Letters to the editor.

Sir,
The win by the Indian Cricket team is really historic and the huge fan
following that the sport has in India has made it possible for the huge
reception that was given to the players. This is a kind of barometer for
the advertisers to gauge the extent of popularity of the sport in a
nation, seen from a commercial aspect. It is unfair to compare the game
of Cricket with that of Field Hockey. We should remember that now Hockey
is not even our national sport. It was removed from that status some
time back. It is just another game. Just because the Indian Hockey team
has brought gold medals from Olympic Games in the past doesn't guarantee
the popularity of the sport for posterity. There are a lot of issues
involved in making a sport popular in the media and among the masses. I
feel this should be better left to the market to decide for itself the
popularity of a sport. If comparison is to stretched further, then why
shouldn't the football players protest against limited attention shown
for their victory. The valid grievance that was made by the hockey
players that the rewards were not commensurate with their performance
should be addressed. I suggest that a scheme of rewards should be
announced whenever a team is selected for a tournament, so that the
players know before playing the tournament, what they would be expecting
when they emerge victorious.
Aravind Rajesh N.
1, laxmi niwas,
Kesary nagar,
Adambakkam,
Chennai-600088,
Tamil nadu,
South India.