Against the Flow

This is the 3rd consecutive post on the same theme – the theme that asks for supporters and not fans. Every time I feel disappointed with the Indian team’s performance – the coverage on the news channels (alright – I get just Sahara Samay here, and its bad but I am sure its representative of the kind of coverage that goes on) and the kind of reactions expressed, just drive me to want to support the Indian team.

Cricket is a sport – a game. Its not a question of life and death. We as fans/supporters have every right to feel cheated/disappointed/angry with the team’s performance. We however have no right to abuse their personal space and their families. The police having to spend resources to protect the houses of our players is ridiculous – not for the action – but for the need arising to do it.

The players are not in the game to fulfill our fantasies and dreams. That we make them our heros and our messiahs is our own problem. It’s a career for them. Its what gives them their daily bread and luxuries. They can make money only over a limited timeframe – a shelf life shall we say? It is absolutely valid for them to earn money from other avenues like promotions and advertisements. To suggest that their advertisements are the cause of their poor performance is sheer stupidity. Does your work get affected by your dealing on the stock market or investing your money in banks? Or for that matter by your working for your local Rotary Club or heck even by your watching a movie? The board and the coach arrange for sufficient matches and training camps. As long as the players attend these – we have no right to cry foul.

Saying that the players should be banned from advertisements is completely unfair – as is suggesting that their performance should dictate the amount they get paid for advertisements. It’s a statement unfair not only to the players but also to the companies they represent in the ads. Let the market decide what they should pay whom. Also next time we read a report saying that a player’s sex life affects quality of performance on the sports field – will we go ahead and regulate his sex life too?

The players DO NOT work on tax-payers money. We do not pay him his salary. Just like we don’t demand that Amitabh Bacchan should only be paid if we like the movie, we have no right to demand that the player should only be paid if we like what he does on the ground.

Also while a loss in the first round is shameful and unexpected – it does not mean that the team is shit. TV channels seem thrilled to get opinions from viewers that literally use these words about them. It means that our performance was not good enough this time around. If we have doubts about the quality of their performance – we have the option to stop watching their games altogether – without wanting them stoned/burnt or worse killed.

“India Great” when we win a match and “India Worst” when we lose a match – and have these emotions swing wildly every match is not a done thing. Just like everyone else, the players too will appreciate stability of emotions. Either hate the team and do not follow them or support them and bear the low performances. Do not be like the creepy friend who only sticks to you when you have the money to spend on him. No one wants the wild swinging between Havans and prayers and then effigy burning and stoning.

The MPs and MLAs demanding a probe into the performance will be better off allowing the CBI to conduct the probes into them in a free and fair manner. And would you mind being not corrupt for a change please? And minding some slightly more important business about running the country?

Can the channels and people concentrate their efforts on tracking down real villans and criminals rather than attack the soft targets that the players are?
Finally what are we really pissed about – the fact that we crashed out of the WC or the fact that rich cricketers crashed out of the WC ?

I know I have repeated my points over and over again but then so do the newschannels.