IPL: Let the games begin
Mar 17 2008 | Views 1070 |
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[ This op-ed piece was published on March 17, 2008 in The Mint business newspaper and in its online edition at http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/17003912/Local-game-big-passions.html ]
A hiker sees a despondent man about to commit suicide by jumping off a mountain cliff. The hiker, eager to save the life of a fellow human, asks him, “Why are you ending your life? Where are you from?” The man replies, “The village of Vandzene in Latvia!” The hiker says, “Can you believe it…I am from there too! What faith are you?” The man replies, “Christian!” The hiker says, “Me too! What denomination?” The man replies, “Lutheran!” The hiker exclaims, “Gosh, me too. Orthodox or reformist?” “Reformist!” The hiker, astonished, “Me too! Pre-1400 reformist or Post-1400 reformist?” The man, with thoughts of ending his life receding having found a kindred soul, says with a smile, “Pre-1400 reformist!” The hiker, a Post-1400 reformist, with a vicious look on his face, screams, “You heretic, infidel…you deserve to die!” and pushes him off the cliff.
A hiker sees a despondent man about to commit suicide by jumping off a mountain cliff. The hiker, eager to save the life of a fellow human, asks him, “Why are you ending your life? Where are you from?” The man replies, “The village of Vandzene in Latvia!” The hiker says, “Can you believe it…I am from there too! What faith are you?” The man replies, “Christian!” The hiker says, “Me too! What denomination?” The man replies, “Lutheran!” The hiker exclaims, “Gosh, me too. Orthodox or reformist?” “Reformist!” The hiker, astonished, “Me too! Pre-1400 reformist or Post-1400 reformist?” The man, with thoughts of ending his life receding having found a kindred soul, says with a smile, “Pre-1400 reformist!” The hiker, a Post-1400 reformist, with a vicious look on his face, screams, “You heretic, infidel…you deserve to die!” and pushes him off the cliff.
You will figure why this joke is pertinent as you read along. But first, let’s talk IPL. When IPL franchisees open their counters to sell tickets, I suggest you line up to buy a season pass or two. It will be an experience like nothing else. Let me tell you why!
International cricket, played in soporofic 5-day format and slightly better 1-day format, has been losing audience the world over. Most matches between countries today are played to empty stadiums and yawning crowds. But professional and college football in US and EPL soccer in Europe attract hundreds of millions of raucous, rabid fans every weekend.
What gives? Why such astonishing apathy when the best cricketers are in display…and why such amazing excitement when two local teams are battling?
There are two reasons: One, it is not love that sells sports tickets, it is hatred; two, the more localized a team is, the more hatred for the opponents.
We love watching India play Pakistan because Pakistan is our political enemy. We delight in thrashing Pak. Next is Australia because we hate their guts and are in a state of denial about their supremacy in the sport. The vim and animation take a steep fall when India is playing, say, Zimbabwe.
Like politics, sports is local. People identify first with their city and then with their country. Mumbai folks wax euphoric about being a Mumbaikar. So on. IPL got the format right. Largely the local business dons and celebrities own local teams and the teams will feature local players. The identity and branding would be anchored around the city. The more localized, the more the passion for the city team and the more hatred for other cities..and a bigger audience.
IPL Twenty20 will create a new, fantastic and enormously lucrative chapter in cricket. Millions of SMSs will fly among friends, each rooting for their own team and the media will lap up and play up the rivalries. IPL will, more than anything else before, create a wonderful city spirit. By 2015, international cricket, test and one-day formats will fade into oblivion. Because, despite the moaning and hand-wringing of purists, cricket, like any other sport, has to entertain and enrich, or it will atrophy.
There will soon come a time when all party and office conversations will revolve around the local team and their exploits. Then everybody, moms and wives included, will follow the local team and be a part of the hype, hoopla and hysteria.
Since I am originally from Andhra, my affections are with Hyderabad. Gults are long on skill and less on hype; men of fire and chilled steel. A team that will go down in legend and song. When IPL starts, the only question is not whether Hyderabad will win against the other tin-pot teams…but by how much.
Let the games begin.
Satya Prabhakar is CEO of Sulekha.com and blogs at http://satya.sulekha.com
Satya Prabhakar is CEO of Sulekha.com and blogs at http://satya.sulekha.com
© Satya Prabhakar., all rights reserved.
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