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Commercialisation of Cricket! |
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I speak
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Written by Armando Halder
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Wednesday, 27 June 2007 |
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Armando Halder
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The cricket World Cup 2007 at West Indies was a disappointment for Indians all over the world. No Indian star/s was able to make a mark there. So while Indian team came back from West Indies empty-handed and was trying to escape all the media attention, the public was asking the same question as the media (Print & Electronic) “why”. And every so-called expert (cricketers who themselves were never able to do well at international level) were giving there opinions. Some said that our coach was bad, others said our captain wasn’t good enough, yet others had to say that our team was too old…..& what not.
Two days later few of the news channels and newspaper were talking about how India’s poor show would affect the corporate world. And they were right India’s poor World Cup outing did hit the corporate world badly with an estimated loss of almost Rs.400 crores (that’s huge). And it made me think that “cricket isn’t only a sport these days but is a business”.
Advertisement, sponsorship deals, merchandising, TV rights and what not, cricket is a profitable ‘business’ these days. And BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) at the helm of the affairs is making a lot of money. But is ‘money’ bad for the sport? Well, many say it is but is it that bad thing. Money is something that actually drives a sport forward. You can’t just play a sport professionally 365 days without expecting any monetary reward in return. Yes the national pride is important but you like it or not you can’t do without money.
For example in Europe there is lot of money in football even more than cricket, but its standard doesn’t drop. In India, cricket is not only business oriented, but also influenced by political back-ups. If seen keenly, of the 14/15-member team at least the top 6-7 players are sure of their seat, irrespective of their performances. Moreover the mind set is such that if a top order batsman keeps getting out for low scores continuously, it’s considered as his bad luck. Only after similar poor performance for 10-12 consecutive matches, that the batsman’s caliber or technique or form is questioned. But by that time, the damage has already been done. And just in case, among those 10-12 matches even if 4 or 5 consecutive or alternate matches are won, then that player’s poor performance is kind of overlooked. Comparing similar situation in European countries, where football rules like cricket in India, there each & every match, each & every player is closely scrutinized. There the inter club matches are given lots of importance. And moreover there is no assured berth for the players. In India, national team players hardly play any domestic matches. They feel it to be below their class to play domestic tournaments like Ranji Trophy.
What we lack in Indian cricket (or for that matter any sport in India) is good management and professionalism.
By good management I mean, the way sport is run in the country. We need to consider three things. Firstly, we need to have professional people running the board who don’t get into dirty politics but try to improve the sport. Secondly, good youth development programs & system where when a person comes out of the system he is ready to compete at international level. Thirdly we need to have professional selectors (we can’t continue to have selectors being chosen according to zones and regions.)
For bringing professionalism we have to change mindset right at youth level. If players at junior and sub-junior level are groomed properly then the professional attitude is going to be present when they play at international level. For this we need good youth development programs and system. If BCCI opens its eyes and tries to see what we as cricket fans (despite being no experts) can see and takes steps today then we surely can have a world champion side in a decade.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 29 June 2007 )
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