I am angry. For several reasons than one, but I am really pissed with the way these people have treated our hockey players. I am using too simple words but this is anger speaking.When we say 'Indian team', its understood or rather is a given that we are talking abt the Indian Cricket Team. Yes we won the world cup, a couple of days back, yes it was a great match, yes I blogged about it. But I myself did not blog about the hockey team's victory, nobody I know did. What does this say about us? about me?? I am angry with me.
Indian cricket team beat australia by 15 runs, good job. India beat Pakistan in a bowl out(when there is a tie in the final scores a bowl-out is called for akin to shoot out in football), India beat england by 18 runs, India beat SA by 37 runs...All good wins, but close ones. Iam not taking anything away from the cricketers, I watched every match, without blinking an eye. I knew every player in every team, mostly, by heart. I can recognise them from the way they walk, stand or talk. Everything from batting line-ups to players unfit. Just about everything.
The hockey team (no 'india' here) beat the balls outta their opponents. India beat sri lanka by 20 goals, yes it means 20-0. Thailand 16-0. Pakistan 3-1 South Korea 7-2. I would like to mention here that South Korea is more than a formidable team. Its the Australia of hockey, its easier to understand that way isnt it? But is it good enough to earn the team 3 million dollars?
Not that ist not, just that they cant. Simply cos, the IHF unlike BCCI doesnt have sponsors, therefore not enough money. BCCI is the richest board in the world, maybe thats why members of the board and the politicians occupied the front row, waving shamelessly to the camera men, as if they toiled in the field.Yuvraj's six sixes got him a crore, a porsche car, match fees obviously and some more. This is minus the selling products campaign.
The whole Indian hockey team got just Rs. 50,000. A bonus of 1000 for each goal scored!! A huge hue and cry over that too... Sahara sponsors both hockey and cricket in India. While, the men in blue got a luxury house each, the hockey team dint even get a brick.Today, the Indian cricket team is back in India. A grand welcome. The hockey team is on a hunger strike, fighting for their rights. Who is gonna give them a morsel?
I cant, cos I am as guilty as the administration.
I had to google most hockey facts.
Guilty as charged.
12 comments:
I am not sure exactly who is to blame here. People have always been this way. We have short attention spans and generaly are quite comfortable with sheep culture (of course, till someone points it out, then the individualistic streak has to show in some ugly way).
Cricket is popular for several reasons, mostly self supporting, classic of a typical up-spiral effect.
In the end, it comes down to nothing else but, bad luck.
I guess if you do feel that strongly about it, why not find out when the next hockey game is and get people together to watch it?
Enough people do it, viewership increases and the players will get more recognition, and by virtue of that, money.
hit's the bulls eye.It is indeed tragic & ironical the treatment given to Hockey players.
Future generation of India will refuse to play the National Game.
The most unfortunate part the media has not yet hit the rock bottom for they are in a bottomless pit as they touch newer depths of depravity each day.
They can give one full day to just the celebrations of cricket team coming home and not even an hour to thousands of other issues of much more importance.
It's time we take charge of the country.
Let's Transform India.
For if we can what else could matter and if we can't what do our lives matter.
There are two points in the battle between Hockey and Cricket in India. First, Cricket is an English game and while ruling India Britisher played it, seeing them we thought this is a game of status and adopted it like one more emotion. And our Chacha Nehru had a big hand in it.
Second, though Hockey is our National game but we always appreciated what Britisher used to do. We did not perform well in last thirty year, or lets say after the last Gold we won in Olympic.
There is definitely a big thing involve in Cricket, which is why its getting this kind of response and that is MONEY. Because "Jo dikhega wo bikega".
But to be in that condition, Hockey players need to perform constantly well, not only in Asia cup but in Olympic and World cup too.
@unforgiven yeah,next time there is a hockey match Iam gonna gear up!
@maverick we have to transform ourselves first, then India.
