Sports Culture

For long I have been participating in the discussions about sports, especially cricket, being my favorite sport. WE have always engaged (& engrossed) in intense discussions, sometimes heated ones, about how we lack impact players; how we lack good pace bowlers, how we lack quality spinners, how we lack specialist batsmen who would be upto the job most of the times (like in Australia or South Africa). Recently, Glen Maxwell of Australia said how Indian batsmen slow down when they sense a landmark approaching (usually a century) & how that hits adversely the progress of the team. He may not be exactly wrong. But while thinking into details, I often stumbled upon the grave reality of one point. It could be or could not be related directly here. Sports culture. Let me first explain what sports culture is.

A culture to me, is way of living. We grow up in a particular environment. We are influenced by the surrounding things in our formative years. If I grow up in a Marathi-speaking family and with Marathi-speaking families around, I would tend to adopt & adapt to Marathi culture. Or any culture for that matter. In India, we look upto to indulging in sports as part of entertainment. Only select few indulge in serious sports. And sadly, very rarely someone comes up who becomes one of 'the' icons who would inspire people to take up that sport for living. Take for example, cricket.

When you mention the word cricket, the first name that comes up to many minds (from the current generation) is Sachin Tendulkar. He came from the typical middle-class Marathi family. This family was of simple but intellectual background. In any such typical family, he would have grown up to become probably another 'intellectual', maybe a doctor / engineer / manager. However, he chose (& was supported wholeheartedly) to chase his dream of playing a sport & made a illustrious career out of it. He immediately connected with millions of people, regardless of the age, faith, race, following. He became the first 'mega' icon in Indian sports. Scores of youngsters dreamt of becoming the next 'Sachin'.

Now imagine what if, instead of chasing his dream, he would have put himself into the grind that lakhs of kids put themselves into, the school / college. Behold! I am not at all saying learning / education is wrong in any way. But yes, each person has his/her own dreams & aspirations. The point here is, he was supported by his family to fulfil his dreams. If he had chosen to not chase his dreams, he wouldn't have done much wrong. He would have been part of the millions of students who go to school / college & probably become a successful beneficiary of the education system. After all, millions of families still consider sports as simply means of entertainment, some treat it as way of exercise or putting away the frustration or negative thoughts, engaging yourself in some activity to keep yourself physically & mentally fit.

When I say, we lack sporting culture, I mean we do not treat sports with it's due respect. Maybe that is also partially because, the effective career of a sportsperson lasts till the age of 35-40 depending on the sport played. Jobs give you security of fixed (though lower) income till age of 58-60. Businesses often carry the risk of losses, but still do not have a age limit to be in. Sports can give you higher income, but lower financial life, unless you are hugely successful and/or continue to be associated with sports in the role of administrator / coach, etc. So, in the end, it's all money, honey.

We forget or overlook the fact that along-with the money, there is pride associated with a sports-person's life. When a sports-person steps on the playing arena, he / she represents the country. However, money-minded or patriotic he / she is, they have to play the sport & win it to be successful. They have to undergo rigorous training, physical & mental, to keep playing the sport. Only if they are successful, they get the 'huge' money. But when they are on the turf, they play with all the passion they can. It's this passion they crave for & are proud of. It's this passion that motivates them to keep pushing the limits & give more than best.

Of all the sporting countries, especially those who are regular toppers in various respective sports, or even Olympics, it is quite common to encourage kids who want to take up any particular sport. It is common to support & encourage their passion. China & America have been regular toppers in Olympics, especially in acrobatic sports. Most of their Olympians are youngsters, making their countries proud. Australia has been on the top of cricketing charts for longest in the history of the game. Football is a rage in England, much like cricket is followed religiously in India. But the people in these countries do not look down upon the sports when it comes to real-life. We follow the game, talk about it, criticize even, & forget it. Sports in these countries gets same amount of respect & love as other things in life. And people fully support their kids who take up any sport. Schools / universities have special facilities for sports & students get more than decent training of professional sports.

In many ways, Mumbai too had fairly strong environment for cricket, a great network of clubs & training places. That's why Mumbai has ruled Indian domestic cricket, much like Australia ruled the international cricket. The other states are now waking up & this shows in the recent Ranji seasons. People from smaller cities / towns are cropping up in the international teams more often these days which is a good sign. Also, the other sports are now getting good amount of recognition. Post the retirement of Tendulkar, the 'religious following' of the game has subsided, also partially because of the onslaught of IPL on the game. Football, Hockey, Kabaddi, Badminton are fast gaining popularity. However, India is still far away from a proper sports culture. But we are going in the right direction.

When something is part of the culture, people respect, follow, encourage, support it. When people will treat sports the same way, regardless of the 'financial heights' the participant achieves, I believe, sport will truly become part of our culture. Or, we truly would have achieved the 'sports culture'.