Indian Sports and Entertainment Industry

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 21 Jan 2010 16:14

The World Cup, to be held in New Delhi, received a shot in the arm Wednesday when the IPL agreed to reschedule the day match of March 13 to ensure there is no clash of timing with the final of the quadrennial event, to be held the same day. Accordingly, the tie between the Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals, in Mumbai that day, would start at 3.00pm, an hour ahead of schedule.

The World Cup hockey final was set to begin at 6.30pm, before the Kings XI Punjab clashed with the Delhi DareDevils in Mohali at 8.00pm. “We had finalised the World Cup dates long time ago and actually advanced it by a week after the IPL dates were released. We are thankful they agreed to the change,” Negre said.

http://telegraphindia.com/1100121/jsp/s ... 010075.jsp

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 21 Jan 2010 17:10

SwamyG wrote:Agreed, that we can not expect more because of the Climatic/geographic conditions. But then why even send a contingent? Morocco has good skiing resorts.

because there are individuals who want to compete at that level. the govt doesn't take a big initiative on this and rightly so, IMHO.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 22 Jan 2010 03:53

Now, funds trickle in for women's hockey team
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 486080.cms

Account detail

Account No. 77052010002970 in the names of Surinder Kaur, Dipika Murty, Mamta Kharb and Subhadra Pradhan. Bank code: SYNB0007705, Syndicate Bank, TT Nagar Branch, 75, Malviya Nagar, Bhopal 462003.

Seems like the info is not complete. I hear that one needs an IFSC code and the address of the recipient to initiate a money transfer. Wonderful, so where does one go to contact them? My half-baked google search came with neither a contact address for either the reporter or the team.

The day was also marked by modest entries in their joint account, opened to help the needy amongst the players. At the end of the day, the bank said that it had received Rs 13,875 in cash and had Rs 12,500 in uncleared cheques. But there was promise of more with the players saying that NRIs were keen on contributing to their cause.

The Rs 1 lakh is hardly in the scheme of things for the girls. They said the ministry had paid them Rs 1.5 lakh each for the Asia Cup gold in 2004 and similarly, they would be rewarded for the 2009 silver too. "Why are we talking about the ministry? We want the federation to pay the dues," Dipika insisted.

Yes, what is the ad hoc body or the old IHF or the HI in making doing with all the money it gets in the form of SAI grants, MSYA grants, sponsors' money, well-wishers' donations, etc.? Afaik, the flight tickets are paid for by GoI (MSYA), equipment is provided by sponsors or equipment-makers, so is the ad hoc body consuming everything for their own travel to meet and make decisions and do chai-biskoot? Possibly.

At one stage, Stokes seemingly brushed aside the protest. "I have spoken to the captain and she told me that they are not on strike. Rather they are protesting over certain issues... The girls will have to realise that we are an ad-hoc body and don’t have huge amounts of money," she said. Dipika shot back: "How is it that they showed themselves to be a strong federation when they raised Rs 1 crore for the men? And how is it that they are handicapped when it comes to paying us?"

Good question, if Vidya Stokes or the new HI body has anything called self-respect, they will take a cord and hang themselves to death? Unfortunately, they dont have any self-respect and they have been hit with spoilt eggs and tomatoes over a career. So dont have too much hope on that count.

If it were nt for the comedy of errors that is led by Leandro Negre & co, of which we saw the Antonio Ondreza's stupid remark during the men's strike, I would have rotfl-ed, but eh this farce will put JBDY to shame...

We feel the FIH, for its own reaons, has stepped too deep into the cesspool of Indian politics, and it appears it is ready to endorse whatever the present controlling body is intereted in. This is a new FIH, their approach is confusing, and also compounding the already stirred up murky waters.

