Proloy Bagchi
Whither sports and sportsmen spirit? The FIFA World Cup is over but it underscored a mean and vicious side of sports today: undue aggressiveness to win it all. This violent ugly was underscored during the Brazil-Colombia football match which turned into a slugfest with Colombian Zuniga’s downing Brazilian football’s superstar Neymar, thereby breaking the latter’s vertebra and taking away a bit of the sheen from the “Beautiful Game”.
Undeniably, hostility of this kind does not quite mix with sports, be it football or any other sport. Shockingly, the Brazil-Colombia game was particularly rough with as many as 54 fouls whistled down, of these 31 were committed by the Brazilians. Indeed, if this is considered as beautiful, one wouldn’t want to fathom what beautiful is!
Certainly, fouls are committed unintentionally but, as one noticed; players were either being pulled away or deliberately downed to prevent them from carrying on with the game. And this happened not once or twice but umpteen numbers of times in various games I watched.
Clearly, to me, this did not appear like sport. After all, one plays a game for not only pleasure but also to extend pleasure to spectators. It is neither a matter of life and death nor is it a matter of national prestige. Then why go and do something like breaking somebody’s back — literally?
True, football, hockey, rugby, ice hockey et al which are known as “contact sports”, whereby, players of two teams need to have physical contact with each other. In rugby and ice hockey sportsmen even wear protective gear to ward off injuries given that retrieving the ball from the opposition and scoring goals is the primary objective. In the process players have to tackle the opposing side wherein in doing so they could hurt each other. True, that would be incidental to the game.
However, what we saw in the World Cup matches was deliberate contacts with an opposition player only to deprive him possession of the ball or keep him away from it. In this byplay everything seemed to be fair including bringing his opponent down, stepping on him with nailed boots or, for that matter, kneeing him on the back.
Questionably, in my opinion, if one thinks of preventing the opposition from playing ball, why play the game at all? But then, even sports have become highly competitive with a lot of money thrown in and of course, prestige. Bringing things to such a pass that it is virtually a soft kind of war, highly hyped up.
I suppose, that is why some of the ‘no-contact sports’ like cricket and tennis have been described as “Gentlemen’s Game”. Cricket used to be and continues to be gentlemanly.
One sees these traits especially in test matches. When a batsman or bowler attains a milestone he is congratulated by players of the opposing side, or if a bowler takes more than five wickets in an innings play he, instead of the captain, is made to lead the team back to the pavilion. Moreover, there are hardly ever any protests against an umpire’s decision.
Besides, there are many such healthy, gentlemanly conventions which are observed even today highlighting the spirit of sportsmanship. Sadly, however, aberrations are creeping in and healthy traditions are gradually yielding place to aggression. Especially in the limited-overs matches.
Expressions of extreme exuberance verging on being aggressive and intimidating after capturing a wicket have been noticed in numerous limited-overs international games. An example: Showing the way of the pavilion haughtily to a batsman after taking his wicket, a show of brazen immodesty, is surely not gentlemanly.
Pertinently, during the Indian Premier League (IPL) limited over cricket matches, I noticed on any number of occasions bowlers aiming the ball in “death” overs close to the line which indicates a “wide” on the Leg Side far away from the batsman. But on the Off Side such a ball would not be a called a “wide”. There must be some reason behind this wacky rule but that is how it is.
Obviously, the bowlers’ intention is to keep the ball as far away from the batsman as possible so that it is beyond the latter’s reach. This practice is adopted more in matches that progress towards a close finish. If the bowler’s intention is not to allow the batsman to even touch the ball, leave alone score runs off it, then I ask the same question again: Why play the game at all? True, the bowlers could claim to be bowling within the rules but not the spirit of the game.
Alas, aggression is on occasions seen even in tennis which too is deemed as a gentlemen’s game. One can often witness assertive exuberance in players after winning a crucial game or a set. This wasn’t so earlier. Although, with the onset of “boom-boom” serve and volley game, tennis seems to have lost that softness of yore. But, then today the game is played with intense passion after years of preparation of the mind, body and huge investments given there is a lot of money appended to professional tennis.
The game has produced numerous millionaires. And, yet I find seven-time Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer not quite gelling with the crowd. He is different. A legendary tennis player, having been conferred with numerous awards, even off the tennis courts, for qualities of head and heart. Add to this, his equanimity after a win is admirable.
The tennis maestro’s exuberance after hitting a winning volley and scoring a point is always subdued, never jarring or strident. Even post a victory his elation and exultations are mostly to acknowledge spectators cheers and appreciation. Perhaps, Federer internalises his wins allowing it to seep within. Clearly, this is how a sportsman should conduct himself. But, that would be idealistic in today’s day and age wherein all kinds assemble in a sporting arena contributing to the rough and tumble of competitive sports. And that possibly makes things more interesting in the present world! INFA
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