http://desicritics.org/ Superior South Asian bloggers on Culture, Media, Politics, Sport, Business, and Technology. en Copyright 2006 by the authors Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:17:15 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss BC custom software http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339228 Kartik Please donot include me with you :-). I almost ruined my life with my love for PLAYING sports. It is only a miracle (as ALL my teachers, neighbours, friends would say) that I actually went on to pick two degrees (probably also a reflection of how screwed up our education system is :-). I think people are very interested in the processes as much as medals. I recall in the 80s and 90s when there was a world beyond Cricket, Golf, Tennis and Football that reams of paper were spent on the processes to win a medal. I also recall resources being invested, particularly in coaching in the 90s. So it is not that our society is crazy about winning medals and not bothered about the processes. However, I cannot say the same about our media. 339228@desicritics.org Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:17:15 EDT http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339227 Yeah there is a huge difference between you and me on the one hand and a top athlete on the other. "Loving sport" - as a means of entertainment is one thing, because obsessed by it to the exclusion of everything else is another. Tendulkar played 11 hours of cricket a day during summer when he was in school. He once played matches for 50 straight days in summer..... thats not mere love of Cricket. In my view this obsession is significant, it goes beyond the average individual's "love" of sport. And it is much more fundamental than Olympics or Test Cricket or anything else. Armstrong was first obsessed with Cycling - the Tour de France was the pinnacle of his ambition, but im pretty sure every road racing cyclist in Europe dreams of that. What i think is insane is this obsession with Olympic Gold Medals by people who show absolutely no interest in any of the actual sports in which these medals are awarded. Do we want to have a fine track and field program in India where we have an arena for lots and lots of athletes all over the country to compete? No... all that is details... every four years, all we are obsessed with is "medal hopes". Creating myths about our top athlete of being so sort of lone ranger heroic figure... doesn't help at all. 339227@desicritics.org Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:06:40 EDT http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339225 Karthik There is no dispute over passion at all. I can completely empathise with all sports people. I personally loved sports (7 events) so much I would spend hours and hours (even before board exam days) to whack a ball. Playing cricket or Football was more important than board exams (at least at that time). I think there is a huge difference between a guy like Bindra and me. Both of us love sports, the difference is that this guy strove for excellence and as he confesses, surely targetted the Olympics. However like all of us, as we reach the top, we wonder, so what? Again, this feeling is not unique to him. It happens with all of us all the time. We want something all the time and when we get it, we wonder what the big deal is. I also think both Lance and Phelps considered winning the TDF/Olympics gold as a very important goal. I would advise you to read Lance's interviews in the early 90s when had not won a single TDF. 339225@desicritics.org Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:50:39 EDT http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339220 I'd read the whole answer to that first question... This is the telling point in my view: ***You come from an affluent family, yet you spent days after day, year after year in this pursuit of a recluse. What was the motivation? ***It's just the passion. This sport is very challenging. I'll figure it out some day; have not figured it out yet. There is a new challenge everyday. It's a very addictive sport. When you shoot a really good shot, it feels so very good and you want to do it again and again, over and over again. Competitions like the Olympics or the World Championships are places where athletes announce their skills and talents and prove to themselves that they are the the best if they win. All this rubbish about "proving to the world" is the wrong way to look at it in my view. All that is the bollywoodesque myth. What i take away from an event like the Olympics and the astonishing sporting skill on show there is the absolute obsession that these individuals must have with their sport. Michael Phelps averaged 75 Kms a week in training in preperation for these Olympics. I know someone who trains 2 Kms a day, once day and i know how good she is as a competitive swimmer. You can't do that merely because you want to be Olympic Champion. There has to be something more fundamental between you and the sport that you pursue. 339220@desicritics.org Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:39:58 EDT http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339173 Well, I agree with the rewards part. It is really a joke. May be they should have done this before the individual became a champion so that the individual would have the resources for better facilities. I am not sure about your interpretation in the first part of your post. "he basically underlined the fact that the Olympic medal was just one moment in his life" I think that is a realisation with most aspects of life. But he also said this "I worked for an Olympics medal for 12 years and now I have got it. It's basically like you climb a mountain and you have reached the top and you find that there's nothing there" This is not like your friends who are travelling to play cricket for the fun of it. This guy was focussed on achieving something and that something was not holding the world record (which may also mean the best) but winning an olympic medal (which sometimes may not mean the best). There is no harm in desiring to win an event that is often considered the pinnacle of sports. 339173@desicritics.org Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:52:15 EDT http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339170 ""B..A..N..G on target.i had hoped for someone to write such"' Try banging on the "publish" button/icon only once next time... 339170@desicritics.org Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:08:40 EDT http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339143 B..A..N..G on target.i had hoped for someone to write such an article.Clearly the others dont play to loose either.Its just that a landmark catches our attention most(a 99 in cricket is extremely lesser than a 100 in cricket)the most.Bindra's interviews pretty much prove his sttitude.Its good to see someone answer so frankly without giving in to sensationalism.The media expects him to give poetic answers but has done well in keeping his cool.But the worst part has been from the media and (sorry to say bindra's father). 339143@desicritics.org Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:14:32 EDT http://desicritics.org/2008/08/14/004112.php#comment-339142 This article makes some very valid points. It is a shame when people cling on to what is the latest buzz. "My world-tour was excellent and very well received. However nothing can surpass Abhinav's achievement; and how India is rejoicing." - Amitabh Bachchan Notice how he tries to spotlight himself through Abhinav!!! 339142@desicritics.org Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:42:34 EDT