World Cup Stadium looks majestic and Most Modern
http://www.stick2hockey.com/ViewArticle ... leOID=4920
Withdraw Hockey team from WC: Abbas

{Please leave, I for one dont wanna see your sorry faces either

, but its easier to preach other teams than doing so yourself no, ZB? Would nt the crikkit team be licking its lip if the GoI let the crikkit team of India to play you sorry-faces?}
http://beta.thehindu.com/sport/hockey/article87578.ece

Elsewhere, weight lifter Shailaja Pujari banned for life
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_we ... fe_1337554

Joshna in semifinals
http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/22/stories ... 722000.htm

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 22 Jan 2010 13:55

Sports Ministry announces 1 crore for Women's team
http://www.ndtv.com/news/sports/sports_ ... s_team.php

The Indian hockey team will get Rs 1 crore for dues and incentives, courtesy the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). Vinay Rai, the Assocham, has also given Rs 10 lakh in his personal capacity. Assocham gave the money to the sports ministry, which made the announcement on Friday.

Speaking to NDTV, the women hockey players said that they were delighted by the Sports Ministry's decision. They confirmed that the ministry had agreed to pay the team Rs 1 crore. Unlike their men counterparts last week, the women's team was protesting against non-payment of dues by wearing black arm bands rather than refusing to play.

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 22 Jan 2010 14:01

Money trickle in for women's hockey team

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 486080.cms

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 22 Jan 2010 18:18

Seems like the 1 cr donation has come from the Madhya Pradesh govt and Shri. Shivraj Singh Chauhan's push in this direction. Assocham had something to contribute, but not 1 cr. Lets wait and see.... Any case,

Indian team for the South Asian Federation Games announced.

Mrial Choubey, Harjit Singh, V. Raghunath, Innocent Kullu, Amit Prabhakar, Ajitesh Roy, Roshan Minz, Birender Lakra Jr., Variderjit Singh, Belsejar Horo, Vikas Pillay, Pramod Kumar, Md. Amir Khan, Bikas Toppo, Darmvir Singh, Yuvraj Walmiki, Prabhdeep Singh, Humza Mujtaba

Chief Coach: Clarence Lobo,
Coach: Gundeep Kumar,
Trainer: Naushad Ahmad,
Manager: Col. Balbir Singh

Seems like a junior team to me, but presence of Roshan Minz, Raghunath, Birendra Lakra, Innocent Kullu means four experienced players in the < 23 yrs category + a buncha kids to SAF games. Ajitesh Roy sparkled in the jr asia cup when Diwakar Ram did nt click that much. Clarence Lobo was the Asst Coach under Harendra Singh, so he knows quite a bit about getting the folks up the ladder. Go win it, folks....

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 24 Jan 2010 14:06

What a choo___ Vidya Stokes and the ad-hoc body she represents now is? 1.1 crore was given towards women's hockey players benefits by Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Assocham president (1 cr and 10 l respectively). The ad-hoc body has determined that a fraction of that will go towards women players. Either you be competent and beg, borrow or steal money towards your "wards" benefits, or else you just channel the money received on their behalf to them. If you fck up both, you have no moral right to exist. Vidya Stokes and the ad-hoc body, here is my middle finger.

Biswajit: What are the perennial problems faced by women’s hockey team?
Deepika: We don’t get enough exposure. Despite winning several tournaments, our foreign tours are cancelled. Hockey India scrapped our tours to Germany and Canada in October last year. We were supposed to tour South Africa after this ongoing training camp in Bhopal, but that was scrapped too.

Biswajit: What are the reasons that HI cite behind canceling these tours?
Deepika: They always tell us that they don’t have sufficient funds. Now-a-days, they tell us that since they have to organize the Hockey World Cup, it is not possible to support the women’s team.

