Chak De - Go chase your sporting dreams again!

Being a sports fan who also loves movies, it doesn’t take a lot to guess my favourite genre. Unfortunately, sport has not been a very popular theme with Indian movie-makers. Actually thank god for it. Coz’ most bollywood sports movies have made me wince (so fewer movies have meant less torture).The regular formula has been to replace the standard climax action shot with one where the hero is making mince-meat of the opposition players. And the sports scenes could have been shot better by a blind man. The batting shots of Aditya Pancholi, Kumar Gaurav and Aamir Khan in the movie Awwal No. should be used to interrogate cricket loving criminals in jail. There has been the occasional decent one – the likes of Hip Hip Hooray, Lagaan, Iqbal and Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander. But none of them has been a great sports movie.

This might sound preposterous but most of them are not even a true sports movie. They are more about fighting for a cause where the sporting activity was a means to the end objective. There is scope to replace the sporting activity with something else and the movie would be just as good. Iqbal comes closest to being a sports movie but don’t stir up enough sporting passion. Watching it, I don’t feel like getting up and bowling. The script also leaves a lot to be desired and the sporting scenes are no great shakes.

Luckily for me and thanks to liberalization, Hollywood comes to the rescue. They have given me a whole bunch of absolutely great movies. Ones, which have evoked the same emotions that made me a diehard sports fan in the first place. Movies like Bull Durham, Glory Road, Hoosiers, Brian’s Song, Rudy or Chariots of Fire aren’t about winning the game; rather they are about the victory of the sport itself. These great sports movie either make a player or a fan out of you. They have given me great joy and I have watched most of them multiple times over. However, I have still longed for an Indian sports movie of the same class.

Reason being – these Hollywood movies have been about sports and sporting environments I don’t identify with. I have taught myself to understand American football and baseball but there’s no way I can learn to feel them. There’s no way I can feel the madness of college football (which by the way is far more popular than the professional league). I will never have enough appreciation for the socio-cultural impact of sports in American history and I don’t understand the psyche of a nation which takes first place for granted.

Finally, the wait is over. Today we have ‘Chak De’ – a movie which finally makes the leap.

This movie is about India and a truly Indian sport. The situation is Indian and so is the reason.

Like most of the successful Hollywood flicks, this movie is based on a true story – a story of redemption which will motivate sportsmen and non-sportsmen alike. A true story, which is very believable and shies away from the regular ‘hero is a superman’ histrionics. The sporting scenes have been shot really well and the actors are very real.

More importantly, this movie brings the nation’s attention back to hockey – a sport languishing from apathy and lack of mass support. It’s actually the best thing which has happened for hockey in a long long time. It also does its bit for national unity, communal harmony and girl power. It has its drawbacks but they are minor and can be ignored in light of all the good stuff.

While all of this has been talked and written about in great detail; it also does something which puts it in a different league from the likes of Hip Hip Hooray, Lagaan, Iqbal and Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander.

‘Chak De’ reminds you of all the reasons, why people play competitive sport. It reflects on the purity of sport. Takes you back to the age of innocence when playing the game was all that mattered and you were ready to make every kind of sacrifice for another round of your favourite sport. (Remember the scene where the players put egos aside for a chance to play) When winning the game was the only thing which gave you a kick in life. Puts you in back in a situation where the sport and sportsmen are untouched by its crass commercialization.

If you have ever been part of a sports team, you were ready to live and die for; Chak De is a vicarious experience which will give you the goose bumps. It’s a movie about honest sportsmen - the kind we all aspired to be when we first started playing the game. The emotion of putting on an India blazer is palpable; you almost want to go back and take another shot at relieving your sporting dreams.

In the movie, Komal Chautala’s character, dribbling around scooters and bikes brings a touch of remorse. This is what millions of kids should have been doing in this country (just like kids continue to dribble a football in the by lanes of Brazil). India would have continued to dominate world Hockey. I actually felt guilty for never having played our national game.

Most of us dream of writing a book and making a movie. ‘Beyond a Boundary’ is the kind of book I dream of writing some day and Chak De is the kind of sports movie, I would want to make. I will leave you with my favourite sports quote which comes from my second favourite sports movie (Bull Durham – watch it even you don’t understand baseball. Just the dialogues are worth the money)

A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.