@Cosmos we have gotten out of the british thing, we need to get interested in the game ourselves first, secondly i agree with the money bit, our cricketers are not consistent nor is the public with them, its only now that we are on a winning streak...we need to give hockey a chance, if we can give cricket a thousand chances...media needs to get serious here...
In my opinion we cannot force ourselves to like anything.. be it a guy, food item or hockey. I understand its a game but then I am not interested in watching it. I cannot be blamed or asked to gear up to watch the next match only so that their sponsorship goes up.
this is not due to the fact that the britishers ruled us or it was founded by them .. I dont give a damn about that nor do I consider Hockey a greater game cause its the National game. I am just not interested in it. call me ignorant but I would rather get to know more about Lets say Tennis than hockey !!! why not compare those two then???
@ Tsu I agree with you. But Iam guilty cos I like hockey. If i can go on abt the media treating it like crap, I should have written abt it myself first. The point is, the dichotomy between hockey and cricket in the country cos of politics and sponsors.
I like hockey better than cric coz its timed...also why i love football...but i had this thing abt cric being never ending...which is why i loved twenty20...i am just impatient, dats all
i am proud of shimit amin for Chak de! India.
Star news did quite some coverage for hockey etc etc, but yes, the laurels each team received are not even remotely comparable.
Why?
because of several reasons, all of which filter down to 2 things...no money, no media. and each connects to the other.
Dunno what the solution is but has to start somewheren right? like features on upcoming hockey stars...like features on hockey players of yesteryears...like something for pete's sake!
It is a very slow process and it has to be done cleverly...no martyr like attitude is bought today...u have to say, well, coz its hot right now and they will let u write abt it...trust me...they will.
reason dont work no more...probably why ayn rand went to asylum inher last days.
I agree with your thoughts completely. I think the state governments and the companies are over-doing by paying huge sums to these already cash-rich cricketers, whereas our footballers and hockey players, who are equally bringing glory to our country are just left out in the cold. The government is really taking a step-motherly attitude in this...Its high time our society takes a note of it & do something!
Hmmm I completely understand ur sentiments. But lets not get carried away here. I know that the Indian cricket team gets a lot of media attention and boost and support from the nation. Hockey has not been played up or supported as much. Whereas as a sport cricket has always been loved for generations. Hockey needs to attain that popularity and it will get there. And you cant exactly blame sahara...sponsorship is about promotions...sahara doesnt sponsor cricket to promote it but because cricket promotes sahara. But gradually with more support and films like Chak De...hockey might gain popularity. I think it is heading there. You cant force people to like a sport...and a sport becomes more valuable in terms of the money it gets only when it is popular. As a journalist you can try to be fair and cover both sports equally...apart from that I don't see why the nation 'must' love it just coz its the national sport...I mean it was nominated a national sport...not voted one!!!
Cheers.
@reema Iam gonna end up in an asylum too!
@kalyan Iam not talking abt society here, just that Iam pissed off with the admin cos the prize money is a world of difference!
@prude No, Iam not forcing anyone to like the game, i havent mentioned anywhere in the post that its a national game and u shud like it or anything, all iam saying is there is a dichotomy between recognising the hard work of a cricketer and a hockey player..I dont know where you got the idea of me rooting for hockey!
This post and the comlpete discussion in comments is a classic example of why there is a difference between Cricket and Hockey. We are still discussing as Cricket and Hockey. First things first, these are sports! What we should do is to admire and appreciate sports and sportspersons be it cricket, hockey,tennis or kabbadi. Then only we'll be able to diminish the difference between two sports. We have seen million times that bollywood stars go for cheering... but have we seen Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly going to cheer Indian Hockey Team? Have we seen Dhanraj pillai or Dilip turkey going and cheering for Leander Peas or Sania Mirza...No! Sports in Our country are like the bloody old caste system...Cricket First! then Hockey...and rest of the sports. We need to stop this. We should not admire cricket/hockey/etc...We should admire TEAM INDIA!!!
@anand You hit the nail on the head. You do have a point..Very true..Its more abt the money than the support, I play, I get paid, what do I care abt other sports! Good point anand..
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