The Hindu : Sport : Keep exaggeration at bay

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 09, 2006

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Sport - Sports : General

Keep exaggeration at bay

Fledging careers are blithely proclaimed as masterpieces and grand men dismissed as novices, writes Rohit Brijnath

— Photo: S. Subramanium

VACILLATING VIEWPOINTS: The Indian sporting public can be very fickle when assessing top sportspersons like Sachin Tendulkar.

Sometimes you wonder whether Sachin Tendulkar listens to what India says about him as he fluctuates between being mocked as Endulkar and hailed as Tondulkar, a substantial talent glibly dismembered one day and resurrected the next. But then, such are the times of unreasonable overreaction we exist in.

In the often dazzling hysteria of Indian sport, one that has stalked Sourav Ganguly in recent times, balance has become the primary casualty. Fledging careers are blithely proclaimed as masterpieces and grand men dismissed as novices. Overstatement flourishes and hype is in danger of becoming a sporting anthem.

Not an Indian trend alone

Not that this is a wholly Indian affliction. In Australia, Michael Hussey, albeit in superb form, has his average being proclaimed as Bradmanesque, so what if he has never played a Test beyond his shores. A similar embellishment was once heaped on Michael Clarke and he is not even in the team now. But then, in a PlayStation universe of amputated attention spans, what was said yesterday is irrelevant today.

Proportion annoys us, exaggeration is far more seductive. Michael Ferreira received his Padma Shri after winning World championships. Prakash Padukone after victory in the All England Championships. Sania Mirza after one year on tour and not even a quarterfinal in a Grand Slam tournament! Not a squeak of indignation is to be heard.

A dilution

A prestigious recognition for what should be a lifetime's work has been carelessly diluted. Is this Mirza's fault? Absolutely not. She is a determined, driven, gifted player who, at 19, presumably keeps all this in perspective while all around her are losing theirs.

No more are lives being allowed to unfold or slowly relished, and careers take their own unpredictable course, for that is the drama of life. Who knows where Mirza, for instance, will be in 10 years, but her destination, greatness, has already been marked out. Now she must reach it or pay the price.

It is hard to begrudge a non-cricketing athlete especially, whether it be Narain Karthikeyan or Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, being afforded publicity, but there is a propensity to confuse popularity with performance.

Ferreira notes an Indian craving for ``fastening our dreams onto a person", and perhaps we overstate accomplishments to make us feel better about ourselves. Padukone sees India as less successful in sport than other nations and thus ``smaller achievements are highlighted" and ``any victory will do".

Doing a disservice

But athletes are being done a disservice. Exaggeration makes some feel a sense of entitlement, as if this deification is their due, distracting them from the reality that their deeds are the only measure that matters. Honest greatness is a long distance run, a life of narrow focus and piety, it is Gavaskar in all his cool, consistent enormity.

Comparisons are fun, but they can morph into a burden. Dhoni does not have to be Gilchrist, Pathan does need to be Akram. These young men may outstrip their heroes, they may not, but such oversized labels do more than interrupt a real appreciation of them, an enjoyment of the men they are and the process they undergo, they bring with them an unwitting burden.

Fereira worries, he says, ``when greatness is thrust on someone", and explains that you need a ``mature mind to take the load". Mirza, for instance, appears to own such strength of character, but as athletes get younger, and mentors are few, the danger is heightened. Padukone sees the hype as adding pressure, and knows many don't handle it well; forget greatness it obstructs some from reaching their potential.

So let's dial it down, let's take a breath. Sure, Tendulkar is not immune to criticism, sure Mirza is worthy of praise. But both require them in proportion. Else we are doing them an injustice.

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