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Damn Cricket |
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Why Indians are missing out on sports success. |
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By:
Rikki Masand
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I am a pure-blooded Indian. I have never watched Sachin Than-DULL-Kar play cricket, and I never will. I don't care about cricket at all.
No, wait, I do care, because cricket is a part of two worlds I care about: the Indian community and professional sports. And that is why I hate cricket.
Cricket is to blame for something very serious in the South Asian community - the reason we will never have a Yao Ming figure to represent us, and no light, medium, or dark brown person with straight hair will ever take the place of LeBron James as the buzz of the sports world.
I have seen Manny Malhotra on ice for the New York Rangers. I have seen Sania Mirza on the tennis court at the U.S. Open. I have even seen an Indian in the same room as the New York Yankees - and not a Cleveland Indian - WFAN's Sweeny Murti, props as always.
But I am starting to believe that in my lifetime - and I'm 26 now - I will never see an Indian in the National Football League, National Basketball Association or Major League Baseball. And as a young sports journalist, I put the blame squarely on first-generation Indians in America and my journalist friends who love talking cricket, even though no one on this continent cares.
Don't shut me up just yet, hear me out.
What's that stupid term that some moron came up with - ABCD - as you NRI's like to say, American-Born Confused Desis. I had never even heard the term Desi until 2001. I swear I thought someone was ordering a masala dosa or something! But what you fail to realize is that we as Americans are not the confused ones, it's the Indians who live here and perpetuate their cricket crap all over the Indian newspapers and television who are.
Why on earth is the line drawn directly between the words "Indian" and "sports" spell cricket for all of you? It's a disgrace and a disservice to the youth of our community who grow up thinking that no sport matters unless it is played in India. For God's sake, freshly immigrated kids go to school and have no idea what the NBA jerseys, Nike sneakers, and baseball hats represent other that nice clothing that their friends wear. Lucky enough for me I grew up in New York City and didn't hear a word about cricket until I visited India when I was 6 years old.
Yes I played it; I pitched, or "bowled" as you call that. Naturally I thought of it like baseball, America's game with American stars (but not any more!) And if you want to take a shot at today's MLB for the steroid scandal, then I'll be right there chanting with you, but more importantly look at the influx of Latin American and Japanese players in MLB and how easily there could have been a great Indian arm in there in the last 25 years - had cricket not screwed it all up!
Cricket is not cool. Cricket is golf gone ugly. I concede that cricket looks classy and the game celebrates gentlemanly conduct, but to hell with that! This is the sports world of 2007 where bigger and bolder is better and sex sells, and oh boy does it sell a lot.
This is a modern sports era in which NFL football reigns supreme, notwithstanding the egregious misconduct of several players. Baseball is stuck in a muddy steroid controversy, but the game is wildly popular. Basketball has its share of bad boys attitudes and occasional fistfights, while still showcasing the greatest pure athletes in the world, graceful and bullying on the court at the same time. Tennis became very popular once young blondes on the women's side and Andre Agassi on the men's became its poster children, but the game was always an action-packed drama with very gifted players and always will be.
So what does cricket offer? Guys standing around, just tossing a ball and waving around a giant spatula! More importantly cricket is to baseball what arena football is to the NFL; pun intended, cricket is just a bug on the professional sports' windshield. At the same time, the MLB, NBA and NFL are important as they are the wheels, not only a metaphor for sports, but for the lives of the athletes involved. There's a lot of fame, fortune and greatness to be achieved in sports. Cricket just doesn't cut it. Look at the money difference.
So why does cricket not take a spot over baseball, at least in some parts of the world? The answer is money, money that could be well spent by an Indian entrepreneurial mind, capitalizing on advertising and popularity that comes from being a baseball star. You're telling me that Alex Rodriguez (the Yankees' A-Rod) would not be a big star in Bollywood if he were Indian. Don't give me that, because Bollywood's biggest star (Aish) decided to try her hand in American films because that's the global platform.
Look at David Beckham, look at Yao Ming, and now look at the San Antonio Spurs, on their way to a fourth NBA title in nine years. Point guard Tony Parker (from France) scores 30 points to lead the way in Game 2. I'm sure you've heard that he's engaged to Eva Longoria, but did you know that he stands just 6 feet tall, yet he dominates in the NBA? My guess is there are at least 200 similarly built Indian male athletes in this country who were dissuaded from picking up Parker's basketball skills, even though their parents' wealth could have provided them with a great environment to learn in. Whose fault is this?
Yao Ming was born in China, the son of two former stars of the Chinese National basketball team. Let us forgive Yao's unprecedented gift of height (at 7-foot, 5-inches tall) and let us see the bigger picture. For there to ever be an Indian basketball player (close to Parker's size) - yes they may need the God-given athletic build and skills in the art of the game - but more importantly they need a team, coach and a sports-minded community to develop with.
