people stop to pose with only one standee: Chris Tiu’s, to be specific. The 23-year-old cager single-handedly raised female basketball fandom to strange heights, and advertisers know it. After all, it’s his chinito mug that’s selling thousands of Adidas jerseys (plus shampoo and skincare, among others) across the country. And don’t forget the TV shows.

While basketball has always been a popular sport in the Philippines, even the most prolific players in the past couple of decades will be hard-pressed to match Tiu’s popularity. It’s partly because Tiu has become the epitome of the so-called “perfect guy.” Ask any bubbly teenager what she likes about Chris Tiu, and chances are she’ll gush, “He’s good-looking! And smart! And nice! And wealthy!”

The more cynical will remark, “He’s too perfect, so there’s probably a catch somewhere.” However, aside him from already being in a relationship (much to the dismay of thousands of girls), it’s hard for fans and detractors alike to pinpoint any visible faults. He isn’t gay, he doesn’t have a secret violent streak, and he doesn’t spend his off-court hours dealing with shady characters. So, what’s the flaw?

From the way I see it, he was born with a flaw that was magnified the moment he stepped on the court and achieved superstar status. It’s his name. Every single shrieking female Chris Tiu fan has, at one time or another, used his name as a pun. It’s an epidemic that no one case escape—a religion, almost. Some call it the “Iglesia Ni Chris Tiu.” Others choose to call themselves Christiuans, followers of “Christiuanity.”

Some girls even have an anthem, sung to the tune of “You and Me” by Lifehouse. It goes, “Chris Tiu and me, and all other people…” It probably won’t make it to the Top 10 hits, but teenage girls are singing it, anyway (and consequently driving their boyfriends nuts). In Ateneo, shirts with “Today is Tiu’s day” emblazoned across the front sell like hotcakes.

Scary

The scary thing is that it isn’t just the fans who effortlessly come up with corny puns. When I first wrote about the Chris Tiu phenomenon on my blog, dozens of people just had to put in their own bits of wordplay. My own boyfriend, for instance, said that Chris Tiu probably sinks all those great three-pointers because he wears great “rubber Tius.”

The madness isn’t limited to Ateneo, either. After watching UP experience a crushing defeat at the hands of Ateneo, some friends said, “Tiu-gi na ‘yung chances natin para makabawi sa UAAP, nadaan sa Tiu-nami.” Others pretended to be better, saying, “Tiu-mamba lang ‘yung Ateneo.” Rabid fans think that he’s a Tiu-perman of some sort, egging him to “Tiu-t that ball!”

It’s an epidemic that almost makes me want to hide under a rock until the end of the UAAP season; who knew that Filipinos could be so corny? Personally, I think it’s time to “es-Tiu” this madness.

Corniness aside, Chris Tiu has become a god of some sort not just in Ateneo, but all around the country. It’s been a while since women have had a good-looking basketball player to fawn over (half of them look like they’ve been beaten with a heavy wooden club), so the levels of adulation are getting quite crazy, especially since Ateneo looks like it’s headed for the UAAP crown. Online forum threads are dedicated to him, and whenever he posts an entry on his blog, hundreds of people leave comments in a matter of hours.

It’s quite amusing to step back and watch the hordes of women go nuts about a single basketball player. Maybe it’s because his sister is a good friend, and it would be weird to gush about her baby brother. Maybe it’s because I never really understood the UAAP hype, since I studied in UP, where our “UP Frightened Maroons” have consistently placed in the lower ranks. But in any case, it’s fun to play around, thinking of puns for Tiu’s name.

Food for thought. Tiu on that for the meantime.