Column

Mar 06, 2010 12:03

WHEN India plays at home and Sachin Tendulkar scores big, the telly cameras always zoom in on a spindly thin individual in the stands waving the tri colour proudly. Amazingly, this young man who paints his body in the colours of the tricolour with the Ashoka Chakra in the centre and Tendulkar 10 emblazoned on his rear is ubiquitous.

He is at every ground and that takes…

Mar 05, 2010 12:03

THE EFFECT that the overall wholesomeness of the athlete has on his/her sports brand value creation often goes under the radar. It is however a vital cog in the determination of a broad based and enduring Brand, so to speak.

This comes to the fore in the recent survey which placed V Anand and Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the most trusted sports personalities in…

Mar 04, 2010 12:03

THE FAST PACED hockey matches in the ongoing World Cup in New Delhi have demonstrated one thing: that such brisk action on the field, if marketed properly, has the potential of becoming something as successful as the IPL. The thrill is for a short duration (just 70 minutes), the pace is hectic, there is plenty of action in the form of penalty corners and counter-attacks, the new…

Feb 25, 2010 07:02

STARTING 28th February, a very crucial period in India's history begins. The Hero Honda hockey World Cup which begins on Sunday will be a showcase for the world at large that India can hold an international sporting event without its security apparatus being compromised. In many ways 2010 will be the year of living dangerously.

It can decide whether India will teeter on…

Feb 24, 2010 08:02

UNLIKELY as it may seem, the IPL’s Kochi franchise has all the stars aligned in its favor to be an unprecedented success when it comes to value creation and long-term profitability. While the jury is still out on whether or not $ 333.33 million was the correct valuation for an infant team in a toddler league, the fact remains that the IPL is likely to see more peaks than…

Feb 23, 2010 07:02

THE MORE I think about the men’s Indian hockey team, the more I dislike the shape of things to come. The World Cup starts in New Delhi in less than a week’s time and the team is getting embroiled in one controversy after the other and has - more or less - been in the focus for all the wrong reasons.

The time is fast approaching for the Indian players to show what they…

Feb 22, 2010 06:02

THIS is the period of the year when Dubai feels busy and the centre of the sporting world. This weekend we not only hosted the Pakistan-England cricket, but the V8 cars at Yas Marina and the WTA event in Dubai (with the ATP this week, albeit without a sick Federer). 

It also saw the ICC annual sponsor forum when the great and good from the ICC meet with their…

Feb 18, 2010 23:02

WITH the recent episode surrounding Ravindra Jadeja’s IPL positioning, three things have come to the fore. First and foremost, the IPL is a nascent league. Secondly, that the balance of power is firmly on the side of the League, and not at all on the side of the players. Lastly, this episode has brought to light the need for some degree of player representation that will…

Feb 17, 2010 19:02

IS VIRENDER Sehwag really getting his due? Isn't he the most destructive batsman to walk the playing field since Vivian Richards?

Viru as he is popularly known has the record to back up his claims. But more than that it is the X factor in his batting which makes him so dangerous. There is very little movement of feet, but the bulwark of his batting prowess is his amazing…

Feb 16, 2010 17:02

DID THE INDIAN selectors - or rather the chief selector Kris Srikanth - goof-up big time in picking the squad for the first Test against South Africa? Much more than the goof-up, there is the CSK (Chennai Super Kings) angle being given to the chaos and confusion which saw Wridhiman Saha play as a specialist batsman in the highly forgettable match for world’s best Test team. (We are…