Where’s Our Self Respect ?

Nars — Sun, 17 May 2009 03:23:21 +0000

Sports is something that I’ve always had a fancy to. Growing up as a kid, I would play badminton with my grandpa and try pinching a point or two when he wasn’t paying too much attention, flick off the board a couple of coins in a game of carom or chess, all to win. My grandpa used to ignore this at that moment, catch me up aside after the game and coach me on the importance of accepting defeat graciously. Those lessons that I learnt have stuck with me for a long time. I’m more than sure that this story of mine is not something which is unique to me. We’ve all had our moments when we are desperate to win and are willing to play outside the rules, knowingly or unknowingly. The key here though is to pick up the right from the wrong and learn. Our upbringings haven’t been all that different in the end – have they?

The desire to win is a global phenomenon. Clubs pay ten of thousands of dollars and pounds to hire the best talent, countries go around the world looking for a coach and the best certainly get the best financial deals. Fair enough, I won’t complain. That said, there are times when the best of the brains and the players that you bought don’t give you the desired results. It’s bound to happen and that’s a part of any sport. If there was everything that money could buy, then the world won’t be what it is today right?

It pains me when we pay all the money in the world in attempting to do this and let people abuse us in the bargain. The IPL is cricket’s biggest extravaganza. The ICC would be upset with me if I said that the IPL was bigger than the world cup – but in a lot of ways, it is. Look the money on display and I am sure you won’t have a second thought!

The Kolkata Knight Riders have had a pretty dark IPL2. Seems that someone blew the lights out of their day. With supposedly the best brains in the world and some real good talent to boot, they have had dark nights and nothing else. I honestly dislike that team – both the owners and some key role players (coach and former captain included). While I follow the Fake IPL players disclosures with a lot of interest, I care a rat’s ass to read any other article about their team. Being the cricket crazy fan that I am, I’ve gone and seen the websites of each of the IPL team except theirs. It doesn’t stop there – I switch channels when Nokia or Sprite advertises during the commercial breaks! So much for some dislike eh!

That said, a report on racial abuse in the same team was doing rounds a couple of days ago. For a change, I paused to read that report. The note struck a chord with me instantly as this is something I had read about in a blog. The article also referenced the fact that you don’t need an outsider to validate this and how rampant this was.

Despite all my dislike, my heart goes out to those boys here – seriously! Racial abuse in any form is just not done. It was the same bunch of Aussies that acted like the world fell on them when they claimed that Bhajji said something when the poor sardar swore at them in Hindi. If they felt so strongly about discrimination, you can’t treat people in a manner that you don’t like to be treated in – more so considering that you are an Indian owned team playing for an Indian league. Absolutely not acceptable Bukka! As a coach, you own your coterie and their behavior, and to all those boys out there, you are only playing for pride now! If winning a game gives you pride, doesn’t the need to treat you with respect give you pride too? You may be at the back of beyond, but that’s a part of sport – don’t let some silly fools disrespect you at any cost.

Speak up. There’s nothing more important than your self respect. Stop playing cricket guys, it’s a lost cause anyways and you need to put your feet down firmly to end this crap. Dildo, you patched up something first up? Any self respecting Indian won’t and that makes me wonder where is yours?

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Where’s Our Self Respect ?