An old post initially penned as an email over a lazy Saturday evening during the peak of the IPL season and the NBA playoffs.
I think I know why I prefer the NBA to the IPL despite:
a) being a big fan of cricket
b) the NBA and the IPL being packaged identically including shorter games, booze and cheerleaders..:)
It has to do with the way I have seen cricket growing up. My first memories of great cricket included the 1987 World Cup in India which Australia won and then the controversial 1992 World Cup down under which had a lot of firsts
1) Color Clothing
2) Day-Night Matches.
3) South Africa's comeback
4) the World Cup debut of a little boy from Bombay called Sachin Tendulkar.
My interest grew and I started following cricket much seriously in my teens and I still endear myself to a lot of quality cricket from the 1990s and the early 2000's.
1) The Titan cup game 8 in Bangalore (1996) where Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble kicked Australia's ass.
2) The 1996 World Cup blitzkriegs of Sanath Jayasuriya and Lance Kluesener.
3) India's victory over Pakistan in the 1998 Independence cup final.
4) Australia vs. South Africa, World Cup Semifinals 1999 ( I still remember that day because M was so upset that the South Africans lost, that she cried for more than 2 hours locking herself in her room) and their subsequent final victory.
5) Sachin Tendulkar's and India's fantastic performance in the 2003 World Cup and their subsequent failure in the finals.
When I came to the US, the interest in the game started waning due to the inaccessibility to watch it and the inability to play it often. There was a point of time when I did not see a single game for more than 2 years. I resumed watching it sometime in 2006 and then the horrible World Cup happened in 2007.
I think I watched the 20-20 world cup last year and it was fun. For some reason, the one day format of the game has been more endearing to me than the 20-20 because I feel that the one day games gave everyone scope to perform. The pinch hitters, the technicians, the all rounders all had roles to play, along with the seamsters, the spinners and the medium pace bowlers. the 20-20 has become a more of a who can hit harder contest, and the fast pace of the game along with the mega bucks that can be made is what is promoting its popularity.
The NBA ever since its conception has been like these-2.5 hours of game time, smoke, light and the show makers. This is how Basketball was in the 90's during the era of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the 2000's reign of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O ' Neal and the LA Lakers to the present day dominance of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Add to the fact that Basketball is so physical and cannot be played any longer than the 48 minutes of game time. The league extends 9 months throughout the year, with each team playing 82 games throughout the regular season.
Most importantly, till late, Cricket was seen a national sport and the entire nation got together to support the Indian team, unlike sport in the US which is mostly league based with each city having its own franchise and their denizens pledging loyalty to their home teams. There is a US Basketball team, I think they convene together once in a while to participate in the FIBA World Championships and the Olympics. But then the rules of the games/court dimensions are different from that of the NBA. Lets save the technicalities for another time. I don't think they have national teams for hockey, football and baseball- the rest of this great country's sporting passions. The importance given to college sport in this country cannot be seen anywhere in the world. Period. and then there is the MONEY.
I love cricket but then I really don't know whether if I would be able to enjoy the IPL the way the folks are doing now. At the end of the day, its a fantastic game, and like a lot of my other friends who cringed at the thoughts of a cricketing league but are ardent supporters now, I could end up being a believer. Only time will tell.
I think I know why I prefer the NBA to the IPL despite:
a) being a big fan of cricket
b) the NBA and the IPL being packaged identically including shorter games, booze and cheerleaders..:)
It has to do with the way I have seen cricket growing up. My first memories of great cricket included the 1987 World Cup in India which Australia won and then the controversial 1992 World Cup down under which had a lot of firsts
1) Color Clothing
2) Day-Night Matches.
3) South Africa's comeback
4) the World Cup debut of a little boy from Bombay called Sachin Tendulkar.
My interest grew and I started following cricket much seriously in my teens and I still endear myself to a lot of quality cricket from the 1990s and the early 2000's.
1) The Titan cup game 8 in Bangalore (1996) where Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble kicked Australia's ass.
2) The 1996 World Cup blitzkriegs of Sanath Jayasuriya and Lance Kluesener.
3) India's victory over Pakistan in the 1998 Independence cup final.
4) Australia vs. South Africa, World Cup Semifinals 1999 ( I still remember that day because M was so upset that the South Africans lost, that she cried for more than 2 hours locking herself in her room) and their subsequent final victory.
5) Sachin Tendulkar's and India's fantastic performance in the 2003 World Cup and their subsequent failure in the finals.
When I came to the US, the interest in the game started waning due to the inaccessibility to watch it and the inability to play it often. There was a point of time when I did not see a single game for more than 2 years. I resumed watching it sometime in 2006 and then the horrible World Cup happened in 2007.
I think I watched the 20-20 world cup last year and it was fun. For some reason, the one day format of the game has been more endearing to me than the 20-20 because I feel that the one day games gave everyone scope to perform. The pinch hitters, the technicians, the all rounders all had roles to play, along with the seamsters, the spinners and the medium pace bowlers. the 20-20 has become a more of a who can hit harder contest, and the fast pace of the game along with the mega bucks that can be made is what is promoting its popularity.
The NBA ever since its conception has been like these-2.5 hours of game time, smoke, light and the show makers. This is how Basketball was in the 90's during the era of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the 2000's reign of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O ' Neal and the LA Lakers to the present day dominance of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Add to the fact that Basketball is so physical and cannot be played any longer than the 48 minutes of game time. The league extends 9 months throughout the year, with each team playing 82 games throughout the regular season.
Most importantly, till late, Cricket was seen a national sport and the entire nation got together to support the Indian team, unlike sport in the US which is mostly league based with each city having its own franchise and their denizens pledging loyalty to their home teams. There is a US Basketball team, I think they convene together once in a while to participate in the FIBA World Championships and the Olympics. But then the rules of the games/court dimensions are different from that of the NBA. Lets save the technicalities for another time. I don't think they have national teams for hockey, football and baseball- the rest of this great country's sporting passions. The importance given to college sport in this country cannot be seen anywhere in the world. Period. and then there is the MONEY.
I love cricket but then I really don't know whether if I would be able to enjoy the IPL the way the folks are doing now. At the end of the day, its a fantastic game, and like a lot of my other friends who cringed at the thoughts of a cricketing league but are ardent supporters now, I could end up being a believer. Only time will tell.
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