Biswajit: Why did you decide to open a bank account in Bhopal?
Deepika: Since HI is not sympathetic to our needs, we have decided to open an account where people can contribute and support us during this time of turmoil.

http://www.stick2hockey.com/ViewArticle ... leOID=4943
There you go, the nation's women's team playing the national game are begging in public for their demands to be met. Hang your heads in shame, folks, everyone who does nt put a "dont-care" state across hockey should bang his or her head against the wall and hope that some god, any god, will open his or her mouth and swallow these neanderthals in a flame of fire in one go, so that we will be left to handle things minus these bozos.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 25 Jan 2010 03:04

The message is this: appropriate what belongs to you to others, not what belongs to others. But those who run the ad-hoc body are so uneducated even to get simple messages in their head, so it is just a few who ll bang their head against the wall called Hockey India....

In a breakfast meeting with the hockey team at his residence in Bhopal, Chouhan expressed solidarity with the team by sporting a black armband and said he would check with the sports ministry what it intended to do with the money. "He told us that if the ministry insisted it was for the National Sports Development Fund, he would want the cheque back," goalkeeper Dipika Murty told TOI.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 496170.cms

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 25 Jan 2010 22:29

Callaway Golf Tees up in India, signs Milkha Singh

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 23744.html

In the past several years, however, that has begun to change as the number of golf courses in the nation has risen to about 250, up from 80 courses five years, and another big increase is expected in the next few years, according to Vivek Mehta, Callaway's India country head.

Mr. Fellows estimated that there are some 500,000 golfers in India, some 150,000 of whom are termed "avid," meaning they play more than a round a month. The number of golfers overall is growing by up to 30% a year which before long could translate into "a marketplace in India of several hundred million dollars of equipment sales," he said.

Callaway's India team will be modest to start with: up to 15 people based in Gurgaon, a suburb of New Delhi, responsible for building the brand, cultivating newcomers to the sport, and selling Callaway equipment through all 200 golf and sporting goods outlets in the country, including pro shops.

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 25 Jan 2010 22:35

3 Indians competing at Winter Olympics

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3192 ... r-olympics

Three Indian athletes will represent India at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games from February 12–28.

The Indian qualifiers are luge specialist Shiva Keshavan, who won Silver at the recent Asian Championship in Japan, Tashi Lundup, and Jamyang Namgyal, who are employed by the Indian Army and stationed at Gulmarg, which is the tiny-but-serving winter sports capital of India.

While this is Keshavan’s fourth Olympics, it’s the first where he has corporate sponsors (Swissair, Limca Book of records, and Reebok) and a full-time coach. There is no such support for the two Army men.

Winter sports are not a priority for the Sports Ministry of India, and nor are they popular in the country. In spite of the absence of support or visibility, these sportsmen are driven by their love for the sport and the honour of representing their nation.

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 26 Jan 2010 07:50

Let the Love fest begin (IPL)

My family is from Pak, let's not hate them: Shah Rukh Khan

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 26 Jan 2010 08:30

btw, sehwag is promoting the hockey WC in an ad during the Indo-BD test match.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 26 Jan 2010 18:21

I dont see any big names in this contest, but who cares as long as folks on both sides get enthused by the show and start paying more attn to our national game.
Fighter Karnatka makes it 2-1 in 6-match Series
http://www.stick2hockey.com/ViewArticle ... leOID=5007

While Yasin Merchant should feel happy, the following is a sad commentary on the state of Indian snooker if an oldie can pull the wool over the youngistan brigade. Snooker is where 90% of the money in cue sports lie (among billiards and snooker that is), and while the Thais and the chinis go there because of that precise reason, our folks seem too gung-ho with the classical billiards version, which is the king of cue sports for sure, but has little money too. Why even Md Saleh and the Perwani brothers do a better job for pakis than our folks in snooker? Bad, pretty bad...
Yasin Merchant wins All-India snooker trophy
http://beta.thehindu.com/sport/other-sp ... e94281.ece

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 28 Jan 2010 23:10

Is IPL like the US housing and mortgage crises? An over inflated baloon which is going to burst?

Compare the millions of dollars they franchises spent on the auctions last year to the comparitively low amounts this year.

Also Shoib chukter is probably not the only cricketer to not have received his payments. Perhaps one must ask the many lesser known Indian cricketers if they have received their payments?

