All in the Game

Sachin Tendulkar completes 20 years of international career and is still going strong..  Very rarely that one comes across a sportsman proving himself the best time and again… It’s so easy for critics to write him off if he underperforms even in a single match, but true to Sachin’s style it’s his bat that does the talking… Awesome records, controversy free career and 20 years of brilliance is no mean feat… 

Not long before Sachin’s accomplishment of 20 years in international cricket, one former tennis sensation and legend Opens up. Andre Agassi’s or Drugassi’s (courtesy: Amul’s hoarding taking a dig on current affairs) crystal clear career slam gets tainted with a crystal meth drug... Was it really the drug that did the trick for him of winning all four coveted Grand Slams?? Could it be that Agassi is giving credit to the drug more than its worth...

What made Agassi confess?? If the drugs gave only physical strength, then we all know the amount of mental strength needed to win matches that eventually went down into the history?? Its not that the matches he won were against some ‘never heard’, ‘never seen’, ‘never played’ players. He won against his equals. And when equals clash, it’s not the physical stamina alone that does the match winner… And if pills really help mental stamina, then why could not Agassi take one now to shut up?? 

Not sure if this goes on to show his integrity or goes on to prove that a true sportsperson can never run away from integrity. I admire you Agassi for coming clean, but I’m still not sure about the motive behind coming clean.  

If your confession is a way to make money, then I doubt if you could stoop so low to resort to such practices. I hope you don’t do this even if you were bankrupt.  I hope not.

If this is a way of riddance of a guilty heart and an effort to come clean to the world that gave you so much, then I think you are on the right track.  It takes a person of your stature to be really really strong to confess, knowing the consequences your confessions could invite.. But yea, there is nothing like a guilt and regret free life… Whatever you lose post your confession will only be far less than a guilt ridden conscience that you had to live for long..  I respect you and I still think you deserved those wins (at least the Majors, as you didn’t win any of those during 1997 when you tested positive for drugs).

But I wonder how this is going to affect the whole game of Tennis.  This coming from the only career Golden slam player that the sport has ever seen is agonizing. Why couldn’t you be a sport? you are a human too??  Yea, Right!!! You never claimed you are perfect. It is we audience who perceived you to be. You are not compelled to live up to others’ perceptions, are you?? Agassi or Drugassi, forming perceptions and accepting reality is at the audience’s disposal…

What next for Agassi?? Like Marat Safin says “give back his titles, his money and his Grand Slam titles”.  Would Agassi do that? Is he ready to trade off his titles for a guilt free soul? As far as giving back the money goes, who knows his book might just ‘Open’ up the gates to greater fortune… win-win either way?? Agassi knows best. Looks like some are born winners no matter what…

Not long after Drugassi episode, comes another ‘hand of God’ goal. This time from France’s Thierry Henry.. 

I know its not fair for Ireland.. Not at all fair... What you did is wrong Mr. Henry. And I still wonder how it can be ‘instinctive reaction’ that made you do the handball.. You are not playing soccer for the first time, are you?? Aren’t these rules ingrained in your sub-conscious mind considering the number of years you have been playing at an international level?? So don’t blame it on instinct Mr. Henry. It appears to be a very conscious decision and intentional…  Why did you do? Did you already embrace defeat in your mind?

And as a consequence if you are getting one year ban which may also prohibit you from playing in world cup, then I guess it serves you right. I apologize for being harsh on you (as if you care.. lol), but wait. Did Ireland get its due?

Some of the Ireland’s players probably have been deprived of their last or only chance of playing in the FIFA World Cup. One such atrocious ‘Hand of God’ goal is the culprit. Don’t we all agree that the pain of being denied is much higher than the pain of losing? One man’s ban is no healer for one whole nation’s deprived joy of watching its team play… 

What purpose will your ban serve, Thierry Henry? What have you lost except one year of non-playing and giving a miss to the World Cup in Cape Town. Your country and your team still go on to play the World Cup at Cape Town. Isn’t it fair to ban your entire team? If one man’s goal can send a team to world cup, then the same one man’s no goal should bring out the team from the world cup. Isn’t that fair?  If only players like you knew that such erroneous ‘instinctive reactions’ could attract such severe consequence, this would not have taken place.

Thierry Henry, I only hope this is the last time ever that a team gets advantage of such rubbish ‘hand of God’ goals or for that matter anything that is against true sportsmanship.. It’s a disgrace to the most popular sport of the world.. 

Also, I’m glad Mr. Henry, in-spite of your ‘instinctive reaction’, you were not ‘instinctive’ in denying the mistake.. 

Life is serious and that is why we love sports.. But if sports get dirty, where is the fun? Isn’t integrity the mark of a true sportsman?

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