Sad but familiar story of a young Indian Cricketer

[CoverDrive]

http://www.doorva.info/2010_03_01_archive.html

Selected to the state team for Athletics, Basketball, Handball. Represented state and south zone in cricket. Played first class cricket against South Africa, England and Sri Lanka. Received offers to turn professional from both Indian Railways and Air India (which is almost a step into the Indian team). Even though I would have definitely made it to the Indian team as the opening bowler (who could whack the ball out of the park) at 19, why did I, never, not once, consider sports as a career? Because I did not have it in me. Did not have it in me to struggle. DId not have it in me to live a mediocre life. I saw the most successful women cricketers around me, success came by way of recognition - by a few, came by way of national awards - a handful, came by way of money - a job at Air India. We toiled in the field, hours of practice, at camps - state run camps which were funded, which were supposed to give us breakfast, snacks, milk. Well intentioned, only that the rations ended up in someone's pockets rather than the exhausted, hungry girls' stomachs. Planning, or lack of it. Intentions - ours to play, come what may; the managers'- to make money at whatever cost. Always ensured that most times we were traveling in the unreserved compartments. And this for sports girls representing the state. Traveling in filth for as long as 2-3 days with no sleep and then staying at hostel rooms. 15 girls, 2 managers, one room, mattresses, one loo - which came already unusable. Playing a match the very next day. That took some character. We had it. All of us. The game, playing the game, put us in a different orbit, no one remembered where they had slept, bathed, eaten (or not) when we were in the field. Nostalgia done, what is the point of this note? We have watched numerous shows on television, read opinion spewed in various articles, blogs, editorials saying the same thing, Indians are not natural sports people. We do not have the genes. The opinion also veers towards talking about lack of sporting infrastructure. The opinion also hints that we don't spend enough. All wrong. We say this because we lose. We lose in almost every sport we play. Almost, as cricket sometimes throws up surprises and chess is not a sport. We have sportspeople, good ones. Ones that we can be proud of. We have infrastructure that is not world class but still capable of training these athletes. We also have funds, which if utilized, can give us the necessary fillip. What we do not have is management and accountability. While it may be argued that corruption has seeped into every aspect of our life in Our Country, this corruption in sports actually kills. It kills the spirit of the sportsperson. Most of whom (with the notable omission of male cricketers who have 'Arrived') get nothing in return for the passion and commitment they have towards the sports they play. A sportsman's passion is raw, it comes from the most basic of human instincts, this is what gives us the winning (killer?) instinct. And our sportspeople have blunted winning instincts, weathered by the hardships, weathered by the 'babus', corroded with corruption. How can we win without passion? Without spirit? And more importantly without future? I have cliched answers. Solutions we are all well aware of. For now, I only change the channel. Australia beat India 5-2 in World Cup hockey.

Another commonplace story but something we see all the time She is now an extremely successful professional in marketing after studying in the Best Management School in India She would have been a professional sportswomen in a developed country

[AmreekanDesi]

http://www.doorva.info/2010_03_01_archive.html Another commonplace story but something we see all the time She is now an extremely successful professional in marketing after studying in the Best Management School in India She would have been a professional sportswomen in a developed country

I look at it differently. As a country are we more in need of athletes or industry professionals? The answer is the latter. So the country derives the maximum utility out of her as a professional than a sportswoman

[kosingh]

The average female athlete even in developed countries doesn't necessarily make big bucks in all sports. I worked in a consulting firm in New York a few years ago. One of my colleagues played in the Women's NBA before she quit that to pursue a "normal" corporate career. She earned about 38k dollars in the WNBA- much less than she made as a first year consultant. And she was one of the regular players on her basketball team.