John's World...Sports

Nehru Stadium, Kochi.  One of the loudest outdoor stadiums in the world according to Guiness.

While I plan on answering everyone’s questions they send me, this email caught my attention:

Hi John,

What is the sports scene like in India? Can you give more details on what sports they watch and how they support their team?

RR from Roslindale

Thank you RR from Roslindale.  I had planned on penning an entry on this very subject. 

One of the things that attracts me to sports to the degree that it does is that you can see the beauty, horror, simplicity, and complexity of life played out over game time.  Race, religion, class, politics, gender, you name the issue-it comes to the forefront in sports.  Triumph over odds through merit, the great vehicle of endeavor plays out over a test, a game, a period and gives us hope. 

Back in the states I am immersed in soccer, hockey, football, basketball and from time to time baseball.  I love watching, listening to commentary, acting as a Monday morning quarterback and analyzing the previous game. 

Being a sports fan in India is in some ways easy and in some ways hard. 

Several differences/similarities have struck me.

First.  Choice.  You basically have two.  Cricket, which is overwhelmingly the most popular sport, and soccer (football) is second.  After that, you have several sports that have very regional fan followings.  Field hockey (actually the national sport of India), volleyball, basketball (NBA is very big here), and kabaddi (7 aside tag, it actually has a professional league).  That said, there is no denying that cricket is king.

Virat Kohli-India's biggest sports star (India National Cricket team and Bangalore Royal Challengers)

Second.  Fans.  This nuance is hard to define.  Everyone in the country understands the principles of the various games.  No matter who you meet, they can explain in detail how a game is to be played.  In the States, I know a lot of people who don’t even make sports part of their stock knowledge.  I know people who go to games and couldn’t even name the positions on the field of play.  Here, everyone knows what a bowler does, what a duck is, and that a sticky wicket is actually something.  Another difference with Indian fans is that unless you are in the male, 18-25 bracket, you can’t really be bothered with sports.  You won’t find people like that 50 year old from Buffalo who paints his bare chest and goes to a Bills game in December.  Most sports fans will keep up to date through the internet or water cooler talk with the “one guy” who actually saw the game live or watched on TV.  Many people I’ve talked to have only sporadically attended games or watched on TV during their lifetime.   You would struggle to carry a long conversation about sports.  In fact, I’ve found many people will look to change the conversation after a few minutes (whether they want to or not).  I think they find fandom to be frivolous.  

kathi rolls-Indian Stadium food.

Third.  Sporting event production.  I am a total sucker for pre-game/in-game sizzle.  Ever since I was a kid and I would watch the Chicago Bulls player introduction to the song “Sirius” I would become swept up in the flow of the game.  In Bangalore and in Kochi we’ve been able to get to a couple of games early, grab some food, and take in the events.  I love the buzz that surrounds the game.  The trash talk and songs between rival fans, the greasy stadium food.  Whether you’re a fan of the team or not, you can feel a tension in your stomach.  When the whistle blows to start the game, you are transported to the drama being played out in front of you.  Those 18-25 year old men in the supporter block add to the action with the songs, jeers, and whistles at bad referee decisions.   Win, lose or draw you leave the stadium together.  You feel a kinship with your fellow fan.  Was this all intended?  Did the pregame song, cheerleaders or chicken kathi rolls lead me to this point?  Is marketing and game production the “invisible hand” that guides me?  

Fourth.  “Developing sports”.  A few years ago, Major League Soccer (MLS) celebrated its 25^th year of existence.  Very young compared to other countries that have clubs around 125 years old.  Watching MLS compared to other European leagues is a commitment.  The touches are bad, the pace is frenetic, and the fouls should carry with the red card a restraining order.  In the US, it’s OUR league though.  For me, that means something.  Of course I watch my Arsenal every weekend.  That’s my quality football (mostly).  I enjoy being an MLS fan though.  I have been on the ground floor of something that gets better every year.  I have the same here in India.  The Hero Indian Super League is only 5 years old.  The same quality (sometimes lack thereof) compared to the United States is there.  The passion is there.  The games are fun.  Every once-in-awhile you see something that takes you out of your seat.  No doubt that time, investment, and consistency will reap dividends for the ISL as it has for the MLS.

Fifth.  Coverage.  We have about 10 sports channels on our cable package.  7 of them run 24/7 cricket (both club and country).  As I mentioned earlier, cricket gets the most attention by far.  I would have to say that the NFL’s saturation in the United States is similar.  Mind you, most “tests” or matches take anywhere from 6 hours to 5 days to play.  In spite of test length, you will see some glued to every second of the action (usually your waiter at a restaurant where the game is on).  Two channels tend to run football or more cricket.  We get live Premier League, La Liga, and Bundesliga games on weekends but they are usually around midnight start times (yes I watch).  The final channel is some niche sport like kabaddi, volleyball, or badminton. 

What has surprised me most regarding sports?  WWE.  It’s huge here.  I was getting a shave at the barber the other day and the barber was watching Monday Night Raw highlights during my shave.  Most men I can overhear are talking about the latest storylines.  Even when I am sitting and listening to men talking in Tamil or Kannada, I hear “Cena” or “Orton” interspersed through the conversation.  

Thank you for the question “RR”.  I will again feature some questions with their own stand-alone blog entry.  Please keep sending me questions you may have to jneiswender@hotmail.com with the subject line “Fulbright”.