Sports and India don’t really get along well. Of course it’s different for Cricket. When it comes to Cricket it is termed “religion” and it is claimed that,”…it unites all Indians…” etc.
The overall reaction to sport of any kind is disappointing and sad even though there are heated discussions and anger on news items like “India fails to qualify for Olympics in hockey” or “Sania Mirza knocked out in the first round of Wimbeldon”. At that point of time, that particular Hockey team or the Tennis player or the Boxer or the Shooter, in question, becomes useless. They are termed “one-time wonders” and are blamed to be more interested in endorsements and the glamour. It is ironical that an Olympic-disqualified Hockey team is what it takes to make people remember that Hockey (and not Cricket), is our national game.
But things are different for Cricket. People take interest in it, watch it, and cheer for the team. And the biggest thing, even though the team loses, people support it. There is disappointment of course. But it’s still Our Team. The players are Our Players. If a player is not playing well, fans do not lose faith in him. Fans all over the country motivate the team even after losing. When it comes to Hockey, no one has any clue about the team’s past performance. Hell, no one even knows what the names of the players are. All they care about is that they didn’t make it to that Big O and hence they are good-for-nothing bunch of losers who bring shame to the country by not qualifying. Why this sudden love for Hockey? It’s our “national game” yaar!
The only point I am trying to make here is, do not expect results from a task when you do not invest in it. Here, by investment I do not mean money, but motivation, support and cheer. A sport is not only about the sportsman spirit shown by the players but also that which is shown by the spectators. One has the right to brand a team useless, only when one had supported the team earlier. Then at least the disappointment is understood. You don’t give a shit about the sport. You don’t even know who the names of the players and then when you comment, that’s unacceptable. And that’s not fair. Just like it doesn’t matter who is playing, it shouldn’t matter who won. You need to support the team through the ups and downs else keep your comments to yourself!
The factor here is motivation or support. Take a simple example. You work in an office and your boss is a sadist (a Hari Sadu clone!). You slog like crazy; there is no proper equipment to assist you in your work. Yet, you make your ends meet and finish up the task given to you. You present it to your boss. If it’s good he won’t say a word. But if it’s bad he’ll yell at you, hurl all sorts of insults and threaten to fire you. How do you feel at that point? That’s exactly how the players feel when people do not cheer for them or motivate them, but yes they don’t think twice before finding the faults when the player(s) lose.
When the Indian Cricket Team wins even a minor tournament, the welcome they get when they come home is a sight to behold. Traffic jams, people surrounding the players’ vehicle(s), fans yelling from roof-tops. And the other Indian teams? Well they get their share of people, which is hardly one percent of what the cricketers get: handful of people, mostly the players’ family and friends, a representative of the federation related to that sport and a one-in-a-million fan.
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Cricket. I am not saying leave Cricket and focus on other games. Of course not! But, even if fifty percent of the kind of spirit that is shown by the fans when it comes to Cricket is shown in other games, I am sure the players will be motivated to perform well. A better performance will lead to a better chance at winning games. And even if the team loses, the player(s) will try to give more and more to it, to win the next game. Because then, when they win, they will have a billion people to share it with. Even half a billion would do the trick. But the question is will even a quarter agree?
The overall reaction to sport of any kind is disappointing and sad even though there are heated discussions and anger on news items like “India fails to qualify for Olympics in hockey” or “Sania Mirza knocked out in the first round of Wimbeldon”. At that point of time, that particular Hockey team or the Tennis player or the Boxer or the Shooter, in question, becomes useless. They are termed “one-time wonders” and are blamed to be more interested in endorsements and the glamour. It is ironical that an Olympic-disqualified Hockey team is what it takes to make people remember that Hockey (and not Cricket), is our national game.
But things are different for Cricket. People take interest in it, watch it, and cheer for the team. And the biggest thing, even though the team loses, people support it. There is disappointment of course. But it’s still Our Team. The players are Our Players. If a player is not playing well, fans do not lose faith in him. Fans all over the country motivate the team even after losing. When it comes to Hockey, no one has any clue about the team’s past performance. Hell, no one even knows what the names of the players are. All they care about is that they didn’t make it to that Big O and hence they are good-for-nothing bunch of losers who bring shame to the country by not qualifying. Why this sudden love for Hockey? It’s our “national game” yaar!