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There is nothing like an over-valued footballer

The transfer window in European football just closed. All-off season long football scribes and analysts have had a field day roasting club managers and executives alike. The reason for their unusual affection is the supposedly inflated transfer fees paid for some of the players this time round. They have questioned the financial prudence of the men in charge - in handing out sums which far exceeded the 'true market value' of these players. A statistic often referred to has been the increase in total transfer spends from around 300 million pounds last year to approximately 500 million this time round.

I have a few words of advice for the men from the media. Do your homework properly. The balance sheet of a club includes two columns – earnings and expenses. So, while you are raising the roof about the expenses, throw some light on the earnings as well. Clubs have never been richer. As football scales new heights of global popularity, revenues from television rights and sponsorship deals are going through the roof. Big clubs like Real Madrid are set to make more than 100 million pounds annually from television deals alone. Money from ticket sales has also been growing exponentially as clubs continue to hike ticket prices (taking advantage of the demand –supply mismatch caused by the burgeoning fan-bases). So, as earnings continue to grow rapidly, why worry about increasing transfer budgets.

The people in European football would also do well to follow the financial news in some other sports like Formula One, baseball, basketball and the American version of football. For those of you who gasp at the ‘inflated’ amounts paid out for footballers, read this. Baseballers Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter signed 10 year contracts for 252 and 189 million in 2001 (try estimating the value of their new contracts in 2011). Drivers Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen get annual payments of 40 million and 51 million respectively. Here’s a complete list of largest sports contracts. There isn’t a single footballer on the list (not even David Beckham). And Football happens to be infinitely more popular than any of these sports. Blame the men who run the game for not making enough money out of it (to pay for transfers and contracts).

Finally, I would like to know the exact valuation methods used to calculate the so-called ‘right value’ of these players. Talented footballers are an extremely rare breed. The fans, who fill the coffers of the clubs, pay to watch these ‘over valued’ players. Someone is yet to devise a method to calculate the value of rare items. Rare items are auctioned to the highest bidder. I would like to see similar criticism for every item auctioned by the likes of Sotheby’s and Christie’s. There is nothing like the inherent value of a player. His efficacy for a club is contingent on numerous factors beyond his control – the system the team plays, the other players in the team and his role in the system. A player’s failure is merely indicative of his inability to play in the role given to him and not an inability to play the game itself. Blame the manager for not giving him the right role and not for the money paid for his transfer.

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An invitation to iSport

Dear fellow sports fans

I cordially extend an invitation to all of you to come visit iSport.in. Its got articles on all the popular sports and there is a very interactive forum section as well.

I have so far contributed 6 articles in all. Here’s a direct link and a brief description for your benefit


Fleeting brilliance and eternal longing

The history of sport is made by the people who play it. But many a times, some destined to be the best, unfortunately depart us before they can show the world what they are truly capable of. This article remembers a few such souls who have left us with a lasting impression in the short time they have spent with us.

http://isport.in/content/view/73/57/


The balance of money shifts to England

As the English clubs line up big money for the top players, we take a look at this latest phenomenon that has the premiership clubs.

http://isport.in/content/view/48/57/


Rain and Borg at Wimbledon 2007

This article takes a second look at a rain soaked Wimbledon 2007 and a re-look at Bjorn Borg’s record

http://isport.in/content/view/47/57/


All the good men- A US Open Preview

Federer’s uncertain form has raised hopes of a new winner at this year’s US Open. This article profiles the top dogs to wrest the crown away from FedEx. He includes a few surprises as well!

http://isport.in/content/view/67/57/


Danica Patrick and Formula 1: Made for each other

F1 is a sport dominated by men. However, the profile of the drivers may change. This article speaks of why Danica Patrick can be a revelation in a sport where women have more often been spotted in the arms of their more famous halves...

http://isport.in/content/view/51/57/


India's favorite stop on the ATP tour

The Hall of Fame tournament has seen many an Indian great lift the title. Indians have consistently enjoyed success here despite their poor performance otherwise on the ATP circuit. This article understands why and explains

http://isport.in/content/view/53/57/

Will await your comments and valuable feedback

Regards

commonfan

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A good time to be an Indian sports fan

A lot has happened in my life lately, and its kept me away from commonfan for a while. things have settled down now and the period of neglect is over. This post is going to be a recap of all thats happened while I was away.

