Not enough politics in sports

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/Twitter

I don't know if anyone noticed, given how low-key and low-profile this was, but the honourable Prime Minister was recently given a lap of honour at a stadium named after him in Ahmedabad. This happened at an inaugural Test match between India and Australia, at which the latter's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also a guest.

The two renowned, globally respected world leaders raised their hands together as thousands of ecstatic cricket fans at the stadium cheered, and I was so excited that I jumped up and spilled my cup of tea. I'm sure millions of my fellow Indians applauded too, while watching this unfold on their television screens. After all, it is so rare for us to spot our Prime Minister. In fact, in the interests of transparency, I didn't even watch the match given that I have never been interested in cricket. All I wanted to watch was those two amazing leaders doing their ‘lap of honour'. So well-deserved, I thought, switching off as the cricketers eventually entered the stadium.

It made me wonder why more sporting events don't devote enough time to politicians. Shouldn't all major tournaments allocate at least an hour or two for ministers to wave at spectators? We almost never get a chance to see these fine men and women in public, and hoardings at every street corner are a poor substitute for live appearances. I would argue that politicians are often more interesting than sportspeople, and television channels should consider giving more airtime to the former than the actual games. Look at the throne-like vehicle in which two Prime Ministers travelled, and tell me it wasn't more impressive to watch than a bunch of grown men hitting a ball.

We all know that politicians need adulation. It's one of the primary reasons so many of them choose politics over less public roles. Sure, some of them do it because they care about the people they represent and want to see their country progress, but it's been a while since we had one of those types, hence my argument about adulation.

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In an ideal world, we would see a lot more of our ministers. Their photographs only appear on advertisements for government schemes, banners for political rallies, the walls of every government office across the country, congratulatory posts on social media, and the odd vaccination certificate or two. This is unfair, given that anyone choosing to manage our country ought to be honoured with a lot more attention. I fail to understand why birth and death certificates do not carry their photographs yet, and why there has been no move to initiate this.

What I propose is that we rename all sporting arenas after the chief minister of the state they are located in, the way Ahmedabad has done so admirably. This will accomplish the dual function of helping children and senior citizens remember who their leaders are, while encouraging more people to choose politics as a career. Every young man and woman should be inspired to work towards a future where a stadium is named after them, even if only for a short period of time.

A few years from now, I hope we can look back at that magical evening in Ahmedabad as the start of something new in sports. I hope we can be pioneers that convince other nations to follow suit whenever they host a sporting event in their cities. I look forward to more victory laps by politicians, all of whom are more deserving of that honour than the men and women who gather to play those sports.

What most people don't realise is that being a politician is a lot harder than being a mere sportsperson. The latter only dedicate a few years of their life to a sport they love. What politicians do is spend their lives, and the lives of their children, in the relentless world of rallies, speeches, and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. They do this without any hope of gratitude, selflessly giving of themselves so the rest of us can sleep soundly on a few days each year.

Who knows, we may even extend these rare laps of honour to events and occurrences beyond sports. I would love to see the honourable Prime Minister waving at audiences before every major function. I would also suggest that he consider putting in a few minutes waving to prominent married couples before their wedding receptions, the way former President of America Donald Trump does so often these days.

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.