We may try to make our mark in all spheres.. and a wide diaspora
with 1/6th world population.. we are found everywhere, Except
one place..sports arenas.. what makes us
stay away ? why do we remain happy counting a handful of bronzes and
silvers..the ocassional gold… does it influence the spirit of sportsmanship or
teamspirit too ? Well… to many questions from the recent loss to Guam…
Guam, a U.S territory but independently governed country
beat India in the recent FIFA quarterfinals… well can you believe that ..Guam
was placed 33 rankings below India and was on the way to get a clean sheet had
it not been for India captain Sunil Chhetri who made it 2-1 in the 93rd
minute.. so much for salvaging the national pride….
We have 7500 people for every 1 person in Guam.. with a
highly tilted sex ratio, it means that there are even more men to every male in
Guram…now let me not get into the statistics on demographics, age etc…. but
look at the sheer numbers.. are we saying that we cant create a football team
that would atleast win from a country ranked 33 places below us ? why is it
so.. is it our physical capability as a genre… is it lack of sportsmanship ..
is it our lifestyle ( sports is for sports people only)..is it our attitude (
cricket and cricket only)… what is the root cause of such a great divide in
sports…
Though its nice to blame the sports authority of India ( do
they exist ?) , lack of funds and so on…. I think its more deep rooted than
that… It’s a mix of many reasons including attitude, lifestyle… may be it’s a collective
cultural memory… where a day is divided into time for praying, cooking,
working, eating, tv watching, sleeping.. where do sports or games fit it ? it
does not ..
So where does this loss take us… well we can berate about it
for sometime and soon forget… but its definitely put Guam on the international map. I for one
dint know such a place existed and may be many more people have noticed this
sleepy exotic island… surely Guam has found its place in the football and the
tourism circuit….