The entire IPL thing is beginning to stink IMHO.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 28 Jan 2010 23:13

Gagan,
I think it is more of incremental spending, this being the third year. The first two years all teams were in a building mode buying up and exchanging players. But they have a limited quota for foreign players and money. So I'd expect the auctioning thing and big spending to quiten down a lot and restricted to signing new players for injured, exchange or expired contract players onlee.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 28 Jan 2010 23:19

AFAIK, all desi players have been paid and the teams also made a profit in season-1. this year the franchises had very little money available to buy because of the spending caps imposed as part of original agreement i.e they had already spent up most of their allotted money and there were very few slots available as well (there's a cap on that too). the fact that 2-3 players went for the highest bid price after a tied auction by 3, sometimes 4 franchises should dispel any notion of IPL slowing down. I don't know where you got the idea that something stinks in it.

Chinmayanand · Post by **Chinmayanand** » 29 Jan 2010 15:21

Sena dares SRK to include Pak players in Kolkata Knight Riders

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 29 Jan 2010 18:06

India are among the favourites to win hockey WC: Charlesworth
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 513635.cms

"I believe, there are at least half a dozen team who are capable of winning the tournament. I underestimate no team. But when you look at the history of such tournaments, the home team always do very well,"

"I know Jose since the early 90s when we coached against each other in the women's programme. He is a capable man and a formidable opponent. I watched India play in Argentina last year and they were impressive without being emphatic," said Charlesworth, who was appointed Australia's chief coach last year.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 29 Jan 2010 18:44

durgesh wrote:Sena dares SRK to include Pak players in Kolkata Knight Riders

duegesh. let's keep krikit and/or politics and masala news out of this. use nukkad.
thx.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 29 Jan 2010 22:45

Chouhan hands over Rs. 73 lakh to women's hockey team
http://beta.thehindu.com/sport/hockey/article96995.ece

negi · Post by **negi** » 30 Jan 2010 04:33

Paes is the man for India .

Paes in mixed doubles final at Australian Open

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 30 Jan 2010 18:15

Chess: Corus concludes in Wijk Aan Zee in a few days (2 to be precise)....

General: So the SAF games has begun in BD without mucho fanfare somuchso that I have seen no single report on this in any newspaper in India

. Sure, SAF games are events where we take part to show camaraderie with boor coundry cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, but yea, not one report, is that a collective shrug to sports journalism in India or is that a reflection of the dont care state that gets extended to most things in India today?

In any case, India thrash Nepal 21-0 in opening hockey match of South Asian Games

The Indian men's hockey team routed an inexperienced Nepal 21-0 in their opening match of the South Asian Games at the Moulana Bhashani Stadium here today. Led by Ajitesh {Roy}, Indians ruled the roost from the beginning and never allowed Nepal any chance of the ball possession.

India drew first blood in the 13 seconds of the match and went on to score 10 goals in the first 35 minutes giving their goalkeeper Chander Singh Thalal a torrid time under the bar. Down 0-10 in the first-half, it was a Himalayan task for the Nepalese to come back as Indians added 11 more after the break to complete the rout. Roshan of India was adjudged Man of the Match.

Cue sports: Yasin brother, I dont think you will read this, but in any case, I empathize you on what you think. Shame on GoI and the jackasses that decide on these Arjuna awards, Drona awards, Padmashris, Bushans and Vibushans. The Chandrayaan team could nt get recognized, but one Chatwal-dood could get an award, so much for yeh hi hei right choice baby. Thank you.

Yasin Merchant writes to Rahul Gandhi after Padma Shri snub
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 517108.cms

But why letter to RG, is he some major god in the pantheon of gods?

