Being a woman sports fan.

When you have grown up in a family where your favourite pastime is to watch sports, mind it sports not cricket, then you are bound to develop an interest in sports by default. Our dinner table discussions revolved around Azhar, Kapil, Ajay Jadeja, PT Usha, Leaner Paes, Prakash Padukone and very rarely Shanti, Svetlana could find place in our discussions. Guess coming from an army background changes your outlook towards life and the activities you indulge into. Although, I was more into watching than playing and that’s perhaps the reason why height didn't favour me. Anyways it's no surprise that I grew up to become an avid sports fan.

Barring my folks and friends, people still "test" me day in and day out on my sports knowledge. They still can’t come to terms that a girl can like sports too. Agreed, there are lesser number of women sports persons but that shouldn't be the reason for me not liking sports. Maybe I have more of my father in my genes. Or maybe I have a boy’s soul in a girl’s body :) I am sure reading that statement crazy ideas would be going in your mind. But rest your imagination horses.

Now let’s come back to the topic of being a woman sports fan.

The barrage of question would start with "Oh, really, you like sports?" and then there will be a tsunami of questions to test my knowledge, to prove myself if I was genuinely interested in sports or was I just faking to impress guys or just to stand out from other girls.

Once I would pass the first hurdle, the bar would be set higher for me. Stats, records, rules, players all will be tested. Believe you me, a life of a female fan is not easy and it’s damn difficult to fit into a male-dominated sports culture. Fandom is not measured by loyalty towards a team, but by the knowledge of statistics, players and history. Even though off late, more female fans have started following sports but still women are not fully accepted as equal-status fans by our male counterparts. We are still looked upon as lesser beings. Recently an avid sports fan indirectly made a pass at me saying that I don’t understand football at all and I made him think that Keys and Gray were right about what they have said about female sports fans. Here’s what Keys and Gray are reported to have said about Massey:

“Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her,” said Keys.
“Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women don’t know the offside rule,” said Gray.
Keys replied “Course they don’t. I can guarantee you there will be a big one today. Kenny (Dalglish) will go potty. This isn’t the first time, is it? Didn’t we have one before?” And then he added “The game’s gone mad. Did you hear charming [West Ham vice-chairwoman] Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Do me a favour, love.”

Though I was initially hurt to read his comment but later on I reconciled to the fact that even if I know nothing about the game, it should not deter me from following the game  I love so much. Since I have not followed football from my childhood therefore my knowledge cannot be compared with them. I am a slow learner but let me learn it my way not your way. Why should I be made fun of? Doesn't this mindset reek of male chauvinism in a milder avatar. But I have no complaints since everyone is entitled to his opinion. I will do what I feel is right and you can do what you feel is right. So, what is it that makes men feel so fidgety about accepting women as sport fans? Maybe it has got to do with them being misogynist :) (a hot favourite word of one of my tweep friend these days). There could be multiple reasons. I could think of few:

• Sports fell into male territory. My limited knowledge from history books, movies suggest that sports were considered to be an activity for the alpha members of the family. Outdoor activities which included hunting and sports were clearly a male domain. Female encroachment wasn't acceptable and was considered as trespassing. 

• Men and women consume sports differently and speak a different language. For women, it's a sensory experience that ends with the match, except for some unforgettable ones like Ind-Pak CWC match or France-Italy WC football final match or Djokovic-Nadal Australian open final. However, for men, it’s more to do with cerebral experience. For them match doesn't end with the match. In fact it’s a beginning to those endless discussions. They love to discuss games threadbare. The pregame analysis, the post game analysis, dressing room politics, team selection etc. Collecting sports knowledge, is as important as the game itself. Whosoever possesses the maximum knowledge has one-upmanship in his group. If you are not into sports, you are not man enough. You are sissy.

• Other reason could be sport is the only arena left for men to express their masculinity, besides in the bed ;) They think the fairer sex is a weaker sex and cannot play/watch sports for long. They think women don’t have the brains and patience to think beyond their kitty parties. But excusez-moi you are completely wrong.

• Stereotyping is what everybody loves to do. Most of the Indian men have grown up in households where their sisters or mothers have not watched sports. Therefore men tend to generalize that women can’t play sports. Infact our movies like Kutch Kutch Hota Hai have reinforced the same by saying “Girls can’t play basketball”. Even brands like Gatorade, Nike, redbull, Cinthol, that have taken sportiness as their advertising plank, always resort to taking male models simply because that’s the common perception. 

• No women sports culture. Women are not promoted to play sports. In childhood when boys play cricket, girls play hide and seek, tippi-tippi-tap, gudiya-gudiya, posham-pa, stappu, ludo etc. Basically all games that don’t involve physical activities. And since they don’t play sports therefore understanding, relating and liking them doesn't fit into their scheme of things. They feel out of place when boys discuss sports.

• Men don’t watch women spots because they think women aren't good enough and are no match to men competition. However, men do watch women's tennis. But that’s probably because there’s ample skin show. Since they don’t think too highly of women sports persons therefore they somehow perceive that women can’t be good even as spectators.

The reasons could be innumerable but the bottom-line is that Girls are still treated like an outsider in sports discussions, which discomforts me. But slowly and steadily things are changing and men are becoming more open minded. Though,there’s still a long way to go.

I agree I am not as knowledgeable about sports as my male friends are. But I am a die-hard sports fan and I don’t feel ashamed to accept that I tend to know less about numbers and history. Maths has always been my weak area, so please excuse me for not remembering the stats, even though I would consume just as much current sports coverage as my male counterparts would.