One of the developments has been the start of a new sports website called http://isport.in. Its come from the collective effort of a group of hard-core sports lovers. I have started writing on the site and it already has five of my articles. I would encourage all of you to go to isport. My favourite section is jabberoni, which is a forum for discussions and debates. Iam already addicted and most of you will follow suit, once you go there.

Commonfan will not suffer beacuse of isport. Infact, there will be no overlap in the stuff on the two pages. This will reduce the amount of content on commonfan but rest assured, it will be regular.

So, here's my first post.

India have won the test series in England. Will talk no more about it. Its a massive achievement in itself and we have to be proud of it. We always do well, when our batsmen fire. And this was a major collective effort - the likes of which we have seen very few.

The ICL is moving ahead with full speed. The BCCI is making knee-jerk changes but is clearly losing face. Luckily for them, the ICC and other major cricket boards are firmly behind them. Their proposed response to the ICL; the PCL is a long distance away and merely a creation to drive sponsors away from the ICL. Subhash Chandra need not worry. There is no dearth of advertizing moolah in this country when it comes to cricket.Iam really looking forward to the ICL.

At long last, the new EPL season is here. Man United have struggled initially. But Iam not worried. Let the new dudes settle down and injured players return. Liverpool finally look like taking on the big two. The biggest surprises have been Man City and almost all the new signings have excelled. The biggest star, however, has been Kasper Schmiechel. Lastly, my man, Michael Chopra has made a dream start with a match-winner on day one.

Continuing with a football, India have won the Nehru Cup. Its a big win - our biggest triumph in a long long time. Mr. Houghton seems to be on the right track. Just wondering if Chopra could agree to play for India. Bhutia and Chopra would be more than a handful together. Dream on Indian football fans.

Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship to silence all the doubters about his ability to win majors. No, his daughter has not taken his focus off his game. Sadly, our great hope - Jeev was not at his best and missed the cut. Hope he builds on his feats and doesn't go the way of fellow pro Arjun Atwal. Atwal had a promising first season on the US PGA tour but has struggled this year and is in grave danger of losing his tour card.

The US Open is on and players are already in the third round. Iam rooting for Novak Djokovic and Sania Mirza. The Serb has easily been the third-best player on tour after Federer and Nadal and took a major step towards challenging the two at the Montreal Masters. Consecutive wins over Nalbandian, Roddick, Nadal and Federer is testimony to his growing stature. I expect a breakthrough performance at the Open. Sania has had a great hard court season and is well positioned to match her fourth round performance of 2005.

Finally, hats off to my star performer of the period. Anup Sridhar has taken a big step forward in his career with a quarter-final appearance at the World Championships. He scalped two top players and almost beat the worlds best player in the quarters. He has the potential to become the next 'great Indian badminton player'; following in the foot-steps of Padukone and Gopichand. Remember, how training in Denmark with Morten Frost made Prakash such an improved player. A similar experience would do a world of good for Anup. He has been running around for sponsors and really needs help. Lets pray that one of the big corporate houses takes him under their wings and helps him realize his potential.

For once, its good to be an Indian sports fan.

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What in God's name have I done to deserve this?

Recently, I wrote a post about, 'Why Iam NOT watching the Tour de France '. A few people were not convinced with my argument.So all you people take this. Race favourite and winner of two stages in this years tour, Alexander Vinokourov has tested positive and been banned from the race, prompting his Astana team to pull out of the race. This comes on the heels of race leader Rasmussen being banned by the Danish national team for failing to comply with their drug-testing norms. In the aftermath of the Tour's growing 'popularity' the American Discovery Channel team is now without a sponsor for next year. Are you guys still thumping your chests and rooting for the cyclists? If you are, Iam sure you are on some kind of drug yourself!

In another drug related story, former golf great Gary Player has come out and claimed that steroids are rife in golf and he knows at least ten current players who are using them. This one really baffles me. Golf is a game of portly middle-aged men who need a guy to lug their gear. Players have been known to use pills to steady their nerves but so far the sport has been totally untouched by the menace of drugs. The only 'performance enhancement' I can foresee is in increasing your driving distance; an improvement already made possible by advancements in golf equipment. Player's claim has been rebuffed and rebuked as an attention seeking stunt and I hope it was a false alarm.

