Involvement of Money in Cricket

Cricket is considered to be the gentleman's game and it has ruled fan's heart worldwide. From the vary advent of this popular sport, it has been an exceptional source of income. In the past era, when cricket was confined only to western countries or royal families in India, it involved huge amounts of money. The sport was played with passion, splendor and as a symbol to define one's status. The stress was on the glory and nation's pride rather than rewards. Such was the glory of this game which thrilled the players as well as viewers.

But nowadays, values and priorities have changed. Cricket is benefiting a lot with money and new age Cricketers are more into league Cricket than playing for their country. Leagues like IPL or the upcoming EPL are a storehouse of huge amounts and this simply means the divergence of raw talent from the actual track. From organizing a cricket match to distribution of awards, the flow of money is impeccable and unmatched. The business of cricket is so much thriving that while the money keeps rolling in, disasters keep rolling out. The early exit of India in world cup is a mere glimpse of this epidemic and undoubtedly, this havoc has loads to offer in the near future.

The actual problem lies in structural governance of the sport. At the national level as well as state levels, politicians and businessmen dominate the BCCI administration. How can one digest the fact that the president of most passionate game in India is the agricultural minister. Are we short of cricketing geniuses or efficient captains? What is the point in believing that a person who absorbs the tremendous pressure of fans on the field and still comes out at par with them, is not fit to govern the cricketing body? Above all a basic fact prevails that how can a businessmen or a politician select the players to represent the country?

The onslaught of celebrities and business professionals in cricketing world has brought many plagues with it. Advertisers are hastily reworking expensive campaigns that were earlier based on cricket. The TV channels that paid big bucks for telecasting rights are having trouble offloading their inventory of advertising spots. Office bearers sometimes make more news than cricketers do as it is run by industrialists and politicians. The official money in cricket is big. Recent controversy involving Income Tax in IPL is a clear cut example of this fact. The effect of glamor is not behind by any means. Late night prolonged IPL parties took toll on the cricketers and they started catching air on the field instead of crucial catches. Batsman were caught napping in their crease and the bowlers seemed to be engaged in salsa dances. Such is the devastating result of increased interference in cricket.

Time has come to keep aside the interests of media rights and sponsorships. Stupid issues like chairmanship and website owners need to be neglected. Money needs to be spent for nurturing the fresh talent in the right way. Its high time that personal interests should be kept aloof from the fraternity of cricket, else, money will rule the game.