The only point I am trying to make here is, do not expect results from a task when you do not invest in it. Here, by investment I do not mean money, but motivation, support and cheer. A sport is not only about the sportsman spirit shown by the players but also that which is shown by the spectators. One has the right to brand a team useless, only when one had supported the team earlier. Then at least the disappointment is understood. You don’t give a shit about the sport. You don’t even know who the names of the players and then when you comment, that’s unacceptable. And that’s not fair. Just like it doesn’t matter who is playing, it shouldn’t matter who won. You need to support the team through the ups and downs else keep your comments to yourself!
The factor here is motivation or support. Take a simple example. You work in an office and your boss is a sadist (a Hari Sadu clone!). You slog like crazy; there is no proper equipment to assist you in your work. Yet, you make your ends meet and finish up the task given to you. You present it to your boss. If it’s good he won’t say a word. But if it’s bad he’ll yell at you, hurl all sorts of insults and threaten to fire you. How do you feel at that point? That’s exactly how the players feel when people do not cheer for them or motivate them, but yes they don’t think twice before finding the faults when the player(s) lose.
When the Indian Cricket Team wins even a minor tournament, the welcome they get when they come home is a sight to behold. Traffic jams, people surrounding the players’ vehicle(s), fans yelling from roof-tops. And the other Indian teams? Well they get their share of people, which is hardly one percent of what the cricketers get: handful of people, mostly the players’ family and friends, a representative of the federation related to that sport and a one-in-a-million fan.
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Cricket. I am not saying leave Cricket and focus on other games. Of course not! But, even if fifty percent of the kind of spirit that is shown by the fans when it comes to Cricket is shown in other games, I am sure the players will be motivated to perform well. A better performance will lead to a better chance at winning games. And even if the team loses, the player(s) will try to give more and more to it, to win the next game. Because then, when they win, they will have a billion people to share it with. Even half a billion would do the trick. But the question is will even a quarter agree?
3 comments:
It is indeed sad how some of the major sports around the world fail to gather interest. Part of this has to do with the popularity of the sport and the relevant history for Indians. Cricket is so deeply embedded into the culture that competing for attention with it is like trying to dig up Everest. Also, for a sport to become national material, a major factor is media and sponsorships. Both media and sponsorships run to where they will benefit monetarily. Cricket sells more tickets so that's where they are. Thus, support and popularity gets caught in this cycle largely determined by advertisement and how accessible the sport is made to the general public.
Having said that, it is not entirely impossible to get some support for our other developing sports like Hockey, Tennis, Football etc. There are people in India who really love these sports and they are the ambassadors that will play a major role in its upbringing. Wins count...big names count. For this, you need first class facilities, first class representation. These are works in progress and we shouldn't be disheartened if we don't see immediate support for these sports. It will take much time before you see any sport on par with cricket in India. Cricket faces a similar situation in the USA in the face of sports like American football and basketball.
There are people and players in India, Sania, Paes, Bhutia, Anand, etc. who are working very sincerely to represent the country and match her shoulders to the big guns. As you said, what we can do as a nation is give all the support we can for the win. If we win big events, our media will publicize it more...more money...more exposure.
Thanks for the comment! You've brought in some very interesting points...
Big names, media & sponsors do play an important part in making or breaking a game. There's no doubt in it. But then they themselves should realize their responsibilities and act accordingly. (I must take a moment here to mention Mr. Vijay Mallya and the F1 craze he has brought in.)
However one thing I feel is that though India is way ahead of the US in terms of population, it doesn't come close to even half of the US when it comes to accepting other sports. Cricket may not be popular in America but the whole nation's interest is not fixated on only one sport!
That said, I guess people here are opening up to other sports, as you mentioned thanks to Sania, Paes, Bhutia, Anand etc. It will take time, of course. But at least there's hope!
Nice one Adwita... I too believe what you have said here. I guess one of the options that government could follow is to make a minimum participation (e.g. district or state level)compulsory for any sport. In Australia, it is compulsory for a student to represent atleast one sport when he/she moves from primary to secondary. I know people would say it is implausible in India but then as you have said if only 1% of the population show their support to other sports, things could have been different.
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