Over the last few years, the trading card industry experienced unprecedented growth. It was not difficult to find media coverage of multimillion-dollar collectible sales, and the promise of riches brought many people into trading card collecting. Much like other forms of speculation, the trading card boom was soon accompanied by a crash in prices. 

However, beyond the risky alternative investment approaches involved with these 2.5” by 3.5” pieces of cardboard, trading cards are also interesting for many in fandom as an exercise in nostalgia and storytelling. In my own journey as a sports fan and a collector of trading cards, I have been particularly interested in the ways that we might be able to tell Filipino and Filipino American history through these items. In fact, I’ve been able to learn a great deal about Philippine sports history by collecting trading cards. As an added bonus, many of these cards can be obtained for less than a few dollars, making collecting a much more affordable experience than in the higher-end corners of the hobby.

There are so many exciting athletes with connections to the Philippines that deserve whole new stories, such as ice hockey stars Tim Stapleton, Matt Dumba and Jason Robertson, who are making great contributions to the sport. In basketball, Jalen Green has proudly talked about his roots in the Philippines, and Jordan Clarkson even plans to play for Gilas Pilipinas this summer. Tennis star Leylah Fernandez thrilled audiences with her run to the 2021 Wimbledon Final. Racecar driver Bianca Bustamante and baseball player Anthony Volpe are quickly making a name for themselves. Wrestling cards featuring Batista (Dave Bautista) show off the exploits of the former wrestler turned actor, and I am still checking daily if there are any weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz cards available. On the announcing/sport commentary scene, Pablo Torre and Cassidy Hubbarth have proudly discussed their Filipino links. There may be many others I have missed.

Trading cards can provide us an opportunity to learn about and visualize an extensive and vibrant history of Filipinos in sports. Here are some trading cards from the twentieth century that have taught me a great deal.

1. Paulino Alcantara, 1920s Chocolates Amatller

Until his record was broken by Lionel Messi, Alcantara was the top goal scorer in FC Barcelona history. Born in Iloilo, Alcantara moved to Spain in his youth and became one of the most accomplished goal scorers of his generation. He played with flair and became known for wearing a towel that fluttered along his side as he ran up and down the pitch. Alcantara was also a fascist and a supporter of the Franco regime, which really underscores how we have to be aware of the limits of representation politics. Alcantara had a few cards that were issued from Spain in the 1920s. Most of these cards were produced by chocolatiers in Spain and depicted athletes, celebrities and other popular figures.

2. Pancho Villa, 1926 W512

Pancho Villa was perhaps the first Filipino boxing star. He took the boxing world by storm in the 1920s. While still in his early 20s his life was tragically cut short due to complications from a tooth extraction that led to a deadly infection.

Villa's card pictured here is one of a few that were produced in the 1920s. The W512 strip card set depicted athletes and celebrities. The cards had very basic imagery and were printed on incredibly thin paper. Collectors would also self-cut cards out from a strip. All of this meant that very few cards have survived in good condition. As you can see in this example, many of the cards were miscut and Villa’s name is even spelled incorrectly. For those interested in learning more, Linda España-Maram has written one of the most influential texts on early Filipino American boxers.

3. 1936 Philippines vs. Mexico

Philippines vs. Mexico (From author’s collection)

The American Jesse Owens rightfully was the star of the 1936 Olympics. His dominance on the track provided such a powerful rebuke to Nazism. And that he did this in Berlin in front of Hitler made it one of the most important sporting moments in history. German companies produced and circulated images/cards from the games. These various sets include some of the best Jesse Owens cards we have.

Highlighting a significant but less noticed 1936 Olympics are the two cards above. This was the first time basketball was played in the Olympics, and the Philippine team stormed to a 4-1 record in the games, eventually finishing 5th in the medal standings because of an idiosyncratic schedule.

As you can see, the sets also varied drastically in size. Depicted on the card is future Senator Ambrosio Padilla and Jesus Marzan from the Philippines. For readers interested in the history of Pinoy basketball, check out the podcast Hoops Paradise, Rafe Bartholomew’s book Pacific Rims, or Lou Antolihao’s Playing with the Big Boys.

4. Vicki Draves, 1983 History’s Greatest Olympians

This set was released in 1983 in the lead up to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. This particular card commemorates Victoria Draves, a Filipina American Olympic diver who took home two gold medals in the 1948 Olympics.

Vicki’s father was an immigrant from the Philippines and her mother was from England. She faced a lot of racism growing up. Her parents were also in an interracial marriage, something that was frowned upon and illegal in California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In interviews, she shared that growing up, she was forced to train separately from other divers. She was even told that she needed to compete under her mother’s maiden name (Taylor) because her last name (Manalo) wouldn’t cut it.

At the 1948 Olympics in London, she did something no Asian American before her had done -- she won gold. Better yet, she won two golds. And she did it competing under her full name Victoria Manalo Draves (she had married her coach, Lyle Draves by this time). Interestingly, Draves was a friend of Sammy Lee, an Asian American men’s diver who also won gold two days after Vicki.

In 2020, a Google Doodle honored Draves.

5. Ceferino Garcia, 1948 Leaf and 1951 Topps Ringside Bobby Docusen

Ceferino Garcia (From author’s collection)

Bernard Docusen (From author’s collection)

These next two cards above are significant not only because of the boxers they depict, but also also because they demonstrate the ways that trading card collecting became more commonplace and much more of an industry after World War II.

