Sep 14, 2004 03:18 PM
1857 Views
(Updated Sep 14, 2004 03:30 PM)
I am neither a major cricket fan nor I hate cricket. My interest towards all sports is almost equal. I like hockey because its my country’s national sport. I like cricket because it’s a good entertainer. I like athletics, swimming and similar categories because they give me a real good nail biting experience. Tennis, because I myself used to be a tennis player sometime back.
The idea to write this review is I am very upset about my country’s performance in 2004’ Athens Olympics.
Just give a thought about the following facts:
Country’s Population : more than 1 Billion
Participants for Athens Olympics : 75 No.s
Medals Achieved : 1 – silver
Is anyone feel like laughing? The whole world must be laughing at us!
Should we blame Cricket Octopus?
Should we blame our Media?
Should we blame our Government?
Should we blame the strategies or the sports personalities?
To some extent my mind said it’s Cricket, which is spreading its giant octopus wings on everyone. The media’s boasting about cricket, TV channels bidding for Cricket,
Capitalist’s marathon behind cricketers for their brand image. There is hardly any product which is branding non-cricketer sports personalities. And how many crores for one campaign? Zee TV announced 1 Crore for the whole hockey team if it wins in Athens. Just compare this 1 Crore : 1 hockey team and 1 cricketer : 1 Crore ? Is it a Poor Joke tried on Hockey?
Take examples of our schools. Come Summer holidays, organise cricket coaching camps all over for the youngsters. Be it a college boys organised programme in some aid, it would be a cricket match! Why not tennis? why not hockey?
There are star studded star hunt programmes, item bomb hunt programmes, why not sports talent hunt programmes? Why not encourage the young generation to peep into the world of sports and not only for cricket?
What does our government, sports authority do? Send home the hockey coach when there just one month for Olympics? Should they try to play with the emotions of sportsmen, and women? What on earth will happen if our sports councils/ authorities, stadium management committees come out of their filthy, stinking corruption and give a good future for our country in sports events?
C’mmon folks! give some space for the other sports also…..Let there be cricket among us, but let there be other sports too shining bright in the next Olympics atleast.
