Cricket, Liquor and Cheerleaders Can go Together
One of my pleasures in life is to sit on my deck on a warm summer day and watch my favorite baseball team (Philadelphia Phillies) play on television. This gets even better when you have a cool lager in your hand (in the Philadelphia area a Lager by default means a Yuengling Lager which is the local favorite).
I do not get to do this often. Something called life and its mundane responsibilities gets in the way most of the time. The 2010 baseball season is starting on Monday and I am hoping to relax and watch many more games this season (a baseball regular season is long and will last for six months with each team playing 162 games).
Drinking alcohol while watching a game at home or in the stadium is one of things that make it interesting for people like me. Eating a hotdog, drinking a beer with your friends or family members and watching your favorite team play is part of the American baseball tradition.
The Indian Premier League is heading in the same direction. Alcohol, food and merchandise sales in the stadium are a major revenue generator for any franchise. This might be about to change. In a statement today the Sports Minister of India, M.S. Gill lashed out at the IPL organizers for serving liquor inside the stadiums during cricket games.
He said “Sports and liquor should never be mixed. I am surprised, that this is being done in Delhi, and possibly in every other center, in India, in order to push up the earnings of the commercial enterprises”. He went on to add “Sports and liquor should never be mixed. I am surprised, that this is being done in Delhi, and possibly in every other center, in India, in order to push up the earnings of the commercial enterprises”.
If sports and alcohol cannot be mixed can we mix alcohol and friends and family or alcohol and the Indian armed forces or alcohol and any form of celebration? What is the difference between drinking and watching a game in a stadium different from doing the same in a bar or at a private party? Society deems certain things as vices and alcohol is one of them in most parts of India (the attitude is slightly different in states like Kerala) where drinking alcohol is little bit more mainstream.
Although it is a vice Indians are one of the largest consumers of alcohol in the world. Interestingly alcohol production is also an Industry where Indian companies are some of the most dominant players in the world (United Breweries is one of the biggest beer producer and exporter in the world). It is also a fact that many Indian States will have to declare bankruptcy if the revenue from auctioning the liquor stores and the tax revenues from liquor completely stops. So the Indian public, the government and the Sports Minister are trying to have it both ways.
The Delhi assembly proceedings came to a log head recently due to protests from the ruling Congress member of legislatures (MLA) over what they perceived to be obscene dances by the cheerleaders. Can the MLA’s give us additional information on what they found to be offensive? Was it any more offensive than anything that is shown on Indian television and Bollywood? Was it more offensive than the filth and garbage on the streets of Delhi? Was it more offensive to them than the lives of thousands of homeless kids who roam the streets of Delhi because they are abandoned by their parents?
I do admit that when large numbers of people gather together at a sporting event there is a chance for arguments and potential violence between fans (particularly when there are major rivalries involved). Alcohol can in this case be one of the contributing factors to the violence. But arguments that are over the top and violence are criminal issues and should be quickly handled by law enforcement. The vast majorities of the fans are peaceful and just want to have a good time.
Let us keep the good times rolling!!
Related posts:
- India Playing Cricket in Empty Stadiums
- An Indian Who Loves American Football
- World Cup Soccer: Real American Men Watch Football
- What is Wrong With Indian Cricket?
- Are These Empty Praises?
Category: Sports & Entertainment
If the Indian audiences were mature, Im sure it would be a good idea..I have been to cricket matches across the world where beer is served within the stadium…But crowds are well-behaved and not looking for the first chance to paw a woman and blame it on heady alchohol in the system!! Our crowds get so rowdy without alchohol..alchohol,cheerleaders and ummmm….IPL could become a testerosterone fest!!!
Welcome Journomuse. It is part of the maturity process. I remember in the early 90′s the Philadelphia Eagles football team used to have a mobile court in the stadium itself so that they can catch, try and sentence rowdy fans right then and there. Same is true for European soccer fans. But we should not create a policy because a few fans are unruly.