Monday, December 08, 2008  Boxing as a mind sport  This is my
column today.  When the broadcast of the much-ballyhooed dream
match was finally started on GMA-7 at 1:05 p.m., most Filipinos
tuned in to the boob tube no longer in excited anticipation of
finding out the outcome of the fight. The result of the match
was already all over the Internet and was already being passed
on from one cell phone to another through SMS.  And as if to
spite GMA-7 which bagged the exclusive rights to broadcast the
fight, ABS-CBN pulled the rug under by announcing the results
through a streaming advisory that accompanied its regular
programming.  There are of course those who think that awareness
of the outcome already diminishes the value of the viewing
experience; they are the people who hate spoilers. There’s
certainly less anticipation and excitement when one already
knows how something is going to end. But I’m sure that when it
comes to things where national pride and honor seem at stake,
being aware of the outcome also bri