friday, september 5, 2008

Last night everyone who cared to lose an hour or so of sleep watched Leander Paes win his fourth mixed doubles grand slam title with his Zimbabwean partner. Just a few days back the boxing trio from Bhiwani- Vijendar, Akhil and Jitendar, along with Abhinav Bindra and the wrestler Sushil Kumar caught the fancy of a nation that has long been starved for sporting heroes other then cricketing mega-stars.

No, I am not one of those who would say that cricket is responsible for the pitiable state of other sports in this country. On the contrary I’d say that cricket presents a model that is worth studying and maybe even aping if other sports associations want to build upon the recent success stories.

Those who feel that cricket has gulped down other sports in this country simply fail to realize the fact that any footballer in India who makes to teams like East Bengal or Bagan takes home atleast 12 lakhs a year. Comapre this to what our cricketing stars earn this amount may appear meager. However, compare it to the per capita income in the country and one can see that there’s no lack of incentive for those who want to persue their sporting ambitions.

Many people often point to the fact that the government of India has failed to help uplift other sports. This thinking, I feel, is deeply flawed. Since cricket has no direct support from the government, except for rewards that are given after successes- which is a completely different story, and has managed to do well as far as popularity with masses is concerned there is no reason why other sports cannot do it for themselves without government support.

Cricket has marketed itself brilliantly. Cricket bodies have allowed players to become stars. Cricketers themselves have performed amazingly well, compared to other sportspersons, with many of them having world records against their names. Naturally, media and sponsors love them and they enjoy constant limelight. They have used it to full benefit. Appearing in ads not just allows them to make more money, it also enables them to connect with people, be their idols and make a place for themselves in the public memory which is notorious for being short-term.

If there has been ever a time for sports other than cricket in India, its now!