Pancho Villa was the first great Filipino boxer. And Manny Pacquiao is the one that our generation knows best. But don’t forget Ceferino Garcia, who actually holds the record for most fights won by a Filipino boxer. A middleweight champion in 1939, Garcia was also known for popularizing the “bolo punch.” There are some fantastic videos of Garcia’s fights on YouTube. Pictured here is a 1948 Leaf Boxing card of Garcia. You might recognize the design from the better-known (and much more expensive) 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson rookie card. They have a beautiful background and you can see a huge aesthetic difference from the Pancho Villa card of just a few decades before.

Bernard “Big Duke” Docusen was a boxer from New Orleans, who was the pride of Filipino Americans. His roots in New Orleans and the Philippines ran deep. His father was a member of Philippine Scouts, and his mother was French. Because interracial marriage was banned in Louisiana, Big Duke and his brother Little Duke actually had to get permission from the courts to continue fighting. Docusen was most famous for taking all-time great Sugar Ray Robinson to 15 rounds in a thrilling fight in 1948.

6. Philippines, 1956 Topps Flags of the World

By 1956, Topps was well on its way to becoming the preeminent trading card producer in the United States. It released a set entitled Flags of the World. The 80 card set is really interesting because it allows a little bit of insight into how the rest of the world appeared in U.S. popular perception. The Philippines card is particularly interesting, and there are so many features to note about the card. One, of course, immediately notices the imperial juxtaposition of an American soldier/general and a young Filipino climbing a coconut tree. On the back of the card, there a few facts about the Philippines as well as an almost laughable Tagalog phoneticization of a few Tagalog words.

7. Bobby Balcena, 1956

Bobby Balcena (From author’s collection)

Bobby Balcena is thought to be the first player of Filipino descent to play in Major League Baseball (MLB), appearing in two games for the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1956. He was preceded in professional baseball by Claudio Manela, from Cavite City, who pitched in the Negro Leagues for the Cuban Stars starting in 1921.

Balcena does not appear to have a baseball card given the brevity of his career. However, I was able to track down a couple of index cards that he had signed for a fellow named Harry. I used one of the index cards to make a custom baseball card in honor of Bobby.

8. Roman Gabriel, 1969 Topps

Roman Gabriel (From author’s collection)

Roman Gabriel was drafted #2 overall out of North Carolina State in 1962. He was the first Filipino American quarterback in the NFL.He had a remarkable career, even winning the league MVP for the Rams in 1969. After injuries derailed his 1971 and 72 seasons, he moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles where he played well enough to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

9. Raymond Townsend, 1981 TCMA

Raymond Townsend (From author’s collection)

Raymond Townsend was the first known Filipino American to play in the NBA. He had a brief NBA career from 1979-1982, playing with the Golden State Warriors and the Indiana Pacers. He also had some stints in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA - where he was playing when this card was printed), Italy and Brazil. As far as I can tell, there are no NBA licensed cards of his. This card comes from the 1980-1981 TCMA CBA set. The overall print run was about 1,000 sets. There were 45 cards in each set and the set initially cost about $4. TCMA is a card company that was known for producing minor league cards for baseball and basketball in the late 1970s and 1980s.

10. Efren Reyes, 1993 Pro Billiards Tour

Efren “Bata” Reyes is one of the greatest billiards players of all time. He dominated the game for decades and was known for playing unlike anyone else. Billiards, of course, is an important pastime in the Philippines and its diaspora. In the US the Manong generation spent a lot of free time in the pool halls playing, gambling, catching up on the news and gossip.

Conclusion

As a historian, I rely on archival collections for my day job. So it’s no accident that I’m someone who likes to collect. Both my day job and my hobby have taught me that the art of collecting can be tricky. In the case of the Philippines, many of the collections have come about through administrators of US imperialism collecting and taking records of the Philippines and Filipinos. That some of the richest archival collections on the Philippines are in places/universities like Berkeley, University of Michigan, and Chicago is a direct result of US imperial authorities collecting knowledge about a people they sought to control.

The University of Michigan and others have recently done a lot of work to reckon with this history and find a way to have a reparative approach to its collections and connections. There are also community practices of archiving and collecting that have really helped preserve community history from the grassroots level. The work of the Filipino American National Historical Society is a powerful example of this. The work of different grassroots and transnational activists to collect and preserve the history of martial law in the Philippines is another.

Even as collecting allows us some connection and nostalgia, we should balance the pleasure we derive from it with the risk of uncritical engagement. At its best, it inspires memory, connection and the preservation of histories that we might not otherwise learn.

The history of sport through trading cards provides us some insight into the complexity of the histories of the Philippines and its diaspora. It provides us examples of breathtaking athletic accomplishments, stories of determination and resistance to discrimination, and the pleasure involved in engaging with sport. It also provides us entry points to exploring challenging things like the histories of Spanish colonialism and US imperialism as well as the ways that some of our athletic “heroes” could be deeply problematic. Sports can be a wonderful thing, but we can also work towards understanding how we can be fans while maintaining a healthy wariness about idolizing those who we root for.

Mark John Sanchez started collecting trading cards as a kid. He teaches Asian American history at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

The Magazine

Filipino Sports History: It’s In the Cards