The Great Sporting Divide

I tried to write this one on Cricket in America at first, but my first encounter with Cricket in USA urges me to discuss issues I feel arise from a “Sporting Divide”, which may not be as prominent as the Cultural or economic divide but it exists there none the less.

I always used to wonder that with a population of 1000 million (US lingo got stuck on to me it seems); ok with a population of 100 Crores, why India can’t produce decent sportsmen (leave Cricket out). It did not take me long to realize after landing in the US the reason for this.

Ok, will try to quote an example. Every semester here in Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas there is a tennis ball cricket tournament. The quality of cricket is expectedly quite poor. But, I was absolutely astonished at the professionalism shown by the organizers. And if you think that whether its Netherlands or Namibia (Cricketing Minnows), it’s the NRI’s running the show, you quite wrong. The organizers are the entire gore log. Now for the illustration, just let me warn you may be shocked after reading this.

• If a match was scheduled at 9 am, it meant that a team reporting at 9:01 would be disqualified.
• Walky-talkies are used for communication between scorers and umpires.
• Every run scored, every ball balled and even all the byes, leg byes were correctly noted down.
• All the officials-scorers, umpires etc are paid.

And all this for a sport which the Americans don’t care about. Just imagine how the facilities would be for Baseball, American football, Basketball or Tennis.

Ok, there may be a case for argument that India may not be financially so strong as to equip the officials with a walky-talky. But, it’s the sheer attitude, the professionalism of these guys which really left me dumbstruck.

Talking about finance, I tend to think “Is cricket ruining other sports?” Well that’s an interesting question. This comes from a die-hard, kill-hard Cricket Fan, so mind you no biases involved.

When Gopichand (I hope you remember him) won the all-England badminton championship in Britain no one cheered or cared because in the same week Harbhajan Singh took a hat-trick and V. V. S. Laxman scored 281 in the Kolkata Test against Australia.

No one remembers the Olympic bronze medals won by tennis star Leander Paes (Atlanta, 1996) and weightlifter Karnam Malleswari (Sydney, 2000), but Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul, Harbhajan's hat-trick, and Virender Sehwag's 309 will be evergreen in memory.

But, then another argument.

In America, baseball reigns supreme (a game played in fewer countries than CricketJ). But would one dare to say that baseball kills football, which is a less popular sport in US. After all, the Americans reached the quarter-finals in 2002 world cup football. (And yes, its football, its something which people here call SOCCER but it’s and insult to the beautiful game, call it FOOTBALL)

There exists a Sporting Divide, something similar to a Cultural or economic one between the two countries. Sports in US runs on the principles of professionalism and collectiveness, we run on idol-worship, much more an attribute to our cultural and religious inclinations possibly.

Let us consider the case of Sania Mirza. If a sportsman or a sportswoman in this case is willing to put in the hardwork and does something worthwhile the media does give him/her the deserved recognition. But hold on was it Sania Mirza’s tennis or was it because it was Sania Mirza- the pretty looking jeune fille that she was, that made her popular. Well I can hardly answer any of these questions.

Now some sort of a trivia for you,

Identify the sports personality. (Don’t Google please)

Clue 1- He/she won the World under-14 championship, 2001, Castellan, Spain.

Clue 2- He/she won the World junior championship, 2001, Athens.

Clue 2- He/she was Asia's youngest International Master, 1999.

Clue 3- He/she was India's youngest Grand Master, 2001.

Clue 4- He/She is not Vishwanathan Anand.

Clue 5- In 2002, he/she become the first chess player from India to receive the Men's Grandmaster title.

Clue 6- As of July, 2006, he/she was world number 2 in women's rankings

Clue 7- At 15 years, one month and 27 days, he/she also became the world's youngest Grandmaster to achieve full Grandmaster status, beating the record of Judith Polgar, who achieved the feat at 15 years, four months and 27 days.

Clue 8- Her name is Koneru Humpy.

Piece of cake, was it or wasn’t it?

The point I am trying to make here is the Indian media which has gone bonkers over Sania Mirza – who hasn’t gone past the fourth round of any grand slam, is that a bigger achievement a bigger one than Humpy’s? Who is the culprit here then- surely not Sania Mirza, after all she is the best female tennis player India has produced and it’s not you or me either. Or is it Media? Confused me.

To put it in plain text, Sania Mirza is more popular than Koneru Humpy because she is SEXY, wears short skirts and has got all the right curves. And, I don’t think that’s fair, or may be it is. I am again not sure.

But we need to rise. We need to rise above the idol-worship and be a little more secular like we are culturally in respecting all sports as we respect all religions. Sports should inculcate our culture in it, just not runaway from it. Giving respect to all and equality is what we have been taught (remember the preamble of our constitution) and that is what we should aim at achieving in every aspect of life.

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