Tennis: Leander Paes chases record-equalling Grand Slam title {not to mention that the record is held by Hesh}
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_le ... le_1341093
Numbers no longer matter: Leander
http://telegraphindia.com/1100130/jsp/s ... 046068.jsp

The info on matters a la Sania is that the Sohrab Mirza side are much higher in class status than the Sania side. And supposed fil Adil Mirza was the one who wanted her to quit tennis. Imran Mirza, Sania's father, said shove off to this proposal. Plus, some back and forth between Sohrab and Sania put paid to the whole affair. Now this should be in page 3, but anyway, there are enuf folks in India who are jobless to follow this soap opera even if Sania herself keeps chugging along at 80s in the WTA ladder.

Footer: AIFF looks to corporates for support
http://telegraphindia.com/1100130/jsp/s ... 043550.jsp
Hahhhaa, call it the Bob Houghton effect....

The committee has also decided to reduce the number of foreign players in each I-League team to two from the 2011-12 season and scrap the quota place for the Player of Indian Origin (PIO). The teams, however, will be allowed to recruit one foreigner more as per the Asian players’ quota. In the season 2010-’11, however, the AIFF may allow the clubs to recruit four and field three foreign players in the I-League. It was also decided that the I-League players would no longer be allowed to feature in the Santosh Trophy.

In another major decision, the AIFF approved the Goal 2011 plan under which 25 to 30 national team players are set to miss club football for the first seven months of the next season. Starting August, the team will remain involved in several camps and friendly matches in and outside India till the Doha Asian Cup in January 2011. The AIFF has decided to pay the salaries of these players for seven months.

Golf: Jeev Milkha Singh hoping to catch Greg Norman's eye at European Masters
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_je ... rs_1341301

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 31 Jan 2010 01:46

Indian shooters hire coach, pay him from own pocket
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 518604.cms

With NRAI unable to recruit a coach to replace Hungarian Czaba Gyorik who left after the Beijing Olympics, the shooters have availed of the services of a top coach, with each spending around Rs 50,000 a month.

"How long should we wait? The authorities can take their own time but the competition dates won't change. Now, we're spending from our pockets to pay renowned coach Anatoli Poddubni of Ukraine for his expertise," Samaresh Jung, nicknamed 'Goldfinger' for his medal haul in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, told TOI.

India can finish as high as fifth in hockey World Cup: Brasa
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 518503.cms

negi · Post by **negi** » 31 Jan 2010 12:39

Oye Paes and Cara have won the Australian open ...AoA

Leander Paes and Cara Black win Australian Open mixed doubles title

Chinmayanand · Post by **Chinmayanand** » 01 Feb 2010 03:31

read my last post.

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 02 Feb 2010 23:12

Vijender gets silver at Champion of Champions
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 528647.cms

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 04 Feb 2010 02:06

That's the official website of SAF games 2010

http://www.11sagdhaka2010.com.bd/

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 04 Feb 2010 02:16

India thump Pakistan at South Asian Games
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 532126.cms

India thrashed arch rivals Pakistan 5-1 to reach the final of the hockey event in the 11th South Asian Games at Moulana Bhashani Stadium.

Nothing can be more satisfying than the news of the Pakistanis (peace be upon them) being thrashed by the evil yindoos

.

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 06 Feb 2010 00:51

Hockey World Cup tickets go on sale
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 531416.cms

The prices of tickets for the February 28-March 13 megavent have been fixed at Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and 5,000 for the group stage matches while it has been priced at Rs 150, Rs 750, Rs 1,500 and Rs 7,500 for the knockout stages.

The tickets are now available in the official website of the tournament.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 06 Feb 2010 01:57

somdev lost to david ferrer(WR 18) in the 1/4 finals of SA open.

Ravi Karumanchiri · Post by **Ravi Karumanchiri** » 06 Feb 2010 08:34

Hello All,

I hope this is not OT for this thread, but I thought it would be good to share here.

This is a YouTube vid of American 'Ice Dancers' Meryl Davis and Charlie White skating in Japan to Bollywood music, wearing Indian-inspired costumes. It was a really nice performance -- excellent synchronicity. I'm sure they'll do well at the Olympics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrKL488gIMU

Enjoy!

