Distracting and elitist ploy
Jay Kumar
A false sense of euphoria has set in with the launch of the WSH, a joint initiative of the derecognised Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Nimbus Sport. This will be counterproductive for hockey. The comparison with IPL is ominous, given the latter’s history of shady dealings. But can the WSH even woo fans like the IPL? Its previous avatar, the Premier Hockey League which ran from 2005 to 2008, failed to sustain itself due to lack of an audience. Commercialisation is not the solution to every sporting problem.
If the IPL has succeeded in drawing an audience across the country, that’s because cricket always had a strong grassroots foundation and a dedicated audience. Does hockey have a similar grassroots foundation and audience? Will the mere pumping of money bring about a revival of the game? On top of it all, can the WSH recruit foreign players in the wake of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) questioning its legitimacy? The FIH has already termed the league as unofficial. Given the ongoing tug-of-war between the IHF and Hockey India for taking over as the prime administrative body in the country, the WSH may become a moribund rebel league much like the Indian Cricket League, which crashed.
The Indian hockey team’s performances in the Commonwealth Games and the Guangzhou Asian Games have raised a glimmer of hope for the revival of the sport in the country. When the team needs to focus on qualifying for the London Olympics in 2012, it can hardly afford a split among the pool of players. Instead of distracting cash-rich leagues, Indian hockey needs to pull itself up at the grassroots. This calls for spending (without hope of immediate returns) on infrastructure and training facilities at the village and township level. Hockey federations, too, need to be reformed and their internecine disputes sorted out.