A good sportsman!

I’m not a good athlete; I’m not so good in any other games or sports too. But, I’m interested in sports as it is good for your health and mind. It is a stress relief to me. It is a good way of entertainment. Today, I would like to write about the real effects of sports. What is the real aim of sports? I thought it was just an entertainment. But, actually it isn’t just an entertainment. For some people, a game is their profession and I call them the ‘players’ (Eg: Sachin Tendulkar, Chrisiano Ronaldo etc). For some people, a game can be a business and I call them ‘organizers’ (Eg; BCCI, Lalit Modi ). For some others, watching games is a profession and I call them ‘audience’ (Eg: generally audience in a ground or audience watching TV etc.). In these 3 categories, the most benefited people are the organizers. They play with money and they gain huge ‘profits’! And the second most benefited people come under ‘players’. The benefits earned by these 2 categories are because of the ‘audience’ for entertaining them or may be wasting their time. It depends on which side they are supporting.

A few years back when Indian Cricket team reached finals of cricket world cup, there was a report in newspaper. It was about a man who is very interested in watching cricket. And he says that he watched every international cricket match in India. The interesting thing is that, watching cricket was his profession!! If games are for entertainment, how many of us have an ‘entertainment profession’ in our carriers? How can it earn for our living. The funniest thing about that guy, who is a ‘professional cricket watcher’, is that he lives with the donations from the other ‘partial professionals’. It seems like begging is also a trustful profession! I’m really sorry to relate him to begging. But, in an indirect way he was just doing what I said.

Rather than an entertainment, games have a little emotional sense too. I wonder why we have a special column for sports in newspapers today. And why do I search for that specific column at the first glance of reading a newspaper? Why the other important news is neglected by me? This is my case. Whenever I start reading a newspaper, my first glance to it will be on probable second last page of the newspaper bundle, which will be sports page. I think I am neglecting other important news. I still wonder why everybody is giving a little more importance to sports than it really deserve. In India, that importance is mostly concentrated only on cricket while I remind you that this post is not about abusing anything. I just want to make sure that what we follow is good for ourselves. I still wonder why India- Pakisthan match is a little special to all cricket lovers in India and Pakisthan. I accept that there is a national clash between India and Pakisthan but why do we bring the same emotion to games? I pity to confess that I do not know how many Indian soldiers died in Kashmir for India but, I know how Indian cricket team defeated Pakisthan cricket team in the last cricket match between them.

I am not trying to bring a feeling that I am totally against everything in India. I am really pity to hear that a foot ball player lost his life because of an accidental self goal in favor of his opponent team. It was really crazy! What is so entertaining in that situation? It reminds me of a Colosseum of ancient times, where games of death takes place. That kind of stupidity should not be allowed in modern times. We have to redefine our concepts and thoughts. Game should always be a game! And a player’s job is to play the game, not to win the game.

I have seen some ‘war of stupid comments’ between Indian cricket team captain and Australian cricket team captain through media before some cricket matches. I do not know why these media is giving this much importance to all these things. And when a match is won by Indian team the media will encourage our team members to a great height and if India loses the game, media will make them fall from the same height so that they will reach deep under the dirty mud of harassment. We have to accept a truth that losing is also a part of the game. Losing a game doesn’t means that the game is not so entertaining. I would like to write a small quote from my favorite movie School of life! “Winning is losing games with winning attitude!” I think this makes a better sense now. There is no scope for any revenge or anything of such sort and every game should end in the field itself.

We used to see complete silence in our galleries when Sachin gets out. I would like to appreciate everyone who is playing a good game in the field. It is the real sportsman spirit. I am not discouraging anyone to love sports. Sports are always good for health. But we have to be sensible to it. We should not get over enthusiastic about it. It’s meant for pleasure not for a war. And let’s make it more enjoyable by being "a good sportsman"!

“faithfully”

Raghu