I read an article some time back that 'Cricket makes us dysfunctional'.. eats up our appreciable part of the day (tittering at time management concept) and leaves whole country paralyzed. Entire youth force (highest in the world), leave aside the aged and children, waste their productive time speculating/calculating a probable match outcome or discussing in length about how a particular cricketer should have batted, bowled, fielded or captained a particular delivery/match. And while doing so we're ruining the country in many ways by being unproductive, mercilessly killing other sports, encouraging malpractices like gambling and betting, and last but not the least putting undue pressure on cricketers by making them our gods and expecting them to play to the perfection - always. What the heck is this?.
Don't we have any better/alternative entertainment option in sports or in other forms of entertainment? In sports, I don't think cuz we ourselves have killed that option. There's hardly any doubt that cricket is eating up all our other sports. The reason? We're more interested in knowing what undies a particular cricketer wears rather than wondering how the other games are doing. See the TV channels and other media and look at the coverage of cricket verses other games.. look at our medal tally during world class games.. look at PT Usha during recent athletics meet.. look at the apathy of football in this country.. look at Indian hockey team. Its ironic to see quite a few business houses and stars coming forward to fund for the forthcoming hockey tournament rather than government/sports-fraternities seriously mulling over the issues and streamlining the sports bodies. Is there any shortage of funding? I'd love to watch a hockey or a football league match if its rather than being a cricket freak. Who's the culprit? We all - we the cricket-crazy spectators who think winning a cricket match is equivalent to leading the medal tally in Olympics.. Media and Ad world who think their TRP and advertisement business holds the sole importance rather than promoting other games.. Business houses who are more interested to fund for a games which sells like a hotcake rather than promoting the deprived.. Government and politics for interfering with the sports bodies and giving the least importance to the players. But I feel spectators can make a difference by being more open towards other games. Also, privatization of the sports bodies and developing an professional/MNC culture over there will significantly improve the games in the country.
On more brainchild of this epidemic is betting. I was stunned to see it happening right in front of me the other day and to my utter surprise these were not the richer folks (rather poor and lower-middle class) and i was dismayed how they're betting on each over, each player and sometime on each delivery. I was stunned to witness how one of my friends bets like crazy and looses (mostly) in lacs and at time see him happy even if India looses (if it earns him quick money).
Also, I'm amazed with the fact that how cricket binds this country together like no other. I see only two things that binds this country as a unit is cricket and terrorism. India shows up when we win a match against rivals and also equally during a 'Kargil. I sometimes think we can only do good in individual sports (that too if one's stars work and a real talented cud break the shackles of luck, riches, power and nepotism).. cuz we are or were never a team or believe in team spirit.. we believe in heroism & zeroism. We still prefer to tag ourselves as marathi, bengali, bihari, tamilian rather than an Indian, then how can we be build a team and eventually win?
The only thing I admire about cricket (let me confess that I was a cricket freak till last world cup!) is the way our youngsters from small towns are handling the massive pressure of playing/captaining for India as never before and maturing as a professional. Mahinder Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina are two such examples and we should appreciate the way this new lineup is taking up the game positively rather than scrutinizing their every single move and putting undue pressure on them. We need to understand that our overly excessive indulgence with one and only one game is not doing any good for cricket (or country) and killing cricketers (and other games) unnecessarily (everyone is not Sachin Tendulkar). We can open more doors of entertainment by just changing our attitude towards other games and cricket. Let's love our country not just cricket and give other games a bit of warm shoulder so that they could flourish and our youths have more diversified options as a sportsmen and eventually we could get more chances of cheering for India.
love,
Betenoire
