Basketball has a lock on the Filipino soul. From big arenas in Manila to makeshift hoops in small villages, basketball is played by Filipinos of all walks of life and is used to mark everything from summer breaks for students to religious festivals and many other occasions. Playing with the Big Boys traces the social history of basketball in the Philippines from an educational and "civilizing" tool in the early twentieth century to its status as national pastime since the country gained independence after World War II.
While the phrase "playing with the big boys" describes the...