Are cricketers of today just sportsmen? No, with the kind of exposure a cricket star of today gets, they are not just sportsmen… they are diplomats, like it or not thats what they are.
Some cricketers realize it, others just don’t get the point. India and Pakistani cricketers may be mired in controversies like match fixing, ball tampering and now even racism… but, I would always remember them for playing cricket matches to enhance peace and fraternity between two countries who are sworn enemies. That was a good diplomatic move. Though those cricketers themselves had nothing to say, they set up a stage where the true diplomats could voice their opinion and be heard. It is something for which I would always respect these two teams.
Why I am thinking of this? With the recent controversy on the racist slur, I was thinking, it got so much publicity, I knew that it would have impact on day to day life of many, not just the people involved with cricket. I knew, this allegation might serve as a catalyst to some random acts of violence. However, I must admit, the outburst has so far been less than what I had feared, the only instance I came to know of till now has been the assault on a cabbie of Indian origin in Australia.
My point is, when you know, people follow both the parties religiously, both parties are being watched by millions… is it not obvious that what ever you do, what ever you say… will impact their lives?
Symonds must have known there was no way to prove what Harbhajan said… in the light of this, could not this matter have been resolved with out such publicity? Could he not have waited till the end of the day to meet the Indian captain, the accused and the referee to have sorted it out peacefully?
I think it is high time that all cricket matches be controlled by media managers of ICC. Cricket is more than a sport now… it is a religion… If people in the center of things do not know how to behave and what to say, there should be a regulatory committee or some rules which make sure that debates which do not have proof of one side being right and another wrong, should not be allowed to come out in the public… People do have a right to choose, a right to opinion, but only when facts are out there, it is very harmful for people to debate and be peaceful about it if the only points they can raise is their belief…
This is the reason behind the conflicts between religions… religion started a long time ago, now we cannot do any thing about them… but with cricket it is different, it is the present, I pray to god that the powers that be of cricket realize the gravity of situation and act for the future… not just the immediate present.
Please leave comments as I would love to think of your opinion…
So… racism should not be fought with vehemence?
Racism should not be tolerated… agree to that whole heartedly. But then people should also be taught about it.
I believe racism is a direct offshoot of ignorance. But here I am trying to show, how a word which could be taken as innocent or at most a crude remark in one part of the world can be considered as a racist comment in the other.
With globalization and all I believe people should be educated more about other cultures so that these sort of episodes are avoided…
Fair enough.
The thing is, both teams were told prior to the series even commencing that the use of the word ‘monkey’ was a no-go zone.
Harbhajan wasn’t ignorant of the meaning.
Humm, I was not aware of it… if that is the case, I am surely disappointed in Harbhajan. But again, I am still with the opinion that things could have been settled in a more amicable way…
Couldn’t it have been sorted by everyone sitting down and having a talk?
I am not a big fan of controversies in a sport like cricket, after the Match fixing one, I am yet to come back to watching cricket full time…
Thing is, they did talk about it – post the Mumbai match (Oct last year) Andrew Symonds did meet with Harbhajan (and altho’ Bhaji says the meeting never took place, the Indian team acknowledge that it did), and explained how he felt about the term, how demeaned he felt when called a ‘monkey’. Harbhajan told Symonds he’d never say it again…
Harbhajan was well aware of how Andrew Symonds regarded the use of the word.
humm, so that rules out the possibility that Harbhajan was not aware of it… that puts the incident in a very different light now… but still the actions of the Indian team leave me confused…
hope fully we have a good game of test match tomorrow… nothing beats cricket… wooooo hooooooo…….
The 3rd Test
Chatting about the cricket as it happens – if you’re interested…
And a damn good start to the Indians!
be there soon…