India is to Cricket what Brazil is to Football

I write this as India continue their thrashing of South Africa in the 2nd test at Eden Gardens. We are from a nation that revers cricket, cricket players, commentators, cricket news or cricket in any form whatsoever. Even a hardcore football fan from India will sit on the edge of his seat watching the IPL and its spectacular turns. For children in our country, cricket is the first game they play (apart from maybe ringa-ringa roses) and a bat and a ball is what they live with throughout their childhood. Cricketers are huge celebrities and the game is considered sacred.
The question now is, what happens to us when it comes to translating this fever to victories on the grandest stages. Our one and only World Cup was a gazzillion years ago when we were petty underdogs in front of a mighty West Indies side. Our Golden Era team in the early part of this decade reached the final of the 2003 event where we were tamed like lambs. 2007 world cup was a disaster and before we could rejoice in the T20 victory, we gave an outrightly dismal performance in the next event last year. Even our IPL teams could not reach the finals of the Champions League tournament which was seen as a Cricketing equivalent of Football's UEFA Champions League.
Same story is for Brazil when it comes to football. Football is 'Joga Bonito' and a sport played in every backyard of every city. Like our cricketers, Brazilian footballers are known for their immaculate finesse and style. Brazilians have been in FIFA's top 3 player of the year nominees for so long. At every World Cup, the Brazilian team is a favorite. However strong the other teams are, Brazil is always a favorite. Their Golden Era team won 3 World Cups from 1958 - 1970 and deservedly kept the Jules Rimet Trophy with them. Sachin is our version of Pele but the ultimate prize - that Pele won thrice - has eluded him till now.
Where then does the problem lie? Its not like Brazil have a brilliant infrastructure to promote football, children grow up with football on the streets and most players who come good on the world stage leave Brazil to play in Europe.
Looking into the sport systems if you may call it in other countries, school and college leagues are very popular for all sports abroad. College basketball is a big crowd puller with games being broadcast on national TV and even Video games on college basketball and football being released. Several movies have been made on school level basketball and football. Our structure is different from theirs but the popularity is simply non-existent. Parents still would consider their child wanting to take up sports seriously as a huge mistake. Better to have him crack the IITs or IIMs and sit at home watching cricket than playing it. Is it our mindset that needs change? Is it the system?

Our players are good enough.
Coaching staff in most places is good.
Good cricketers are rising in the youth ranks.
Cricket is and will always be as revered in our country.
There is no dearth of money specially with the IPL in play.

Questions to ponder:

Even though they love cricket, eat, drink and sleep cricket, do parents want their kids to take up cricket instead of cracking the IIT-JEE or the CAT ?

When there is so much craze about the national team and the regional IPL teams, why is there no such craze for the state Ranji teams ?

Investment and money at the top level is great, but what about our lower levels such as Ranji, college and school level ?


Comments

Anonymous said…
- Point is, out here, in this country, the options for a decent profession are hardly there to choose from, barring the odd Doc/MBA/Engng.....and trust me, we ourselves know that how almost impossible it becomes to pursue sport on a local/regional level (maybe even statewise) given the lack of funds and corporate participation....So, that leaves out typically millions of us individuals battling it out for the Top 20-25 cricket seats across the country, not to mention the corruption and nepotism that so blatantly does exist..... and yes, am only talking about cricket, lets not even mention any other sport, since pursuing that would be even more disastrous..... How many rags to riches stories have we come across barring the odd Dhoni or like.....

We routinely come across stories of ill-treatemtn being meted out to the junior/district players when they go touring other regions, becoz sdomeone else is misusing the funds for himself/herself....

WEhy do u think everytime we send our Indian contigent for the Olympics, there is so much hue and cry raised over the ratio of the staff to the players numbers, becoz the administartion and corrupt coaches use the national/corporate funds for their family's benefits and needs....An official tuor becomes more like a family trip abroad!!!!!

Its not easy man, making so many sacrifices apart from the usual ones that one needs ot while pursuing a sport!!!!!
February 17, 2010 at 6:23 PM
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