Indian Sports Development from iSport Specials: Sports Psychologist, iSporter and a sports lover, Dr. Chaitanya Sridhar strongly believes that in India’s current sports growth story, efficient players associations are the need of the hour.
Let’s ponder on the following points for starters: BCCI’s decision to not contest at the Asian Games, the Hockey fiasco thanks to the saga between Indian Hockey Federation and Indian Olympic Association or MS Gill versus Suresh Kalmadi, Shooters hiring and paying from their pockets as the National Rifles Association is yet to appoint a Coach, Vishwananth Anand’s FIDE World Title almost being derecognized, two warring federations for one sport in India- e.g., Motorsport (till recently – Federation of MotorSport Clubs of India and Motorsport Association of India) and so forth. What do all these have in common?
It’s simple, while the Associations are busy fighting their battles and filling their own pockets- the Athletes and Sport in India suffers. Of course, one cannot forget the political affiliations these days with Sports. I believe in a ‘Solution Focused Approach’ as against a ‘Problem-Focused Approach’. So what could be the solution to these problems? Players Associations could be the starting point. We need associations which represent and safeguard player interests in front of the sports federations.
Sunita Godara, former Asian Marathon Champion, rightly pointed most associations in India want players to be “bonded laborers” and be at the association’s mercy. The associations seem to forget that we are no longer under the British Rule and nor do we have to follow their system of ‘controlling’. Democratic leadership is the current mantra in industries. Our sports associations need to learn a lesson or two from business organizations. Sports organizations are also business industries and its time that we also seem them as one. The sports industry is growing at a fast pace and to ensure that players don’t get sidelined in the growth chart, player’s association is a must.
In India few sports have player associations - such as Football and Chess but players' associations in India have never been successful. Football has been making a diving attempt with their talismanic President, Bhaichung Bhutia. Bhutia claimed to help players find solutions to anything concerning their club contracts to issues with the federation. Bhutia also pointed to help ex-players, “We can help ex-players find a life after football. We can help them get their trainer's license or support them in becoming coaches or referees so that they earn a living from the game.” Wasim Akram feels though players associations are fast picking up, it will take time to have its impact in the sub-continent. An association of the players should be strong enough to tackle the strong and politically aided sports organizations in our Country.
On the other hand, if one gives a deeper thought to the manner in which Australian Sport flourishes, one will find ‘Player Associations’ to be one of the key factors for the Aussies to dominate in almost every sphere of sport. Every Australian Sports Association has an able Players Association that operates in parallel to the national federation. My own experience while trying to gain access to Australian Cricket Players has been both an eye opener and wonderful.
I had to get permission from the national body i.e. Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketer’s Association (ACA). The Associations and Players heartily agreed to Sport Science Research which was a surprise (after my Indian experience). Also, I distinctly remember ACA’s concern about the research ramifications on the players. No prize for guessing the dismal manner in which sports research is treated in India, sad but true.
So what exactly would be the role of a Players Association? Of course, it would serve no purpose if they’re just a dummy to the sports federations. They ought to function independently by taking care of all issues concerning players. These could include media issues, selection issues (which is a big issue in India), payment and contract related matters, number of games/matches players play, player resting to avoid burn-out, right to chose which event to play, injury related concerns, sponsorship matters and so forth.
Now let’s consider some scenarios:
Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had threatened to ban Elite Indian Athletes who wanted to take part in the 2010 Sunfeast World 10K run in Bangalore on May 23rd. Is there any justification to this kind of behaviour? The National Sports bodies seem to be killing sports by this callous attitude. Despite the threat, many athletes participated in the event. Would this have happened if there is a strong players association to whom the AFI was answerable?
BCCI (aptly labeled - Badly Controlled Cricket in India) decides the Indian Cricket Team will not to participate in Asian Games. Asian Games ought to be on the highest priority of sporting events that too when it’s been recently introduced. It refuses to even send a second rung team. Our so called ‘demi-gods’ are nothing but puppets at BCCI’s hands. Now can we blame them? I remember a senior cricket player saying ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. Of course, I thought he was joking but he was serious.
Obviously, players speaking against the federations (any game) will face consequences by being chastised, ignored and unceremoniously dropped only because he had the audacity to stand up against what was wrong. The unceremonious manner in which MS Dhoni was made ‘hero to zero’ after India’s T20 debacle is the prime example of the control and havoc organizations cause on players. Poor Dhoni is yet to learn to seal his lips if he intends to stay and lead the Indian Cricket Team. If only he had not made comments on the ‘IPL burn out’ (which was aptly the right reason), he would have been in BCCI’s good books. Isn’t it high time India opts for players associations who can be the backbone of players?
Most sports bodies get away with anything they do mainly because no one questions them. Only when the Media (thankfully makes an issue at least sometimes when needed), do they try doing some damage control, which again is just an eyewash. Able player associations seem to be a good solution to ensure another Dhanraj Pillay doesn’t get treated badly after having dedicated his life to Indian Hockey.
(I’d like to thank Kunal Shah for his help and expert knowledge on Indian Sports Organizations.)
Dr. Chaitanya Sridhar is a sports psychologist by profession and practices out of Bengaluru.
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... Good 'solution focused Article' Dr. Chaitanya. The way these federations treat players is really bad, and the solution that you have given 'players association' should really work. Your article should give some food for thought to the players to form an able players association. I really wish this comes to reality,and we don't have to see another Dhanraj Pillay and IHF episode in future. Players should get the respect they deserve. Congrats for writing the article on such an important but overlooked topic. Madhuli |
Chaitanya Sridhar
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... Thank you Madhuli. Appreciate your comments and feedback on the article. Let's really hope things begin to change for the better in the Indian Sporting Scenario. |
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