The Religion called sports!

Having watched the Brazil-holland game, I am writing this post. The unknown quantity that sports is, the feeling, the passion, the adrenaline, the camaraderie, wow is for all for us experience. As a small kid, I used to play hours together, not worrying about what is in store for the day. Every time you play what ever game it may be, at whatever level it may be, it just sweeps you off your feet. Entertainment is all personified when we spend hours unaware that time is fleeting all along. I have personally seen eclectic groups being formed based on only the passion of sports forgetting their multitude of differences. Its the primal instinct of a human to do something that makes him forget the passing of time and sports is certainly something that helps him accomplish this. Even when you are in the Nadir of your gloom, you see your favorite team win something, or you win something personally, you simply forget the morose part of you. The passion that any sport imparts is unbelievable. You can vent out your emotions in your quest to win by just pushing you to the limit and do not make others feel the side effects of your emotion. The sportsmanship you develop, will be an invaluable attribute for you day today existence.

The scenes in my hostel after Sachin 'THE GOD' Tendulkar scored the first double century was simply unbelievable. Ppl did not know who were standing next to them they simply starting hugging each other. There were almost 150 people in a 10*40 room watching the proceedings from every corner of the room, literally. Also who can forget the way the security personals celebrated with everyone at the EDEN GARDENS after India came back from following on to beat the Aussies. Cricket is the most followed game in my country. It has also been used as a bridge in the ongoing peace talks between India and Pakistan. I am sure many people wont know who their constituency's MP is, but wil instantly worship Scahin. Its not only my country, but through out the world. Think of Brazil and and it football crazy nation, US and Basketball, China and all sports :P, and the list is enormous. Sports like music is a universal language that could be understood by everyone.

Just think how Steven Gerrard would have been feeling after scoring that scorcher against olympiakos. Its a feeling worth living for. There are many rags to riches stories in sports and they inspire the people more than any other source. Sports has often lifted the sagging spirits of nations. Ethiopia for example with a 70 % malnourished population, has won maximum number of golds in the olympic games for athletics. Its economy is in the verge of obliteration. Sports sure lifts its spirits. Nobody personifies it better than Haile Gebrselassie, the champion long distance runner who ruled the 5000 and 10000 meters for a good part of 2 decades. Even now after retirement from Olympic games, he is dominating the Marathon circle. Lance Amstrong has inspired many in their fight against the cancer. There are many more inspiring sports personalities. And also every coin has two sides. Lets just concentrate on the positives here. And the way Nelson Mandela used sports (Rugby world cup 1995) to avert a major civil discontent and mend the ties between ethnically volatile people should serve as an invaluable precedent for the politicians through out the world.

So what if you don't have the ability/skill to play at a professional level! You need not build the Taj Mahal to enjoy it. You will always find people with similar skill sets, to play the game if you want to. Winning or losing is immaterial. But what saddens me is the way sports is being turned into a business. When the people in power make a mockery of the the faithful fan following, it does hurt. So just respect the spirit of the game whatever it may be. After all when we are good and make the right choices, we are called 'SPORTive'. I think the most apt way to end this article is with Mandela's message for the FIFA World cup 2010 at South Africa. "The generosity of human spirit can overcome all adversity. Through compassion and caring, we create ... HOPE". And no better way to do it than being SPORT-ive.