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 07 Feb 2010 01:55

Bindra clinches second gold in Dutch tourney

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 543021.cms

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 07 Feb 2010 01:58

@ Ravi Karumanchiri

Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it a lot.

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 08 Feb 2010 12:36

India lost to Satan in the hockey finals of SAF games. Hmm, where have I seen this before?

Asit P · Post by **Asit P** » 09 Feb 2010 02:30

Players want Prabhjot Singh as skipper: Sources
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 548677.cms

According to sources, Rajpal Singh doesn't have the backing of the team-mates due to his stand during the face-off with Hockey India officials over payment issues.

Meanwhile, chief coach Jose Brasa was adamant on pushing his case that Prabhjot Singh should be made the skipper of the World Cup side.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 09 Feb 2010 03:32

Aj ka gunda raj

NEW DELHI: Basketball teams which went to Varanasi to compete in the All India Inter University championship have alleged that they were forced to forfeit their matches against the hosts due to intimidation by armed goons who threatened to kill if they didn't lose.

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 11 Feb 2010 00:19

In India, Many Top Athletes Work on the Railroad

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/sport ... mpics.html

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 12 Feb 2010 11:36

Cricket gets IOC approval, can bid to join Olympics

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?s ... &type=lgns

Cricket was cleared to pursue its bid to be included in future Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rubberstamped the sport’s recognition on Thursday.

Cricket, powerboating and sports climbing became the latest sports to be officially recognised by the IOC, a status necessary before launching a bid to become part of the Olympic programme.

The three sports can now bid to join the 2020 Olympics as the programme is always determined seven years in advance.

Manish Jain · Post by **Manish Jain** » 12 Feb 2010 13:53

Here's another PIL filing RM. May God help Rahul Mehra in his mission. I don't know what happened to his last case against BCCI but hoping something good will come out of this one.

http://prempanicker.wordpress.com/2010/ ... ian-sport/

Every single sports body in this country has been systematically converted into the personal fiefdom of politicians; these politicians have de facto tenure for life irrespective of performance or lack thereof.

This fact is at the heart of a Public Interest Litigation that has now been filed in the Delhi High Court by advocate Rahul Mehra, who earlier had hit the headlines for his PIL against the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Long time readers will be familiar with his name and with the BCCI case; for those who are not, these stories, in date-wise order, will provide some background: Help the BCCI clean up its act; Be the change that you want to see; Decontrol cricket.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 12 Feb 2010 14:31

6. That the government of India de-recognize the Indian Weightlifting Federation for having consistently failed to curb doping among the athletes, and thus having brought the nation at large into disrepute;

3. Ensuring that in accordance with established guidelines, no office bearer of a national sports body hold office for more than a maximum of two terms of four years each;

Undemocratic. There are no limits for MP/MLA posts in the country, so how can there be a cap on NSF presidents/secretary-ships?

2. Directing the government to ensure that here on, elections to the IOA and other sports bodies are under the aegis of independent observers appointed by the Chief Election Commissioner of India [this, the petition points out, is necessary as the prevailing practice has been for the IOA to appoint its own "observers" and thus continue the charade of free and fair elections];

The EC has its hands full in preparing for the real elections, it cant go around trying to organize elections of sports federations.

Oh well, I see this lawsuit being dumped and labeled as frivolous. Kalmadi will call it the saar grapes effect. What Rahul Mehra wants is a RDB, what he needs to do is accept that we suck as a sporting nation, both in terms of enthusiasm and attention-span, let alone sporting as an option to maintain work-life balance. Unless folks who grow up today educate their kids about a balanced life, not much is going to be possible. The revolution has to come from the middle class that has two things going for it: i) can afford to send their kids to practice some sport at a semi-professional or sub-professional level, ii) the numbers increase at an exponential rate. Till then, it is good to be informed that we suck. In another 20 years, we will have enough moneys to put into sports as a prestige issue. Till then, ib4tl and a big fat yaaaaaaaaaawn...