I like sports because I can relate to them. I find them more passionate and less dramatic. Sports inspire me to try harder and never give up on my dreams. Every morning, last night’s match provide me the fodder for my office cooler conversation. On match days most of my twitter updates would be about the match. Watching sports and discussing them is a great stress buster for me. It helps in bringing people closer to me. I automatically become friends with people who love sports. It's a bonhomie catalyst for me.

In fact the best part about following sports is that even if you are watching a match alone, you are never alone. The constant conversation in the real or virtual world multiplies the fun of watching sports manifolds. It’s like watching a game with friends even when you are alone. 

I am not the one who watches only highlights but I love to watch the match from beginning to end without flipping the channel. My favourite player choice is not based on his legs, or how cute he looks (but of-course excluding Djokovic :)) but how well he plays his game. I might not know everything about every player or his every move but trust me I would know about the team standings, match summaries, the league standings and but of course the rules. Silly point, mid-off, Bouncer, Center Forward, offside, DRS Wing, backhand, cannonball is not nuclear science to me. I am not scarred to engage in a passion filled argument about the team or player I support. I am definitely not a two minute fan to induct myself into the game simply to score with the guys. You don’t have to bother to explain any rules or tactics unless I ask for. Also, I really hate it when somebody would try to disturb my concentration.

My kind of weekend is not to go out on marathon shopping sessions with my girlfriends but to watch a match. I’ll be very happy if I can see it in a stadium or at a pub. I won’t complain even if I see it at home. I get really animated when I am watching the game. You’ll see me cheering the loudest when my team is winning and when my team is doing badly then I’ll be screaming my lungs out to curse the opposition or the referee.

Boys who complain their girlfriends don’t let them watch matches, should make an effort to involve them in the games they love so much. Once your girl cheer with you, trust me you’ll have lesser reasons to complain and fight. And you’ll live happily ever after :)

Sachin’s 100th Ton…

…And the wait continues!!!!!!!
 
Sachin Tendulkar’s dream run for his elusive 100th international century once again ended in failure as he departed just six runs short during the the third Test between India and West Indies in Mumbai on Wankhede Stadium which was rumoured to be tailor made for a date with the history.

Wankhede Stadium was packed with expectant crowd and the stage seemed perfectly set for Tendulkar to reach the unprecedented feat in his home city. News channels, Brands, Leaders, MCA, Sports-persons and everyone connected or non connected to the game had prepared well in advance  to celebrate this national success. Gift galore was waiting for the ‘D’ moment. But Alas and alack everything that is planned the way it should go doesn’t always go the same way. Today was no different. God’s adoring fans went morgue like stunned silent when, after racing to 94, he edged Ravi Rampaul to Darren Sammy at second slip. There was a pindrop silence and nobody could believe what their eyes had seen. Twitterspace went berserk with ”oh no, not again” tweets. The trending topic of the day was Sachin missing his 100th ton and nothing else. The fear of follow-on was nothing compared to Sachin not reaching his landmark.

Yes, we all know that it has been 11 matches (Tests and ODIs) since Sachin Tendulkar has scored a century and he might be facing nervous 90′s syndrome for this final century. The expectations around the great man getting to the landmark are huge and every failure to get there – even if his innings was a good one – comes with its share of criticism from everybody and anybody. People forget his contributions to the game and start talking like ‘Sachin should retire now’, ‘Sachin isn’t a match winner’ and ‘He’s selfish, he plays only for his records’. No one cares about the match winning innings he plays. Everyone seems to be waiting with bated breath for Sachin’s hundred so much that they forgot how important it is playing for a nation than playing for records. We are a country obsessed with records and statistics – it’s a hundred and no less that is expected from Sachin every time he comes with a bat. A stellar batting effort when it’s most required, would hold absolutely no value in relation to a scratchy 100 on a belter of a track.

I think it’s time that we recondition ourselves to take 100th hundred as just another milestone, not one that merits so much hype. Understandably, not just India but the whole cricket playing world is crazy about Sachin Tendulkar and his great achievements, the milestone is a dream come true – 100 is a magical number in cricket, one that is a distant dreams for most of the players to dream forget achieving it. However, we need to think hard if this milestone is really so important for a man to achieve who is considered to be God in Cricket. Sachin still has the highest number of hundreds, runs and matches to his name. We don’t really need the hundredth hundred to tell us how great Sachin is, do we?

India’s top priority right now in Tests should be to perform well in Australia and get back the No. 1 ranking so that all of us can forget the debacle at England.  India’s winning streak is far more important than Sachin’s ton.

Sachin is now considered a public property and everyone thinks they have a full right to scrutinize his life and career. The so called critics wait for every opportunity to pounce on him and pass their verdict on how Sachin is no more fit to play and should retire. These have hardly affected the man, but perhaps for the first time he looks vulnerable. Having averaged a brilliant 78+ in Tests last year, Sachin’s average has dropped to the forties since his last century.

Also, we are so obsessed with Sachin’s 100th ton that we just turn a blind eye towards other great players contributions and achievements. Why Dravid’s consistent performance is never talked about? Why Ashwin’s all round performance didn’t get it’s fair share? We should not forget that cricket is a team game and we should not single out a person for our praises and criticism.

It’s time we become SPORTS LOVING NATION and not just STATS LOVING NATION. We should stop pressurising Sachin for his around-the-corner ton. The 100th ton proves nothing except his greatness which has already been said, written and discussed. Great team performance is far more important than achieving a personal goal and if Sachin helps India get there with a ton, fantastic!