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Cricket Calender 2007- 08 |
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The Sporting Conundrum – When Grown Men Cry! |
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| May 15, 2008 | ||
| A sport, particularly when played in an all-male environment, is all about machismo, aggression, courage and a demonstration of will power that doesn't wilt under pressure. It is possibly the closest simulation to peacetime warfare between two adversaries, be it team sport or individual. It is something akin to the gladiators at the Circus Maximus! For the millions of fans, to see their stars in tears on the field or off it is quite disconcerting for we've grown up believing that strong fellas never cry. Upon jogging my memory, two such instances come to mind readily... the first one involving an icon and the second related to a cricketing superbrat. Now, cut to the Mohali cricket stadium and that fateful match between the Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians. If the match was a tense and closely fought affair, what followed thereafter would have put some of the gladiators to shame. A visibly shaken Sreesanth was seen sobbing on screen, the cause and effect of Harbhajan Singh's slap. Though the law took its natural course with Bhajji getting banned from this version of the IPL and Sree being asked to refrain from provocative actions and gestures, the public at large found the event quite hilarious. Nobody gave credence to Sreesanth's "cry-baby" antics or Bhajji's punch. Different strokes for different folks! Today Kapil represents the ICL, the cricketing rival of IPL. Sreesanth is amongst the most publicized cricketers in the IPL. We could say that in many ways, the reactions to these two cricketers weeping on television mirrors the actions of the ICL and the IPL. As the IPL crosses the half-way mark, it has rapidly evolved into a soap opera with a growing population waiting for their daily ’fix.’ The quality of the game has largely merged into the background. A former classmate went to watch an IPL match in Delhi at the Kotla stadium. Here he writes about the match: “It was an experience alright. Other than the chaos which marks Indian urban cities ( traffic jams, freeloader mobs trying to force their way in amongst the pollution and the din), the event was a great tamasha, not a sport. The stands were overflowing and the event was more like a Bollywood choreographed song. It was all happening - cheerleaders, the crowds ogling/cheering the cheerleaders, two Bollywood actors, the crowd focusing on their movements rather than the cricketers, a rollicking rock group , the accompanying din, the fireworks, the ensuing pollution, the flame ala the Olympic flame, awful food, etc. The ICL matches were played, on the other hand, with a greater intensity and professionalism. Admittedly, viewership or TRP ratings might not have come close to that generated by the IPL but the players showed a great deal of heart and the matches were often very close encounters. Maybe, Zee TV should utilize the opportunity to replay on their channels some of the best ICL matches at the same times as IPL matches, more so over the weekends. It would be interesting to see the impact on TRP ratings. What's more, we may even get to see some more grown men cry... all the way to their Banks. News Source : http://news.in.msn.com |
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