The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Unwarranted hype

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Friday, Sep 28, 2007
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Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Unwarranted hype

It was undoubtedly an amazing performance by the young Indian team under M.S. Dhoni which won the ICC’s inaugural World Twenty20 tournament. It deserves all praise, adulation, and accolades. The mammoth reception the players got on their arrival in Mumbai was a measure of the mass appeal the youngsters command. The media coverage of the six-hour crawl from the airport to the Wankhede Stadium was more than what even the Republic Day parade gets. But shouldn’t we be asking ourselves if we are not overdoing things a bit? When the BCCI and corporate coffers are brimming, was it necessary for various State governments to jump on the bandwagon and announce additional bounties? Don’t we have better and more deserving uses for the taxpayers’ money?

S.N. Krishnan,

Chennai

* * * No doubt, cricket is a very popular game. But the bonanza of gifts to which our cricketers are treated and the manner in which they are being pampered are uncalled for.

C. Selvamani,

Bangalore

* * *

We do not honour our engineers, scientists and doctors who contribute to the nation. But we shower our cricketers with lavish gifts. There are so many poor in our country who do not get even one good meal a day. This is not to say that we should not praise the players. But why such fuss and extravagance?

N. Ramani,

Chennai

* * *

It would appear that cricket is the only sport that deserves praise and money. No wonder with a population of more than a billion we are unable to win medals at the Olympics. Treating cricket as the only sport that matters is no way to attract talent in other sports.

B.M. Viswanathan,

Bangalore

* * *

The sops being doled out in the name of rewards are nothing short of vulgar. Whose money is it anyway? Do players from other sports not deserve such attention? It is such double standards that are the cause of India’s poor performance in international sporting events.

A. Sarat Chandra,

Hyderabad

* * *

The Twenty20 cricket extravaganza threw the country into a jubilant mood. The much venerated Sachin went into oblivion as he did not play. Dhoni and his team were transformed into heroes. The 25-km stretch from the airport to the Wankhede stadium was lined with passionate cricket fans. If the players were to lose some time in future, the same fans will turn against Dhoni and Sreesanth and pelt their homes with stones.

K.A. Solaman,

Alappuzha

* * *

The reaction of the masses to the result of a cricket match is funny and strange. If India wins, it is euphoria and if it loses, the players’ effigies are burnt.

S.S. Rajagopalan,

Chennai

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