The Great Hockey Inanity

If you thought 'All that glitters is gold', go for a reality check! Meet Team Hockey, India and you will feel hog-tied as a slave craving for freedom. Real heroes often have a long and bitter history of being unsung most of the times.

How many of us actually know that India has have had an excellent repute in the game and are ranked among the top Hockey playing nations in the world. India and Pakistan dominated men's Hockey till late 80's and still are respectable hockey playing nations even now. I invite you to consider that being among the top Hockey playing nations is far more commendable than being good at Cricket.

The fact can be testified by a simple comparison of the two sports. India ranks 8th among 120 Hockey playing nations and 6th among 11 Cricket playing nations. Media in India does all the ballyhoo about 3 sports in particular, CRICKET, CRICKET and CRICKET!

Why so much hype to cricket only? Even the Sports Ministry is to be blamed here. Poor Hockey players are the ones who actually play for nation's pride. They are still very poor unlike our cricketers who have become so irresponsible now. No media coverage, no big sponsors, no big company hiring hockey players as brand ambassadors... that's how tough and humiliating it is to be a Hockey Player in a nation who's National Sport is Hockey!

I bet you will be shocked to learn that while India clinched the Asia Cup 2007 title for Hockey in Chennai beating South Korea 7-2, our media was busy interviewing prominent personalities from the field of cricket asking them to comment on Sachin's retirement! This is how important issues are sidelined by the media.

Truly speaking Hockey is a sport which badly needs Media advocacy and recognition from public in general. Had India invested wisely in Hockey as much it glutted on cricket, we surely would have been paragons in the sport!