Sham. (Disclaimer: once again this may sound like sour grapes, from a disgruntled fox, who else?) I mean that’s what comes to mind when one reads about cricket these days. I also mean that how can all pretences of decency be left behind by people including a minister about a sports event, which needs to be the most goodwill-worthy activity in the world? Now the underworld also seems to have sniffed out the rich scent of money. I don’t know the details so wouldn’t dare to comment, but look at it this way, my way, however pathetic I may sound.But that's the way I am.
Why are some highly rated players just not giving their best? How is it that such a lot of wide bowls are being thrown (I almost wrote “balled”)? Also consider the number of batsmen hitting the ball into their own stumps. Why are commentators talking to players and umpires? Why is the organiser signing autographs? Why do cheerleaders cheer behind wire meshes (remember, they are supposed to cheer, all right?)? In fact, why cheerleaders who don’t understand a thing about the game (wohi jo phirang karthe hai na?)? Why does the display board read “obscene” when a four has been hit? There are more, but I leave them to your imagination.
Cricket has been reduced to a farce, and I don’t know if it can be redeemed from there.
And most importantly: with so much money going around, I have a sneaky feeling that good money is being frittered after bad. After all, can a country which has the majority living below the poverty line and in which more than fifty per cent of the children are malnourished afford such a sports tamasha?
The scribes, the commentators, the newspaper columnists daren’t open their mouths as they have all been given a share of the vastly un-humble pie, their salaries, the juicy part of the pickings. Nah! They daren’t comment. It is left to a seriously handicapped, though bravely persevering media hands to bring out the truth behind the back-stage shenanigans. They have to be careful as the people they are writing about are big advertisers.
And then comes along these revelations on Twitter. Social networks are dangerous when they are used for personal agendas, which are better left hidden. What comes out may be in the heat of the moment but it’s serious nonetheless. There are no friendships here. Remember Gordon Gekko’s words, “If you need a friend, keep a dawg.”
The funny part is this : They invested Rs 300 Cr 3 years back and today have sold NEW franchisees at 6x the cost. Now the point is is people think 1700 Cr is gonna become 6x in the next 3 years they've got a long think coming because this is a 6 year CAGR of hold your breath = 80% PA. Nothing in living memory or before has grown at that rate ! EVER ! So you know what's going on...
ReplyDeleteof course it is frightening! what once was a gentemen's game, restricted to a class which made up the players and the spectators, is now reduced to a farce. looking at the sports news reels of yesteryears, what i find amazing is the fielding team going up to shake hands with batsmen who scored 50s and 100s. i remember tony greg lifting up tiny vishwanath (or was it gavaskar?) when the latter hit a century in the test match played in 1972. most teams in non-indian countries party together in the evenings after a day's game. no one finds it strange that even the pakistani team has a social evening with what ever team they are up against, except an indian team! then i see the swearing players on the field, the terrible behaviour and posturing and most shameful of all, the way our teams treat the visitors. you are thinking that IPL is teaching the players how to conduct themselves honorably and demonstrate their social skills, then you are mistaken. the people involved in the game are semi-literate and lack grace. the buying and selling of players, the betting on results, the sponsors and brand endorsements, all combine to make cricket what it is today: "money for nothing and tricks for free" to misquote dire straits! when the stakes are this high, can corruption be far behind? who is actually funding the game? just because drugs trade is seeing a downturn, where will all the criminal elements put in their moolah to work? the west has its horce racing, where all sorts of skulduggery goes on. we have our cricket or, "kircut" as everyone says!!
ReplyDeleteokay, just spotted two typos. sorry, must be this heat.
ReplyDeletethanks, ms, joles :)
ReplyDelete