Sport vs Sportsmanship

It was a very crucial Friday.My friends were in a state of mental turmoil.One was finishing off all his work so he could leave as soon as the clock struck 5.The other was busy trying to convince a relentless team lead that he was unwell (even though he was spotted chatting merrily during the tea break).The third was just praying hard,face contorted in apparent devotion to a long-forgotten God.This Friday was different;it was the Friday of the infamous,the controversial,the much awaited--India-Pakistan match.
Don't get me wrong.Contrary to what one might think,I am not anti-cricket.I am just a very prejudiced Indian fan-I only watch the matches India plays,and that too if time permits.It was almost blasphemous when I offhandedly asked my friend "Which match?".He looked at me as though I had asked him who the Prime Minister was!Okay so I knew about the Ukraine crisis,but apparently that was unimportant in the face of the (then upcoming) India-Pakistan match.
I have sincerely,failed to understand all the fuss about an India-Pakistan match I find it rather puzzling when people who barely even watch cricket,zealously tune into an India Pak match and yell curses at the television when the team loses a wicket or misfields. If.If it were a match with another opponent,the same people would yawningly check the score over their phones,and tune in only if the match came to a nail biting finish.
I seem to be an anomaly here.My reaction remains the same every time India loses - be it either to Australia or to Pakistan or any other team-it's just a game.
But India-Pakistan is war.It's as though our mercurial bilateral relations are represented by each match,where a win supposedly symbolizes our dominance and a loss (God forbid!) symbolizes their's!
It is this unnecessary hype that brings in preconceived ideas in people's heads.Why do people animatedly cheer for India and jeer for Pakistan? Supporting a team is good,but must we boo the opposition? Why must we degrade to this level? Isn't sportsmanship the quality of accepting one's loss gracefully and appreciating the opposition? Why then do we follow the sport and blatantly ignore the sportsmanship? 
Well,India won today's match and there are people bursting crackers outside and celebrating.All I hope is that they are celebrating our win and not Pakistan's loss (yes,they are two different things).At the end,it's just a game.And as the saying goes,may the best team win!

Comments

  1. It ain't just a game! That's what separates a true fan and a cricket watcher/ enthusiast! :P
    Please watch this movie called Fever Pitch! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure..will watch it :-)
      Thanks for ur comments and for reading :-)!

      Delete
    2. Sure..will watch it :-)
      Thanks for ur comments and for reading :-)!

      Delete

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