Without anyone interested in practicing free throws we could not see players hold the ball and shoot it correctly. Yao is near the top in a category in which most NBA big men are abysmal, e.g.. Shaq, Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan. Yes the genetic factor is at play and for most Indians height is an issue, but come on. Where there's a will there's a way. Canada's Steve Nash (5'11" at best) taking two straight MVP Awards and Parker's championship game are proof that a short foreigner can become a star in this land, and on the biggest stage.
What's the point? That fundamentals beat all else, and as simple as it seems only few take the time to master them. Unfortunately, Indian youth in India and abroad aren't even encouraged to think seriously about an athletic career unless that damn insect (cricket) is the game of choice.
So no polish to a diamond in the rough and no career is what you get. Look back to Latin American baseball players, people in their communities worked long and hard at getting guys to pitch hard and hit the daylights out of the ball. You're telling me that no one could have done the same with the best students in the world: Indian kids! | |
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Ankur
Contact Ankur
Tue Aug 21, 2007
Damn Cricket - Rikki Masand
Sweet mother of god. Man, as good a magazine as Little India is, I was a bit surprised to see this amateurish rant in its pages. This kid is a blithering moron whose college degree should most definitely be rescinded. Try writing an unbiased article you numnut. I really don't care about cricket either way; I'm a college football and NFL guy strictly....but this is just retarded. I feel dumber for having read this article. Thanks a lot editor in charge at Little India. Can this fool.
Ajith
Contact Ajith
Tue Aug 14, 2007
Cricket monster
Cricket is swallowing other sports in India. It is a monster indeed. It is just pathetic that we are 1 billion strong and yet cannot perform at the Olympics. Look at other countries, our size and smaller. It is not that we do not have talent, rather that culturally we do not have the will or the inclination to sports. This has to change or future generations of Indians will be forced to take on the burden of shame. Jai Hind!
Sriram
Contact Sriram
Tue Aug 14, 2007
No ball!!
Buddy have a life! Everywhere else in world Football (Soccer for the uninitiated few in USA) rules the roost! Not baseball not Rugby not anything else! Baseball...???
Sunil
Contact Sunil
Tue Aug 14, 2007
Guess you are the
You said it (should I call you dude? so that you understand). Guess your article is proof enough that ABCD's exist. I was no fan of that term till I read this column of yours. I agree that you don't have to play for India to be the "patriot", but please explain the term "World Champions" when a bunch of Americans play within the country (Oops! I'm sorry I forgot that Canada forms the rest of the world). If your rant was only to the kids born here then I guess you are right since you guys would never understand the passion that cricket generates. It's like trying to explain colors to a blind man. Anyways hope you mature enough to become a true sport writer, with no bias toward a particular sport. I like to finish with a quote from an Aussie Rugby Player playing the International Rugby Sevens in San Diego when asked about what rugby was? He said "It was American Football for real men". Cheers !
shan
Contact shan
Tue Aug 14, 2007
Cricket
If you really know about cricket you will love it. What is baseball? It's inherited from cricket only. I think baseball is a useless game
Ashwin
Contact Ashwin
Sun Aug 12, 2007
Cricket monster
Indians are only good at Cricket and so the popularity. It is pathetic, just pathetic that we fare so poorly is sports in general. Anyone remember the Olympics? I'm sorry was that 1 billion strong and how many medals ....a shame indeed. Cricket is a noble sport, but it is taking away from other sports in India. Only when India promotes other sports can we stop this embarrassment. To not accept this is hypocrisy. But wait...being hypocritical is something we excel at.
Jigar
Contact Jigar
Mon Jul 30, 2007
Damn Cricket
Baseball is the stupidest game ever. Batters swat at balls like we 'Real Indians' swat at mosquitoes, only we are more successful with a 1.0 batting average almost every season (I mean monsoon). Basketball is such a game that can be reduced to a 1 minute duration because in 99% of the games, teams are at level score at 1 minute to go. Football (American), it is glorified Hand ball. The physical level needed for it compared to Rugby (have you heard of that sport dude?) is about 10%.
If you go outside Americas (which I don’t think you have), nobody gives a hoot about these games. Cricket is on a global level and at least 10 countries are playing it professionally. So just shut up and suck up to your American buddies, because that’s the only purpose in life for an ABCD.
Latha
Contact Latha
Wed Jul 25, 2007
Non-sensical!
I have to say that I think this is one of the least intelligent articles I have ever read. Does this writer feel that because Indians like cricket they cannot play other sports? How dumb is that? How many Chinese/Japanese/Italians/Polish, etc/ are in major league sports in the US? The national teams are dominated by Hispanics and African Americans. Why? Because as under privileged Americans they see it as a way up. I think this writer is one hell of a confused American Desi!
brown
Contact brown
Wed Jul 18, 2007
Shallow Article
Mr. Masand: The article you write here is so intellectually shallow that I don't know where to begin. If Indians from India want to play cricket I don't see why it is any of your problem. I think it is time you look inward and try to groom second generation Indians like yourself to be stalwarts.
Ashwin
Contact Ashwin
Sun Jul 15, 2007
Indian in NFL
Dude, You hit the nail on the head. It is downright embarrassing. But I did discover an Indian in the NFL. ...Brandon Chillar of St. Louis Rams! |
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