Television afficiandos have had plenty of exciting sport to keep them occupied these past months. First the IPL played in South Africa showcasing that country's willingness and ability to host world class events at short notice and without fear of terrorism or other disruption. The lustily cheering Asian, African and Caucasian crowds. cheerleaders with their fancy footwork and teams of mixed nationalities competing with carmaderie presented the spectacle of a nation having overcome its racist past.
The T20 world cups for men and women were even better diplomatic and economic successes. The women's teams in the finals were England and New Zealand which made for far better ticket sales than having an Asian country in the top spot. Despite the great leaps women have made in the political arena in the Asian subcontinent, women's team sports are largely lacklustre affairs, garnering little media attention and audience reaction.
The men's finals could not have been better orchestrated for maximum crowd fervour and revenue generation for all the sponsoring partners. Pakistan and Sri Lanka pitted against each other on a Sunday evening was a bonanza for the couch potatoes of the world and those who were present in person at the venue of this awe inspiring, and world changing event. Instability, terror attacks, refugees fleeing their homes in desperation all took a back seat as the world watched Afridi, Razzaq, Mendis, Muralirathan etc vie for the honor and glory of their country and a diamond studded trophy which would declare them world champions for a year.
Three cheers for CRICKET - the gentleman's sport exported from the British isles to their colonies and reinvented by the enterprising colonials as a revenue generating model par excellence.
No comments:
Post a Comment