If you are a fun of movies, more so those depicting the wild wild west, there is a very big possibility that you have seen a Mexican standoff.

When you do a quick google search about a Mexican standoff, here is what it brings.

”A Mexican standoff is a confrontation where no party has an advantage, and any aggressive move by one party could lead to their own downfall. It is a stalemate situation that can arise in a three-way duel where if the first person attacks, the second person gains an advantage by being able to attack the first person while they are distracted. The term is also used more broadly to describe any strategic stalemate where no one can win, and the situation can be resolved through negotiation, mutual retreat, or a violent outcome.”

You must be wondering, why is this guy talking about a Mexican Standoff?

Well, at the moment, there is a situation between the Namuwongo Blazers and FUBA, which is equivalent to a Mexican Standoff, in a Ugandan basketball context.

The Namuwongo Blazers maintained their position that they won’t turn up for the game on Friday 24th while FUBA insists that the game will go on as scheduled.

This situation has all the elements of a “Mexican standoff” and I’m going to delve into them.

One of the characteristics of a Mexican standoff is; there is Mutual danger. All parties are at risk, and no one can gain an advantage by acting first. 

If FUBA comes out first, Namuwongo will take the next step and probably get the advantage. If Namuwongo comes out first, then FUBA will also take an action. So what all the parties involved are doing is sitting pretty tight and waiting for who acts first.

Secondly, there is lack of strategy. There is no clear strategy for victory, and initiating an attack is highly risky. The best way this can be resolved is through negotiation. Either way, one party would feel hard done by the outcome.

Thirdly, the Stalemate. The situation is a stalemate where no one can back down without suffering a loss, and no one can advance without risking mutual destruction. If the Blazers accept to play, then they will be taken for a joke after all this farce. If they don’t, they risking losing game one by forfeit.  If FUBA change, this means that teams can arm-twist them into certain decisions and this undermines them as the authorities.

The best possible solution for such a case is negotiation. FUBA has to sit down with the Nam Blazers and they agree on a way forward. All the parties may not be happy but the damage caused will be less if they agree and a statement is made before the games start.

In a “Mexican standoff” one of the resolutions is a violent outcome and this often ends in a bloodbath. The equivalent to that is this;

If the game stays on and the Blazers don’t show up. A walkover is awarded and who knows what that leads to. The Blazers may boycott the finals, we could see court cases and so many other possibilities.

Secondly, the fans will be disappointed. As we know, fans are a crucial part of the game and if their needs (watching the games) are not taken care of, you could lose them which you don’t want.

Loss of money for the fans, broadcasters, teams, sponsors, business people, etc.

Imagine if Mzee (the chicken guy) estimated to make 300 sales but because the game doesn’t happen and people get disgruntled and leave (early), there is a big possibility that he make losses.

Same thing with broadcasters, they spend all these resources for 2 games and only get one.

Even a fan, who say, pays for Afromobile, just to watch the Nam Blazers vs City Oilers but doesn’t get to watch it. They may not be interested in paying for a service like this ever again.  

Also, can you imagine, if on the opening day of the finals, you start with drama? You can’t be taken seriously as a product/sport.

Sponsors, both for the league and teams, will want to stay away due to the uncertainty surrounding the game.

Remember when the President of Uganda said that sports are just ‘emizano’ (games for just playing around), you would have proven him right, if, on the opening day of the playoffs, you have one team show up and the other doesn’t.

This situation is difficult to navigate but at the end of the day, the sport has to win.

As things stand, the Namuwongo Blazers have maintained that they won’t show up (to play) on Friday 24th.

The best thing for FUBA, at the moment, is for them to come to a round table together with the City Oilers and Nam Blazers and find a way forward.

In case they don’t act, there will be far much more damage done to the sport and the NBL as a product, yet a simple solution right now can save you all that.

The other thing is, the games had been scheduled to start on 26th anyway. What would it change if they started then. Mind you, this is a 7-game series. It could end in 4, 5 or even 6 games. Readjusting to 26th can’t be that big of a problem.

Whatever the decision that is reached, we shall be waiting.