But the most disturbing recent development, largely from a personal standpoint (because I love basketball)has been the news of match-fixing by an NBA referee. This guy, Tim Donaghy has been betting on key games, including ones he was officiating. He was part of the crew, which officiated game 3 of the Spurs-Suns series; a game which eventually determined the NBA champions. The refereeing in this game was so horrendous that even the most sedate of commentators had launched a tirade of criticism. In hindsight, what was believed to be the nadir of incompetent officiating was actually one crooked guy earning his gambling dollars. The sport is in complete turmoil and the fans are in a state of shock. We all know what match-fixing can do to a sport. The FBI is on the job and this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Where does this leave the common fan? Already, cycling's off the calendar, boxing is dead and KPS Gill is taking hockey to ruin. Add golf and basketball to the list. Its like asking a foodie to to give up Chinese, Continental, Italian and American fast-food. What in God's name have I done to deserve this?

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A spinners second home and making the Mahatma smile

This is part 2 of my peek into county cricket. Part 1 was about the batsmen and so here's the latest on the bowlers in county cricket.

We first look at the top wicket -takers. There's Danish Kaneria at 3, Mushtaq Ahmed at 4 and Monty Panesar at 5. A classic case of a Hindu, Muslim and Sikh weaving magic together. Not since the the freedom struggle have all the communities ( from both nations) gotten together to wreak such havoc on the English. I'am sure Mahatma Gandhi is smiling to himself .

There's a lot more of Pakistan as well. We saw in the first part that their batsmen are not up to much but the bowlers are making all the noises. Apart from Kaneria and Mushtaq , who by the way is old enough to be a cricket coach at international level, there's also Rana Naved and Yasir Arafat in the list of top wicket-takers.

Mushtaq is a case of what might have been. At his best, he was a true match-winner and spoken in the same breadth as Warne, Murli and Kumble. Sadly, he's been a victim of the Pakistani cricket system and limited to just 50 odd tests, the last of which came in 2000-01. England has been kinder and more fulfilling for him. He's single-handedly taken Sussex to two county titles in 4 years, something which the likes of Ranjitsinhji, Duleepsinhji, CB Fry, the Pataudis and Imran Khan couldn't do even once. Already a county legend, he will continue to play on even if he needs a wheel-chair to complete his run-up.

Mushtaq's spin-twin at Sussex this season is another long-forgotten Pakistani, Saqlain Mushtaq. The inventor of the fabled 'Doosra', his promising career has been cut short by knee operations and the apathy of the Pakistan board. He is just 30 and has sufficient cricket left in him. There is talk of him qualifying to play for England soon. Both Mushtaq's have discovered a second home in England.

This English season seems to be the year of the 'Spinner' and there's a complete exhibition of spin bowling in England with all the top names involved. There' s Warne for Hants, Murali for Lancs and Kumble with the visiting Indians. But the Lord and Master is surely Monty Panesar. His rise has seen spin bowling attain previously unimaginable heights. Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik are the other Indians reaping this harvest in England.

And if you thought England had had more than enough of Indian spinners, think again. Four other counties have an Indian spinner in their ranks. Most promising is Vikram Banerjee at Gloucester; a lad experts are backing to follow Monty in the England squad. Others include former England player Min Patel at Kent, former Indian spinner Dilip Doshi's son Nayan at Surrey and Akhil Patel at Nottingham.

English commentators have laughed at the sub-continent's pitches, calling them dust-bowls. With a rich crop of Indian-origin spinners raring to go, a dust-bowl at Lords is not far away.

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Man United build 4 teams for the coming season...

Norman Hubbard has written a very informative piece on the soccernet website, where he claims that Sir Alex Ferguson has stockpiled enough players this season to form four sides.He even lists out the four sides.The sides are not just a collection of eleven players but complete playing elevens with all the position players. So how good are these teams?

The summer spending has ensured that first team will be strong contenders to defend their title this season. The second team comprising some regulars from last season is also strong enough to finish in the top 6 of the premiership. The third team has Alan Smith, Park Ji Sung, Mikael Silvestre and a good keeper in Tomas Kuszczak. Enough pieces to avoid getting relegated to a lower division. As for the fourth team, lets forget about it. Most of these guys will not even be in a United shirt for long.

