A lot is being
said about how “fixing” and determining
match high points before hand has spoilt the game. It is quite easy for
everyone, be it an irritatingly loud,
argument friendly news anchor or the bus
conductor. They talk about how wrong it is. They talk about how its destroying
the country. It really is easy to just side with the tide. However just for the
sake of argument I would like to play the Devil’s Advocate.
First of all it’s a game. I repeat, it’s a game. That is it. No it has not compromised security, and no it has not caused destruction of property. I believe that all those who cry about match fixing, are just a fraction of the present massive uproar. The rest of them just bystanders being swept away by the popular opinion. I believe that this set up is exactly like a business deal. A simple contract. The viewer at any point of time can shut the TV and do something useful with his/her life. It’s like watching a show. You know there will be twists and turns. The IPL is nothing different. Of course some say about how its a sport and talk about things like sportsmanship, but seriously, how many people would actually keep watching the IPL, if it were not for the twists and turns? Our society thrives on drama and underdog upsets. Why would Reliance continue to invest in the sport if their team keeps losing? Kingfisher has proudly stated its connection to 4-5 major teams. Did no one think there might be a slight conflict of interests over there? If you were fine with the sell out of the sport, why do you cry when you see the math?
The BCCI is an independent body. Sadly “independence” is a term our country has never really appreciated post 1947. Unless of course you include the holiday. The same goes for the institutions. Everything works on the basis of pressure points. The media always acts as the judiciary. The judiciary as the rebellious teenage kid of the government and the government like Big Brother. How does all this figure in? Because deep down, everyone knows this and it sickens them. Hence they turn to sports and movies. Mix the two and you get something glossy like the IPL. So when this “sport” is marred by malpractices, the frustration is vented on something which is a very small part of the entire picture.
The fact that there is fixing in the IPL should not be forgiven of course. Rather the IPL should be given the same treatment as any soap. It would be the perfect solution. All of us have had a wrestling addiction phase. Some of us see through the pseudo angry athletic display and wise up. The rest carry on anyway. Nothing different about the IPL. It is indeed, Sports Entertainment.
First of all it’s a game. I repeat, it’s a game. That is it. No it has not compromised security, and no it has not caused destruction of property. I believe that all those who cry about match fixing, are just a fraction of the present massive uproar. The rest of them just bystanders being swept away by the popular opinion. I believe that this set up is exactly like a business deal. A simple contract. The viewer at any point of time can shut the TV and do something useful with his/her life. It’s like watching a show. You know there will be twists and turns. The IPL is nothing different. Of course some say about how its a sport and talk about things like sportsmanship, but seriously, how many people would actually keep watching the IPL, if it were not for the twists and turns? Our society thrives on drama and underdog upsets. Why would Reliance continue to invest in the sport if their team keeps losing? Kingfisher has proudly stated its connection to 4-5 major teams. Did no one think there might be a slight conflict of interests over there? If you were fine with the sell out of the sport, why do you cry when you see the math?
The BCCI is an independent body. Sadly “independence” is a term our country has never really appreciated post 1947. Unless of course you include the holiday. The same goes for the institutions. Everything works on the basis of pressure points. The media always acts as the judiciary. The judiciary as the rebellious teenage kid of the government and the government like Big Brother. How does all this figure in? Because deep down, everyone knows this and it sickens them. Hence they turn to sports and movies. Mix the two and you get something glossy like the IPL. So when this “sport” is marred by malpractices, the frustration is vented on something which is a very small part of the entire picture.
The fact that there is fixing in the IPL should not be forgiven of course. Rather the IPL should be given the same treatment as any soap. It would be the perfect solution. All of us have had a wrestling addiction phase. Some of us see through the pseudo angry athletic display and wise up. The rest carry on anyway. Nothing different about the IPL. It is indeed, Sports Entertainment.
