India has always been a cricket crazy nation. Nonetheless, its such a shame to see this land that once renowned world over for its brilliant intellectuals, ancient arts, history and literature, turn into one crammed with blithering idiots who sit tuned in to the idiot box waiting restlessly to see the results of the next ball bowled. Where's the sweat and blood that a sport should exude in the gentleman's game called cricket? One silly fool, clad with ball protectors and kneepads, stands hunched over a bat, in one spot waiting for the ball to arrive WITHIN HIS ARM SPAN for him to take a shot!!!! It takes such hard work and talent indeed to swing that one from his stationary position!
Imbecile viewers who sit motionless in front of the TV are no better than the promoters of this inane game. I agree with those who say "IPL is a waste of time and money, and a bane to society". Then again, people like me who have no interest in cricket should just ignore it. It is however, hard not to pay heed to the "in your face" ads, articles on the front page of every newspaper and even on each television channel. It's just thrown in your face everywhere you go. Whether it's for a party, a trip to the cinema, the park, at office – at every turn there's a discussion on the "Bangalore Royal Challengers" or "Kolkata Knight Riders", the Bollywood personalities that are supporting this form of cricket or something else related to Twenty20.
Needless to say, I must agree that Twenty20 as a new form of entertainment is a definite upgrade from 50 overs and test match cricket. Here's one credit to IPL for shortening the length of this boring game. At least now we can move on to better forms of amusement. I recently attended an IPL party – missed the big one with all the Bollywood starsL. The venue was done up really well and I applaud the party plannersJ. The crowd on the other hand sucked big time. Everyone is a "wanna be". It was really pathetic to see grown men grovel at the entrance, practically falling at the feet of the men standing guard to prevent the riff-raff from entering the venue. It's a wonder none of them got sucker punched that night. The party was overflowing with booze and food. Within an hour of being there, it was obvious that people had only one intention to be there - to enjoy as much free alcohol as they could. After a couple of drinks, how many people actually recall conversations they've had? Sure, it's a great networking arena – I hate to say it, but these lame people are not really the kind that I want to be associated with. They're too shallow to really be of any use in future. It's true that these people could come in handy for some things; I'd rather rely on my circle of trust for my needs.
IPL has contributed to the degradation of what sports should be. I realize I'm contradicting myself by acknowledging (above) that cricket is a sport. The focus is no longer on the game; instead, it's on the launch, the cheer leaders, the post-match parties and the celebrities who endorse the game or who're cheering the teams on. I sincerely hope that no other sport takes after IPL and ruins the very spirit of the game by laying the emphasis on body parts of non-players, instead of concentrating on talent and skill or brawn and brain of the sportsmen in action.
There's a lot of money being thrown in Twenty20 this season. It would be nice to see sponsors come forth to promote hockey (it is India's national game after all!!!) with as must enthusiasm. It's a disgrace to see the degradation of real sports where actual sweat and muscle, sportsmanship and valor were commended by onlookers.
This piece is as much against cricket as a sport as it is against IPL. As people evolve and the world at large progresses towards a more technologically advanced human race, entertainment and sports also progress. I stand by what I say that where cricket and entertainment are concerned, people have hardly evolved. They're just degrading themselves. It is not the strongest of the species that survives, or the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Adaptation is essential for survival, but there's a limit to which you can allow your brain power to stoop down to. People aren't adapting here, they're just chugging along blindly.
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