In the T20 cricket World Cup currently being played in the United Arab Emirates, India (a dominant force in all forms of the game) has suffered a shock, losing its first two games to Pakistan and New Zealand and in danger of not qualifying for the playoff round. I mentioned in an earlier post that after their loss to Pakistan, some of the Indian team’s supporters, some of whose devotion border on fanaticism, vented their anger at people who had been cheering for the opposing team. While sports fans turning violent against supporters of opposing teams is sadly only too common in many sports, in India things went even further.
There was a case of a teacher who had posted on social media about supporting Pakistan who had a parent who had seen the post notify the school authorities about it and she was not only fired but also arrested. She was charged under an Indian law IPC section 153B that prohibits “Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration” and was released on bail. She issued an apology later saying that she had made the comments as a joke and was a loyal Indian. The actions against her were instigated by a group known as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) which is affiliated with the Hindu nationalist group RSS that supports prime minister Narendra Modi. These people claim that all Indian citizens must support the national team or risk being labeled as traitors.
What is ironic is that there is a huge Indian diaspora around the world and you can see them at cricket matches in England, Australia, and New Zealand loudly cheering for the Indian team although they are citizens of those other countries. In fact, this same thing happens with ethnic Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, West Indians, and Sri Lankans. And it seen as quite normal. As far as I am aware, those fans are not harassed for their actions. It was the West Indians who first brought a spirit of joyous celebration to the staid world of English cricket when they sang calypsos and danced in the stands when the West Indian team was touring England. And yet, some Indians are deeply offended when the roles are reversed and Indians who for whatever reason feel like supporting their opponents express themselves.
Good natured fandom can add to the enjoyment of a game. It is nice when there is cheering during a game and who cheers for whom and for what reason should be immaterial. Some people choose their allegiance based on geographic proximity, family traditions, or ethnic or other forms of tribal identification. Others may have other reasons that are more obscure. (I long ago stopped watching American football and my dislike has only increased with the revelations of traumatic brain injuries. But if asked to pick a team I would say the Green Bay Packers because that is the “only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States”, unlike all the other teams that are owned by billionaire cartels.)
For many sports fans, their teams are not in serious contention and may not be taking part at the highest levels. Hence some choose to cheer against a particular team, usually because that team has become dominant and people like to see the mighty humbled and the underdogs win. In the case of cricket, the teams that much of the world cheer against are India and Australia for that reason. In my case, even though I did not follow baseball or football, in baseball I was always happy to see the formerly named Cleveland Indians lose because of their name and their racist mascot. In the case of football, I like to see the Washington team lose because their owner is an awful person.
All this picking of teams and cheering for or against them could be and should be harmless fun. It is unfortunate when some people forget that it is, in the end, only a game, however much money may be involved behind the scenes.
“there is a huge Indian diaspora around the world and you can see them at cricket matches in England, Australia, and New Zealand loudly cheering for the Indian team although they are citizens of those other countries. {…} As far as I am aware, those fans are not harassed for their actions.”
Quite surprised you’ve never heard of this…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_test
Don’t see how choice comes into it. If you choose the Green Bay Packers for the reasons you cite, will you then feel real joy when they win, or real despair when they lose a squeaker?
Rob @#2,
I don’t really care about the game and have no idea how the Packers are doing. The issue was purely academic. If I were asked to pick a team that I would like to win, it is the Packers for solely that reason. It is really a political statement.
I’m a baseball fan, and although there are several rivalries in that sport, I’m not aware of any that are particularly hateful (except maybe Yankees vs. Red Sox). It’s even OK to be a Cubs fan in St. Louis…we think they’re cute. 😎
By the way, I enjoy Dr. Singhams posts about cricket, especially those that introduce me to some of the jargon. I’m a geek and I like words.
Sports fans are irrational by definition. Being a fan of a sports(wo)man or team means thinking that she/he/the is/are the greatest. Of course what constitutes “great” remains vague, because there never is a rational reason for it.
I’m a fan of Ritchie Blackmore (but only when he played his guitar) and FC Twente.
“vented their anger at people who had been cheering for the opposing team”
This is to be expected. By far not all fans do what I do: I don’t take my fanship seriously. In fact being a fan of FC Twente implies being capable of accepting disappointing results and still not lose hope. At the moment I can’t here the word Nijmegen, for instance.
“Good natured fandom can add to the enjoyment of a game.”
Yup, but strongly disliking one or two opponents also does. For a few decades I was dead against arrogant Ajax and whining Feyenoord. Last several years the culture of these two clubs has changed. I mean, successfull coach Erik ten Hag was an important player for the FC Twente many years ago and he’s the opposite of arrogant. Still I immensely enjoy FC Twente beating exactly those two teams, like a year ago in Amsterdam. And of course I have very fond memories of the 100 years jubilee of Ajax. Let me celebrate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_jUZgdq9Y
Yup. The current Ajax coach took the corner from which the decisive goal was made.
Had I to pick another football team I’d pick FC St. Pauli from Hamburg.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/nyregion/fc-st-pauli-east-river-bar.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_St._Pauli
So I’m happy to recommend it to you, if you intend to broaden your sports horizon.
No it doesn’t, it means the person prefers that person or team ahead of the others. Some people take fan in the original sense of ‘fanatic’, but most don’t. Nor is it irrational to like some things more than others.
> 1. sonofrojblake says
Paul Sinha produced a BBC radio show in which he talked about the history of cricket and how India rose in the rankings framed by his experience as a child in Britain of immigrants from India and the idea of his position in the Tibbit test.
It’s a good way to learn history.
> 5. mndo “Being a fan of a sports(wo)man or team means thinking that she/he/the is/are the greatest.”
I disagree. The phrase “being a fan” is only an assertion of firm support today, not irrational belief in superiority. Even if the idea ‘fan’ is a diminutive of ‘fanatic’ it doesn’t require irrational belief in superior abilities -- just a level of devotion to one side rather than others.
Sports fans can be irrational, but not all are. I, for example, don’t feel like I’ve won or lost when the Cardinals win or lose. I haven’t memorized all the players’ statistics (batting average with runners in scoring position, etc.); but I enjoy watching baseball; and I admire players who play the game well (Yadier Molina comes easily to mind). And like many St. Louis fans, I admire masterful defensive plays, even those made by members of opposing teams.
<aside>
Many years ago, when I was doing wires-and-pliers work for educational FM stations around the country, one of the DJs at KRAB (FM, Seattle) described baseball to be “as close as we in the West have come to patience.” I’d probably enjoy cricket if I knew more about it. 😎
</aside>
And then there are fans like this.