Indian Premier League is currently underway and every evening we are told that it's a feast for the eyes, what with atleast two nail baiting high quality matches. Set max has taken this responsibility of broadcasting these matches upon itself and beaming them right into our homes, into our drawing rooms. For those who are stuck up in offices "Youtube" has come to their rescue what with live match video feeds in it. It's been said and observed that viewership is at an all time high, TRPs are ruling the roost, it's providing excellent entertainment with fashion shows, with music videos, with fire works, with cheer leaders, with new advertisements, with parading of glamorous models along with cricketers, countless number of analysis, pre-match discussion, post-match discussion and what not? Amidst all this cacophony one has overlooked one simple yet central entity, "CRICKET".
Off late it has become a fashion to say that cricket is no more just a game that it has to be repackaged and to be presented as entertainment. Otherwise current generation will not accept the game. Well let me say this to whosoever conceived these conceptions that there is one major flaw in it despite being partially right. I agree with the view that everything undergoes change and it is imperative to adapt to the changing environment and times. But it's no excuse to indulge in dousing the spirit of the game itself. Let me elucidate further on this topic.
When we observe major leagues all over the world, they have all evolved as an attempt to tap the business opportunity using the existing format of the game. Nowhere can you see the game being modified to suit business requirements. On the contrary all the businesses are fit into the game's scheme of things. But here we are modifying the game itself for the sake of business. Cricket by its nature is a game which is every corporates' or ad agency's dream come true because it provides so much visibility which is quintessential for anybody who wants to advertise their products or services. Now this has gone to such an extent that the game is being used just as a means for advertisement and nothing else. To substantiate this statement is very easy. Just watch any IPL match this evening and you can find that 30% to 40% of the screen is occupied with advertisements some text based and some graphic based. If there is some small delay in the bowler's run up, you can see an ad squeezed within that time. If not they will show you the ads being played in the giant screens present in the ground. If a decision is pending there's an ad, if a player is injured there's an ad, if the captain is setting the field there's an ad. Some ads showcase an individual player's endorsement of a particular product, and some others show a team's endorsement of a particular product in which a particular individual player is also part. To which product his allegiance lies? No one knows! All this reminds me of the story of a goose which used to lay one golden egg each day. Trying to utilise cricket just for advertising is like killing that goose to have all the golden eggs which is sheer stupidity.
All the owners and corporates' may beat their chests and cry that they are doing this for the love of the game, for country and other stale reasons, but the fact is undeniable. If they want to really improve the game then they should be encouraging players in ranji trophy. That will strengthen the game at the grassroots level which is good for the game and eventually good for the business too. Hence this argument is invalid.
Eventhough I can be convinced albeit reluctantly by agreeing to the reality that it's all business! (and I know nothing about business) there is one more fact which I find it hard to ignore.
Every game has an intrinsic quality which makes it unique. Cricket's is "Unpredictability". All the factors such as size of the ground, type of ball being used, pitch, dew, visibility, day or night etc, play a factor in the outcome of this game. More the number of variables more possible outcomes, less the predictability, more suspense and more enjoyment. This is the soul of this game and this is what makes a game transcend generations and generations. But when this soul is taken away the game will die a natural death. This is what is being assiduously attempted at this grand farce called IPL. In no other league, the game is modified favouring a particular segment of the game like in cricket. For example, pitches are made to be batsman friendly, boundaries are shortened, field restrictions have been modified, introduction of free ball; all to help batsmen and to kill the spirit of bowlers. If you want to modify the game by eliminating all the variables favouring only the batsmen, then it's much better to get a throwing machine instead of a bowler.
Cricket unlike any other game represents the life very closely. Like in life, it has highs like the first 15 overs, lows like quick fall of wickets, a period when nothing significant happens like in middle overs and something very exhilarating like the slog overs. And the last but not the least, the unpredictability factor in which an underdog can sometimes overcome even the invincibles to win a match is what makes cricket what it is. If this soul is taken away it's no better than a video game. One may feel like having fun can never experience the essence of the game.
EPILOGUE: Moreover game is never meant to be entertainment. If a player or a team work their hearts out and sweat it out on a field it's not to entertain the audience but to achieve excellence in what they do. Roger federer doesn't want to win one grand slam after another to entertain the audience or to just be famous but for the sake of the game. Sachin doesn't bat the way he bats to entertain the audience but only for the sake of the game. Any game or for that matter any work needs to be played for its sake only. If audience want entertainment they can very well hit a theatre and watch a movie. Games and sports are not meant for entertainment but for something else and that something else is "inspiration". Once the legendary tennis player "Evan lendle' was criticised for being sober and not that entertaining for which he responded something like "I am a player and I like playing and giving my best. If you want entertainment, you better choose something else" Well this statement surmises what I had been trying to tell the whole time.
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