Cricket as a National Obsession is a Detriment to Other Sports

No game is superior or inferior to other. Each and every game has its own importance and specialty. In case of cricket, I feel it as a gentleman's game compared to other. Because each and every moment there is an excitement, every ball, every over is breathtaking, exciting. But in case of other games for example football excitement is limited whenever a player reaches the goalpost. Likewise, I feel cricket is a exciting game, good entertainment. It does not rule over other games, it is the attitude of the people that makes cricket to rule over other games.

In my point of view, cricket rules over the other games in India. Hockey is a national game but in India many of the people don't the name of hockey players or any other sports person but in cricket a 5 year old child can tell you the name of whole cricket team. I am not saying the cricket is a bad game but you should also respect all the sports and sports person. Even government can not took further steps for improving and leading the other sports.

Cricketers are much wealthier than any of the other sports man. Government should not humiliate the other sportsperson. They should provide the equal respect to other than cricketers.

Hello friends,

I think cricket is not a loss(detriment) to any other sport.

Cricket increased its reach only after 1995-96. That is because after that period players like Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Kumble played many brilliant innings to help India win against foreign teams on their home grounds. In fact India had defeated the Great Australian team, of 1999-2007, on most occasions.

So, as a citizen when we hear about a sport in which we get wins consistently, we feel proud and automatically follows that sport.

On the other hand, India had last won a gold in hockey in 1980, India last qualified for football world cup in 1950. After Mr. Milkha Singh and Mrs. PT Usha no other athlete has got enough success. Shooting, Boxing, Wrestling, Badminton, Archery became more popular only after 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. That is why these sports were not followed by many people before.

So, India have not been able to produce successes consistently in other sports so as to gain enough interests of people in that sport as compared to cricket.

But now things are changing. Many sports are getting noticed. More and more people are watching those sports including Kabaddi.

I don't think cricket is an obsession it's just that 90% of our countries population is crazy behind about this sport. India's love to cricket can be compared to Brazil's love to football, but inspite of variation in sport there's one thing that's in common that is both the countries are quite successful in their respective sports. In case of brazil where it has gone on to win 5 world cup titles India has won 2 world cup 1 T-20 world cup and has won the champions trophy 2 times as well. Who knew the game of cricket before 1983 world cup, India entered in the tournament as an underdog and eventually ended up being the winner of the tournament may be that win roped a seed of the game in the minds of people of India which is now flourishing as a big tree and due to the kind of success it has had maybe that's one reason why the fans love their game over here. Moreover it's not only India who has this impartial love for certain game, there are many countries out there like whole of the europe is crazy for the game of football.

But inspite Indian peoples deep involvement in the game there are various leagues for various other sports that are coming up and kind of response and appreciation all these leagues are getting that surely suggests me one thing that India is on its way to becoming a great sportsnation.

The people of India likes to play cricket more than hockey. Today in India 90% kids know the names of all Indian team cricketers but no one knows the hockey players. I am not saying that cricket is bad game but it is not that we not take attention in other games like hockey. My request is only that we all should also watch other games and hockey as it is our national game.

Hello all!

In my opinion, cricket cannot be declared as a national obsession. This year many of us were more excited about events in Brazil rather than India's tour of Bangladesh for cricket series. We were glued to our sofa sets enjoying the football world cup being televised though our team was not a part of it. This shows the love for the game and same goes for lawn tennis and other sports.

Hi,

In India when we talk about sports first thing which comes in our mind is cricket. Its definitely killing other sports, nobody is interested in sports other than cricket. You ask anyone (in India) in which sport he/she is interested in, the answer is Cricket. Other sports are also flourishing but not with that vigor that it needs. People involved in other sports can be counted on the fingers but people involved in Cricket are uncountable. There are some athletes who are barely able to make their ends meet because there is not enough recognition of that particular sport.

Cricket has been spread only in those countries which were earlier the colonies of the British. Rest of the countries have not even heard about this sport.

We have to admit the fact that people are gradually being attracted towards other sports and I think that day is not far when other sports will also be given the respect they deserve.

Cricket has become the opium of Indian people, and players. Cricket officials have become astute peddlers, too many matches with too little rest will ruin our players in the coming years. They will suffer from "burnt out syndrome" which is quite evident already in the recent series against South Africa and New Zealand. Now even the Bollywood Bandas have entered the arena to double their cash. Days of techniques, and toils are gone, all the roads now lead to the techniques of making money. Biggest jokers in IPL cricket are the coaches. What they teach? How not to play cricket? Too much cricket, and too many crooks will soon kill the duck which is laying the golden eggs. RIP INDIAN CRICKET.

The inventors of cricket certainly didn't want it to be this way, but yes, Cricket indeed has posed a threat to the betterment and longevity of other sports. There are various reasons for this to have happened. Firstly, I think we lack the courage to pick up something new and work on it and as our history suggests, we have always been good followers and not good leaders.

If there is one term that we are immensely familiar with would certainly be "jumping on the bandwagon". Secondly, it is our tendency to infatuate over certain individuals to the point like its crazy. Hate to bring this up, but the entire extravaganza of Sachin's farewell summed it up about the state of sports in our country. It was like everything was served on the plate for him. Home ground, the weakest opposition possible, crazy media hype. True that he will always be one of the best batsmen ever but no individual is bigger than the sport.

The same year, there was not a single individual present to greet the victorious Women's archery team that returned home after beating giants South Korea in the finals. The cricketers are not at fault, nor is any other sports person. It is us. Ironically, most of cricket's ardent followers in the subcontinent are those who have never played even a 30 over match at the University or even at the School level.

Cricket is one the very few games which has gone through so many changes over time that it has become clear now that there is not much patriotism left in it. It is nothing but a commercial gimmick. But then again, this would not have had happened if we had not fallen prey to it.

Hi,

I would like to say something about this topic. First of all we should respect all the various sports in the existence and no sport govern the other sport. But if we search the history of cricket in India, it was spread here by British empire first of all and this game is in only those countries where they ruled. Eg- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka, west indies, Australia, Newzeland and others. So this can be say that this game is symbol of our slavery. And in hockey India have won 8 golds in Olympic. We should improve our thinking in order to think about other games.