SOME interesting discussion this week out of two BCCI comments, the first being Lalit Modi's wish to block internet and news channel piracy of cricket content, the second being the comment from Sachin Tendulkar on giving free tickets for Test matches to children.
I see both as being related, and a welcome sign of those involved in Indian cricket to protect both the…
THE business side of Indian sports industry is dominated by federations, larger than life governing bodies, and for the most part, disgruntled/under-valued or pampered/spoilt sportspersons (based on the sport, and who one asks).
Increasingly, however, there is a surge in the interest and activity levels of corporations with either a respected inside leader…
WHAT is it about England that makes them call up Dad's Army regulars when beseiged by a crisis? Doesn't English cricket throw up enough young talent regularly? Why do they begin contemplating has beens for relief whenever they are in the eye of a crisis? English cricket is peculiar to say the least.
Lambasted and lampooned by media when they are thrashed, they are…
GOOD on you mate! So, the Aussies have struck back. Just when alchemist Shane Warne was criticising the Aussies under Punter Ponting for being too soft and gentlemanly in their approach on the field, the Aussies have come roaring back in the Ashes series. Good old fashioned fast bowling, good team selection and a little bit of in your face Aussie aggro has shown everyone including…
ONE of my earliest sporting memories involves sneaking a radio under the bedcovers and listening to Derby County beat Real Madrid 4-1 in the then European Cup in 1975. The radio may have been crackling, but the memory of my team tearing apart the best in Europe remains remarkably clear. The European Cup has since been renamed the Champions League, but I've always had the same…
IN WHAT has been a monumental five years for the sports industry, the inevitability of lateral services evolving, is something that for the most part is intuitive. Sports law as a Practice Area and niche segment of legal services is one such ancillary service that is likely to become a vital cog in the development of the sports industry.
Never before was…
HOW do you fix Indian hockey? The slide that set in with the advent of astroturf has brutalised the psyche of the players; the new rules have devastated the quick passing sub continental game and the appalling state of the game's administration has dealt a complete body blow. Indian hockey is yet to recover from the ignominy of the Montreal Olympics. Even till then, India was a…
POLITICAL intrigue, government interference and internal conflicts were all present at the ICC meeting last week in London. Nothing new there you might think, but the difference was that the ICC History Conference in Oxford was actually a remarkably positive affirmation of what was good in the game despite two days of swopping stories about some of cricket's most controversial turning points.
The History Conference in Oxford saw some of the greatest names in the game debating…
GLOBALLY, Professional boxing is extremely susceptible to the volatility of economic cycles, simply because the top-level bouts require large injections of funds. A main event pitting two top boxers would entail an upfront capital outlay of at least $ 100 million before the first punch is thrown. The Pugilist’s playground is no longer the place where fairytales are made,…
WATCHING the poor hapless second string West Indian cricket team find their feet against Bangladesh spinners was dismaying, to say the least. As it is West Indies cricket is wallowing in a longish trough of mediocrity, falling from the heights that one had got accustomed to seeing them straddle with aplomb and flair. Like Gargantua, they bestrode the cricketing world for aeons.…