Fixing a competition is cheating, therefore illegal. Whether in cricket, football or any other game it is a punishable act. However what makes betting illegal is beyond this blogger. Punting is free will of an individual. If punting can be allowed in games like horse racing what makes cricket so special? Also what makes cricketers super patriots unlike say players of kabaddi or jockeys?. The issue of ‘fixing’ is precisely this. Surely the elite are following the instructions given by their erstwhile masters. So horse racing becomes “… a game of mere skill within the meaning of section 49 of the madras city police act and section of gambling act..(Supreme Court 1996)”. So one can bet in racing not in cricket. Therefore horse racing is about money making and cricket is about patriotism!!. Quite a strange logic. Britishers wanted it that way so the slaves followed it. And unlike Indians, Britishers also considered themselves as gentlemen (quite difficult to digest by common people but elite I am told have better idea than mortals), so the games they preferred also came to be ‘gentlemen’s game’ unlike kabaddi or other local games. Gentlemen surely, they spit, they curse, they abuse, they cheat, they fool (one even graduated as a poacher, now hiding under political clout). When exploiters were gentlemen then we know where the elite get their values from. One would be enlightened about Indian society if one goes on to find what makes a cricketers and which section of society predominates, also what makes Indian cricketers so very incompetent (except some rare exceptions). Many hang around in the team because of ‘reputation’ (typically Indian); ‘market value’ though will be a better term.
In recent times there has been an attempt to ‘represent India’ among elite circle, this an attempt to usurp the gains coming in India’s direction because of the huge consumer base. The foreigners are looking for identifiable figures to associate and also reward, as recognizing India. The stampede in elite circle is understandable. The reason why all kind of dubious people are now ‘representing India’. Some in elite also try to sell on the bogey of India’s tradition on ‘tolerance’ (the reality would be much revealing) and ‘secularism’. They try to classify people to justify their reasoning (most appropriately their own reason d’entre). Many in sports (like cricket) are seen as representing even religion this suit elite section perfectly to harp on how divergent our culture is to the Europeans and so try to consolidate their positions in these circles as ‘representing India’. What is common place for us becomes celebration for them.
There is a joke doing the round in commentators box during the cricket match that cricket is game of ‘uncertainties’. Pray which game is about certainties?!!. The way they create hype around the game (conceding that it is probably the only game where even the pitch ‘behaves’. Sensitive gentlemen and sensitive indexes). Ultimately this is a game which is played not by most countries (some 10 odd countries, with a huge population having nothing much to do and almost a similar set of elite and their devious ways). But in a nation of a billion even an average performance by the team is main news if not ‘breaking’. Mediocre media and its priorities, competition of TRP.
All games should be open for betting, it’s an individual’s choice. What is the logic that only market can gain from this game? Why cannot common people also make money from the game?. What is so ethical about sportsperson selling products??. What kind of system is this and who these credibility?? Why parameters change when it is about common people, people who want to bet on the game. Also even though a Sri Lankan player (say Jayasuriya or Murlidharan) or West Indian player (Lara and so on) are infinitely better than many ‘Indian players’ they can never dream of making as much money- the reason is very much because of population, surely not competence.
The ‘match betting’ in cricket and the media paranoia is where the absurd meets ridiculous. Funny though all the frenzy, for concerned people these circus can be disturbing. Media can carry on their petty money making manipulations, most people don’t have much expectations from these self appointed guardians. Our concern is misuse of state machinery. Police force of the State is not meant for enforcing club rules. I am sure the police forces in states have better things to do than checking ‘code of conduct’ compliance of club members. What a shame. They can only investigate in case of criminal complaint. The enthusiasm shown by DGP of Maharashtra is misplaced. I am sure our man has more significant law and order situations to handle (god forbid no bomb blasts happen but in case any such incidents occur in future this fellow should be held responsible for dereliction of duty). This blogger questions the Home Ministry of the Nation (and the states) as to how the government officials are allowed direct access to TV channels (collectively referred to as Media). Isn’t it violation of service clause? As a rule government officials shouldn’t be voicing their views to channels (they are not being paid by the government to feed sound bytes to mediocre media). The government officials or anyone representing government are supposed to give information through press conference or press release.
In recent times there has been an attempt to ‘represent India’ among elite circle, this an attempt to usurp the gains coming in India’s direction because of the huge consumer base. The foreigners are looking for identifiable figures to associate and also reward, as recognizing India. The stampede in elite circle is understandable. The reason why all kind of dubious people are now ‘representing India’. Some in elite also try to sell on the bogey of India’s tradition on ‘tolerance’ (the reality would be much revealing) and ‘secularism’. They try to classify people to justify their reasoning (most appropriately their own reason d’entre). Many in sports (like cricket) are seen as representing even religion this suit elite section perfectly to harp on how divergent our culture is to the Europeans and so try to consolidate their positions in these circles as ‘representing India’. What is common place for us becomes celebration for them.
There is a joke doing the round in commentators box during the cricket match that cricket is game of ‘uncertainties’. Pray which game is about certainties?!!. The way they create hype around the game (conceding that it is probably the only game where even the pitch ‘behaves’. Sensitive gentlemen and sensitive indexes). Ultimately this is a game which is played not by most countries (some 10 odd countries, with a huge population having nothing much to do and almost a similar set of elite and their devious ways). But in a nation of a billion even an average performance by the team is main news if not ‘breaking’. Mediocre media and its priorities, competition of TRP.
All games should be open for betting, it’s an individual’s choice. What is the logic that only market can gain from this game? Why cannot common people also make money from the game?. What is so ethical about sportsperson selling products??. What kind of system is this and who these credibility?? Why parameters change when it is about common people, people who want to bet on the game. Also even though a Sri Lankan player (say Jayasuriya or Murlidharan) or West Indian player (Lara and so on) are infinitely better than many ‘Indian players’ they can never dream of making as much money- the reason is very much because of population, surely not competence.
The ‘match betting’ in cricket and the media paranoia is where the absurd meets ridiculous. Funny though all the frenzy, for concerned people these circus can be disturbing. Media can carry on their petty money making manipulations, most people don’t have much expectations from these self appointed guardians. Our concern is misuse of state machinery. Police force of the State is not meant for enforcing club rules. I am sure the police forces in states have better things to do than checking ‘code of conduct’ compliance of club members. What a shame. They can only investigate in case of criminal complaint. The enthusiasm shown by DGP of Maharashtra is misplaced. I am sure our man has more significant law and order situations to handle (god forbid no bomb blasts happen but in case any such incidents occur in future this fellow should be held responsible for dereliction of duty). This blogger questions the Home Ministry of the Nation (and the states) as to how the government officials are allowed direct access to TV channels (collectively referred to as Media). Isn’t it violation of service clause? As a rule government officials shouldn’t be voicing their views to channels (they are not being paid by the government to feed sound bytes to mediocre media). The government officials or anyone representing government are supposed to give information through press conference or press release.
I do like to end this article on a positive note congratulating the government on the action taken to enforce private channels to share the direct telecast in Doordarshan. Marketers shouldn’t be allowed to fatten themselves in the name of the country and its people (7minute delay by private channel is audacious, if need be a parliament act can be passed on these matters). Like this blogger most Indians welcomes these moves by the government. People elect the government to be responsible to their needs and aspirations and not hobnobbing with profit mongers. Nothing wrong in shubh labh though, just that gotta follow the rules dude, meaning less profit!!.
