Sports Formula

The sports ministry has declined a request to bring F1 racing into India on the grounds that F1 is not a sport but rather a commercial entertainment initiative. The logic is impregnable.

The traditional argument to develop sports is that it promotes physical well-being and mental toughness. It is also purported to build character, but the conduct of today's athletes hardly supports this assertion. As for the F1 debate, the formula of the modern day sport has two elements: substance and form. In substance, racing cars cannot be compared to cricket, soccer, hockey or any other sport. Not only is it risky and life-threatening, but winning and losing depends as much on the vehicle as the driver. Yes, it does improve physical endurance and mental sharpness, but in its basest form, it is a thrill rather than a sport. As for the form, which is F1 or A1 racing, it is very close to how every major sport is played today.

Almost every sport has gone pro, meaning it is played for money rather than for pride or fun. Their popularity has more to do with the astronomical sums involved in contracts and sponsorships than anything else. Now, playing for money does not necessarily take away the virtues of sport, and I am definitely not advocating that sports should not be commercially viable. Neither should sportsmen be required to put national interest above individual interests. However, one must recognize that money transforms the nature of the game, and consequently, every sport today has elements of entertainment in it. Ah...those shades of grey.

From what I have read, it did not look like the ministry will have to make any investment. It only had to grant permission to franchise F1 in India. So I am not sure why the ministry rejected the proposal and said arbitrary things like the funds can be put to better use elsewhere. If indeed taxpayer money is involved, I am in complete support of the ministry's decision.

What pushed me to write on this was Karun Chadok's comment that even Olympics are an entertainment. It is true that Olympics are reduced to a form of entertainment in India, for we have systematically ensured that our athletes don't even get close to the medals. We end up watching what the rest of the world is doing. But to generalize that is foolish. To me, the Olympics capture the true spirit of sport, and provide the rare occasion to watch sport triumph over money.

Walk before you talk

It is refreshing to see Rudi Koertzen lash out against criticisms about the standards of umpiring in the just concluded Lords Test. Rather than meekly submitting to the critics, he went after the players for putting umpires in a tight spot. And that's an angle often left out.

Maybe 'coz the rules say that the player is out when the umpire raises his index finger. That's the letter of the law. More so in sports than elsewhere, the letter is woefully inadequate when not supplemented by the right spirit. And today's cricket is short on spirit. Way short. Plus, the popularity of T20 and IPL may just expedite the degeneration of the game into a dreadful cousin of American pro sports.

Not to say that pro sports are drab – I am hooked to NFL – but they get to you beyond a point. If you poll football fans in the US about their preference for NFL v/s college football, the response will be in the favor of the latter, and overwhelmingly so. Mostly 'coz college games are not "pro". Of course, we all know the kids have an eye on NFL drafts and the big sums, but for the moment, they are attached to their school. It is also what our cricketers feel when playing for the nation. And it is precisely this passion and energy that IPL sucks out. IPL will remain a great entertainer, but after a few seasons, it will turn farcical like the American pro sport scene. Players will be sold, bought, traded and it will become an exercise in sports entertainment, with the latter becoming more pronounced.

 

Tailpiece: This is one of those rare occasions, as rare as yesterday's eclipse (sorry, couldn't resist that), where TOI has found favor w/ me. For a very selfish reason, naturally. The thoughts in their editorial about Dr. Kalam's frisking incident echo my ramblings from the other day.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Frisk-everybody-/articleshow/4809462.cms