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Saturday 12 June 2010

Sports, Competition and Martial Arts



Argentina is one goal ahead of Nigeria and only a few more minutes remain. One of my all time favourite sportsman, Diego Maradona, chews his nails. And because he is the current coach of Argentina, my loyalties may have shifted from Brazil to the Albicelestes. I am not a 100 percent sure about that though. Hey, the tournament has just started. But that is quite typical of me. It is the player whom I support and not the team. I support Boston Celtics because of Kevin Garnett, the eighties Windies team, since Richards captained it, and Switzerland Davis cup team due to Federer. In the case of the Indian Cricket team, there may be reasons other than Tendulkar, but the result is usually a disappointment, except for him.


Why are we men so hooked onto sports, often to the chagrin of women folks?


If you ask this question after a third round of Budweiser, one of our guys will be quick to explain the Testosterone angle. Another may say, with a smirk, that we like it because, they hate it. For me, sports is a way of playing out the competition within you vicariously. Let us not get into how competition developed within men, as part of evolution and natural selection, and reached its summit during mating. Interestingly, when I typed that, the image that popped up in my head is of a group of bull buffaloes having a go at each other to be popular among the cows. Of course, I am trying to shrug off that image now. Must have watched Rakhi ki Swayamvar or so.


But competition intrigues me. It is the matchup that usually triggers the interest. When equals enter an arena and stare each other down, Testosterone reaches an altogether different level. And media plays up the hype to make every matchup appear as if it is a fight of equals (but we all know, there are times, like when Nadal is scheduled to play, the other guy may as well not turn up, 9 out of 10 times). When a person you like becomes a force majeure in any sport, you see him as a manifestation of yourself. Race, creed or caste does not matter. It is you, in a different form, ready to match up with another who has challenged you for whatever reason. And it is time to put him in his place. As the match starts, you are no more on your couch at home (And that is probably why I never hear what my wife says during a match). It is you who competes. You step on the field, only dressed as another man. When your
manifestation is underperforming, you urge him and shout at him. If he raises his game, it is because of you. The final moments are the biggest challenge for you. You have to hold onto that lead. When your avatar delivers the final blow and raises his hand to the skies, you have finally done it. When the crowd chants his name, you, not him, say thank you. But, on the other hand, if he fails, you fail. The rest of the day is then a nagging disappointment.


Phew!


The vicarious aspect is nowhere as visible as it is in Britain. When Murray progresses to the third round, there is a Murray mania. When England plays the USA tonight at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, every run should lead to a surge in the noise levels in my flat.


A few years back, I became the fan of combat sports. And the biggest international stage for that is Ultimate Fighting Championship. Basically, two men enter a cage and beat the hell out of each other. My wife runs away, the moment I put that on TV. Don't get me wrong. I don't like the 'blood and violence' aspect of it. There may be people who watch it for the violence. But I switch it off when I see somebody bleeding or being bullied by a bigger stronger man. I enjoy it when it is a match up between equals and when they are engaged in a tactical fight. I do admit though, that I like it more when there is a knock out, as opposed to a judges decision. At the end of the day, the fact remains that full contact combat sport is the most direct form of competition, that is legal. The problem with that sport though, is that, because it is so direct, you may get a bit too involved. Your breathing becomes quite a bit higher than when you watch Volleyball, for instance. Those reading this and judging me now, it is no different to watching Jackie Chan or Rajanikant.


Soccer may not be that direct, but it is more engaging than MMA, and more healthy to watch. Tennis is even better and a gentleman's sport. With Wimbledon about to start, my fingers are crossed for Federer.


All said and done, there is nothing like sports and it does not get better any better than this month. We have a right to follow our avatars. And women have a right to watch romantic movies.

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