The Heights of Cricket(ism) in India

When one asks a bunch of children about their favorite sportsman, the answer reigns in almost unanimously as Sachin Tendulkar. This is the kind of image carried out by this man when it comes to sport in India, likewise other cricketers. Most of the people in India reckon that cricket is its national sport. This is the amount of prominence carried by this sport in India that it sidelined hockey which is actually the nation’s national sport.

When Tendulkar said that cricket is followed as a religion in India, he has a specific meaning to the statement as Indian cricket fans do not view it is a sport, where winning and losing are all a part of it. For them, cricket is something which is more than a sport and very close to their emotions. They have shown both love and hate at their extreme ends towards the cricketers. When India just wins a single match over its arch rivals forget about a tournament, a festive environment is seen all over the nation where people distribute sweets, burn crackers, etc…Now, one can imagine the bounds of celebration when India wins a world cup or a tournament. On the other hand, when India loses a crunch match, the fans get furious and show their irate behavior toward their very icons. The youngsters are seen bad mouthing the cricketers.

The role of media in this cause is extremely significant as it is responsible for romanticizing the issue disproportionately. The cricketers are made both super-stars and flop-stars by this very same media. The companies sign them up as the brand ambassadors for endorsing their products and advertisements which has a telling blow on the performance of the sportsmen. The hype generated just for the arrival of a cricketer at a venue or to the matter every other thing a cricketer does in his private life is inexplicable.

Cricket should just be seen as any other sport. Winning and Losing are all a part of the game and a single cricketer can’t be made responsible for either of them. The aggressive behavior of the fans towards the cricketers is not justifiable as every other sportsman who steps into the field aspires to win but ultimately it is the sport which has the final laugh.