Sporting events are not only a mere medium of entertainment but also a great source of inspiration. The Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp summed up the value of football (and sports) in life perfectly in The Players' Tribune article:
Football is the only thing more inspiring than the cinema. You wake up in the morning, and the magic was all real. You actually knocked down Drago. It really happened.
So, it is quite appropriate and obvious to worship those who make these dreams come true as 'Gods'. But there has been a striking difference between the so-called misappropriated Gods of India and that of other European and American countries.
The cult following of these sporting Gods is massive and often they have been more influential than many politicians or other leaders. Didier Drogba stopped a civil war from happening. Javier Zanetti went out of his way to support the Zapatistas of Mexico. There are many instances like these where a sporting hero rose to the occasion and became one true God.
But sadly, Indians in recent years have lacked many of them.
We all remember, it took only one tweet of Rihanna for the whole Bollywood and Cricketing world to line up with their template 'amicable' tweets to show genuine concerns for India's integrity. And right now, India is undergoing a massive humanitarian crisis with a shortage of hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, and medicines but those icons of billions have decided to seal their lips.
Now, I am not saying the sporting achievements of these so-called Gods shouldn't be celebrated. But, if one can't act from being at the vantage position of utter privilege, then what is the point? Many of these sporting Gods have been labeled as 'Sanghi', 'Fascist', and whatnot! I firmly believe that isn't the case either. They would have done the same if there was someone else in the government.
After everything being said and done, there is one burning question that is bugging me still.
Is our society a reflection of the sporting Gods or the sporting Gods are a reflection of the society?