Sports today has become very competitive. At the end, what matters is winning and winning at any cost. So much hype has destroed the very nature and purpose of sports.
If we look at the jingoism that cricket has trigered, one really feels sad. We Ranchites were ashamed that a group of young hooligan threw beer and whisky bottles at Shahid Albert Ekka's statue and damaging it. Came to know that at the final, people were saying after beating muslim sena, our Ran sena is going to beat Ravana sena! I found it utterly disgraceful.
The nature of the sports has changed totally. Is sports not supposed to bring countries, culture and people together? It's another matter that history repeated itslelf in winning the cup after 28 yrs! Its truly a joyous moment for the entire nation that has so little for the larger samaj to come together for a common cause! One understands, great divides and fractures in our society, accentuated by poverty, misery, injustice - such moments of fanatic exhilerations in this context, can be equated with the high that one derives from opium. Sports has therefore become like religion. If not appreciated and followed in its true spirit, it can make people as fanatic as religion!!!
It is important that we keep sports as sports and cricket as cricket, and not a weapon of spreading hatred and violence. It will be truly a great day when we learn to celebrate a win, howsoever great it might be and accept defeat even if its by the worst margin, equally gracefully. After all only one side can win, evn when there is kante ka takkar and there is no formula that someone's winning streak will continue for ever. There is joy in both winning and playing well but not winning.
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