Rooten eggs, Bad Apples , IPL and entertainment

Expectations bring Disappointment.

Not trying to be philosophical but just being practical. If someone thought that Cricket were a religion and IPL was a ritual that was being performed and it sanctity destroyed... ew!

Cricket is no longer the gentleman's game and all men involved are gentle enough to fill their pockets. The going under the hammer auction in itself was a start of the direction IPL was heading. It was clear that  when players were sold at millions that billions were at stake.

Cricket in itself is entertainment and just IPL redefined it and took it to the next level. If someone felt that it was to promote cricket , I pity them. If they feel they have been deceived by the spot fixing well I can only laugh at them.

IPL is nothing but a reality show with lots of twists and turns, when one can watch a movie knowing very well that the hero is the one who is going to ultimately triumph, is it not match fixing? Has there been a successful movie where the villan has won? No. Then it is scripted, all entertainments are scripted and so is IPL. When WWE/WWF can have scripted sports why can't cricket have its share? It is alleged that even all reality shows (like BigBoss etc) are scripted to some extent.

So treat IPL as though you treat a movie, laugh when the player hits a six, cry when he gets out, pray the hero wins. In this case sometimes the villian does win and well can any other entertainment top that.

If you treat cricket as a religion and think these people represent the country in a war with other nations like an army soldier. Well good luck and be prepared for more heart brakes, for its money that matters not the nation or the sport. Besides these people represent BCCI and not India.

Entertainment is best forgotten when the TV set is switched off.

2G, Coal, Rail, ... IPL

As usual there is a lot for meat for the media in the latest IPL scandal. It is a golden opportunity to earn some TRP ratings. It is time to grab some CCTV footage and let all Inidans know how they were cheated and deprived of ....well wait what are we deprived of.

"One billion people cheated" flashed the headlines and I started wondering do all the 1 billion watch Cricket and that too IPL. Of the 1 billion , many women do not watch or even like Cricket. Some many too do not watch or like Cricket , some are crazy for Man U that they don't give a damn even if Bradman is batting.

So that wipes out maybe a half of that 1 billion. How many follow IPL really, is it so popular in cities outside of where they are played? Anyway lets leave the statistics and come to the cheating part.

Did I loose money, No someone betted that some team will won , he lost, maybe he won so what is in it for me? Nothing

Did he take my tax money and paid for the bets? No

Did the exchequer loose money? No

Ok he paid money for people to underperform so that he can win money on bets.
Did someone force me or even ask me to watch the match? No
Did someone force me to follow a team/player like crazy thinking they are the Gods and Demi-Gods? No

Did I miss some work or lose my pay for watching Cricket? No

When I think of the other bigger scams where my dear earned money I paid as tax was looted, price of commodities increased as someone siphoned off with my tax money, when the exchequer lost lakhs of crores , it did hurt, it was a blow below the belt but this well this is just entertainment.
Media better stay focussed on issues that matter.