For the love of sports

First let's make things clear; I am not a sports enthusiast or a fan or anything. Except for playing badminton during the winter breaks and watching an India-Pakistan cricket match, it is more like 'who cares'.

But the last couple of weeks have been pretty disturbing for not only those who are glued to the television, not missing a single hockey or cricket match but also people like us who don't even know the difference between a yellow and a red card.

But the amount of money that is being talked about in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and cricket match fixing could feed the entire nation.
u00a0
It is all happening here and the thing is, that it is not just a few thousands but something around Rs 25,000 crore or more.

The numerical figures spent will leave any healthy person's head spinning - Rs 600 crore spent on building stadia, another Rs 600 crore or more for street scraping, Rs 900 crore for development of bus depots, Rs 3,000 crore for extension of the Metro Rail, Rs 18,000 crore for developing DTC bus services, Rs 3,000 crore on flyovers and bridges, Rs 2,500 crore for sports infrastructure, Rs 678 crore on training of teams,
Rs 182 crore given to MTNL, and the list just goes on.

That's the story of CWG and the pre-publicity it has gained before the much talked about game has even begun.

Last week came the match fixing scandal during the Pakistan-England test match. Yet again, some crores of rupees were being minted and talked about, as India India was being called the hub of betting in the cricket world.

I had always found Salman Butt this cute cricketer who looked innocent and could believe that he could be the ringleader of the corrupt team. Pick up any newspaper or watch any news channel, the match fixing is the hottest topic, gaining the highest Television Rating Points (TRPs).

Let us not forget hockey which is always in the middle of controversies be it the board or the players. The charges of sexual misconduct against the women's hockey team coach Maharaj Krishan Kaushik by a woman hockey player was on top of the charts for almost weeks.

But what is really at stake in all these controversies is the sentiments of millions of sports fans in India who worship sports, in one or the other form. It is a truly sad situation for all, but then one of my faculties at the journalism school, early on, had said, good or bad, publicity is always good for the game.

Debarati Palit is Senior Features Writer, MiD DAY, Pune

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels