A defining moment for Indian sports: the beginning of the end of cricket’s hegemony
Opinion
22/08/2016.
687.
All Members,
Respected family members of this great holy Nation.
Sub : Once upon a time, there was cricket
Ref : Media report
Anil Padmanabhan of Livemint
The curtain was formally rung down on the Rio Olympics on Sunday. But not before breaking several glass ceilings. It is not just about the outstanding performance from the women in the Indian contingent (it is rapidly becoming a way of life after India began rebalancing gender relations); neither is it about the god-like ability of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt to transcend physical barriers and stay on top of their game; not just in one but, incredibly, three Olympics (in the case of Phelps it is even longer).
Instead, from the Indian point of view, it is of the ability of sports, other than cricket (the informal religion binding all Indians), to entertain and obsess us for the last three weeks. Overnight, Dipa Karmakar, gymnast from Tripura; Sakshi Malik, the wrestler from Haryana; P.V. Sindhu, the shuttler from Hyderabad, and Lalita Babar, long-distance runner from Maharashtra, became household names—as big as our much-loved cricket captain, Virat Kohli.
This is huge. Actually, a defining moment for Indian sports: the beginning of the end of cricket’s hegemony. The politics of sports is being redefined as games with mass following—such as athletics, swimming, tennis, badminton, gymnastics, football, hockey (a comeback, actually) and so on—begin to attract eyeballs.
Unlike cricket, most of these sports are not restricted to a few nations and, hence, a global contest is for real. If indeed this trend does pan out, then Indian sport is set for a major overhaul—with a wider base and global medal winning talent as we have discovered in badminton and wrestling is inevitable.
Thank you for reading
JAIHIND.
Next with another Topic ....
1. Cricket is restricted to a few nations ONLY
2. Whereas a defining moment for Indian sports: the beginning of the end of cricket’s hegemony.
3. The politics of sports is being redefined as games with mass following—such as athletics, swimming, tennis, badminton, gymnastics, football, hockey (a comeback, actually) and so on—begin to attract eyeballs.
4. Instead, from the Indian point of view, it is of the ability of sports, other than cricket (the informal religion binding all Indians), to entertain and obsess us for the last three weeks.
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