This embarrassment of riches has been brought about by signings, returning loaned out players and the development of young players. The signings have addressed the issues of adding steel in midfield and cutting edge upfront. Nani and Anderson will also be the long-term replacements for Giggs and Scholes - two long standing stalwarts who will not be around for long. Giuseppe Rossi also returns after a fine loan season in Italy and is ready to shine in England. Together they will ensure that Man United are no longer vulnerable to being taken apart; the way Milan did it in last season's Champions League semis.

Most fans will argue that Fergie hasn't done anything to shore up the defense this year. After all, last year's defensive improvement was courtesy of two new signings - Vidic and Evra. Well, he didn't need to. Two loanees last year - Gerhard Pique at Real Zaragoza and Johnny Evans at Sunderland return with highly impressive credentials and will be high quality additions to the defensive ranks. The right-back position was especially dodgy with Gary Neville nearing retirement and the likes of O'Shea and Fletcher being inadequate replacements. No such concerns now.

Man United's title run benefited from a mostly injury-free season last year, more so considering the number of veterans in the side. They were thin in squad depth but soldiered home even as the seams were coming apart towards the end of the season . Fergie knows that they will not be so lucky this year and has planned accordingly. He has high quality cover for all positions and should not lose sleep over missing key players due to injury. As highlighted the last two years, the key to winning the premiership is maintaining a high level of performance from start to finish. There can be absolutely no slip-ups and United's ability to put out a high-quality side for every encounter on the back of their squad depth will hold them well.

The other important benefit will be in terms of less wear and tear for the players. Liverpool and AC Milan were competing on only one front last year and their players were fresher than those of Chelsea and Man United in the Champions League semis. They were out of the league race very early on and could afford to sufficiently rest their key players for the European nights. Having a second team capable of finishing in the top 6 in the premiership will give United's first team a similar advantage.

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Catching up on Copa

Once again, I have to thank my friend for reminding me that I completely forgot about the Copa America. I was following the tournament and catching the occasional highlights package, but no mention on the blog. I think that I have been too caught up in the ‘Carlos Tevez to Man United’ transfer saga and the football cells in my brain have not found the time to think about the Copa America.

The transfer is still unresolved but enough of it now. The Copa is second only to the World Cup in terms of assembling talent and far better in terms of the football on display. Now that I think about it, there was so much to talk about.

Firstly and most importantly, how good are Brazil? Any team which can wallop Argentina 3-0 without bothering to call upon the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano, Roberto Carlos, Cicinho, Emerson, Lucio and Juninho has to be frighteningly good. Imagine Brazil sending two squads to the tournament. The two sides could end up meeting in the finals. On top of that, there is a whole bunch of Brazilians who turn out for other nations like Deco for Portugal. Can’t we just get some pretty Indian girls to marry Brazilian footballers? Let’s all pray for Bipasha to marry Cristiano Ronaldo. Twenty years from today, we could have a side in the world cup composed entirely of players with dual citizenships.

What is Juan Roman Riquelme doing playing in Argentina? This guy suffers from being too much of a nice guy. Needs to stay with his sick mother. Surely, one of the big clubs could bring both mother and son to Europe. And pack in some uncles, aunties, cousins and other family as well. That would make them feel at home in Europe. Undoubtedly, there is no one in the world better at orchestrating an attack than Riquelme. He’s also a prolific goal scorer and still young.

Argentina’s inability to win any major tournament reminds me of Brazil’s predicament in the 80’s. Back then, they had a dazzling array of attacking players- Socrates, Zico, Junior, Careca, Falcao and a great coach in Tele Santana but no titles. Argentina on the other hand was winning with a one-man team. Seems, the Argentines used up all their luck in the three Junior World cup wins.

If you an Argentine, there is no fun being a defender. Looks like all the kids in the country want to be like Messi and Tevez. What else can you say when the national team has to depend on two 34 year olds (Ayala and Zanetti) to shore up the defense. Brazil has no such issues. Full –back Daniel Alves, one of the hottest transfer targets in Europe was a mere substitute in what was a second string side.

What would happen if the Copa coincided with the major European leagues? That is the case with the African Nations Cup, and most clubs have to do without their African stars but the football goes on. However, there would be no football in Europe if the South Americans were to be absent.

Two guys who made a good impression in the Copa were huge flops in the premiership. Diego Forlan at Man United and Julio Baptista at Arsenal. Does it have to do with the gloomy British weather or the tough tackling English defenses? Maybe both.

Lastly, I was reminded once again, why I love Football. Long live the South Americans

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