Cricket as a national obsession is a detriment to other sports

In India, Cricket is more than just a game. Cricket is a religion and players are idols. The big money rolling on advertisments, the six digit salary and the lucrative offers stand testimony for why youngsters aspire to take Cricket as their career even though it is evident that it is not a easy destination to make it through.

It is obvious that with multifarious editions for the same game, Cricket has set its own trend. The format of this game is too exciting that it has won the hearts of the masses provoking the advertisers to do their part.  And with the corporate investments flooding in for sponsors and advertisements, Cricket has  widened its margin from rest of the sports by all odds.

People’s passion is driven by these cricketing personalities. Every action of their’s is brought to public notice by the media. The fans are in such a frenzy that even a receding hairline of a player is exaggerated on par with a diminishing form of a player. Linked to player adulation is the fascination for the game’s statistics. People love mastering Cricket records, career profiles, match trivia and even extending to the most irrelevant detail.

But from  when on this craze was set in India? It is very apparent that it all commenced only after Kapil Dev’s men returned India with the ‘Prudential World Cup’ in 1983. And from then on Cricket has so dominated the sports arena in India, that many don’t remember Hockey is the national sport of our country. The sport which enjoys a tally of eight Olympic gold medals has  failed to  reach even  the Olympic  qualifiers in 2008.

India’s performance in the Olympics has been very hazy so far inspite of it’s copious talent. People are to be aware of the existence of other games too. It also depends largely on the players to inspire the community of their fellow countrymen to take up the game. The government also has a vital role to play. It should start patronising every strains of sport that are played. Proper infrastructure, guidance, coaching are to be made accessible to every endowed individual. Scholarships should be granted if the government expects the players to pursue the game as their career. It is high time to consider this issue, make postulates and act accordingly. It is the duty of the government, mass media and organisations around to unearth, groove and culture the talent.

Things cannot be turned around and amended overnight since the impact Cricket has created in the mindset of the people are very profound. Hence it is better to deal with the present scenario before it goes out of bound. The government and the mass media share a huge responsiblilty of creating awareness among people, imposing policies and bringing them into plan of action. Hopefully, India stands top among the table in the 2012 London Olympics and relish the dreams of millions and cherish it!!!!