The Power of Hypocrisy - an anti BCCI rant

[silentstriker]

As I said, if SS is this strong aboout the other bodies in cricket and the other sports bodies in India, he would have something.

When you say 'other bodies in cricket' - what exactly are we talking about here? Let's be specific, and get it out on the table. It's certainly not the ECB, ACB or the NZC - which is the issue. Do you think such a lack of transparency would be tolerated from a non-profit in any of those countries? All the other boards that are 'just as bad' are all on the same side - something which is not a coincidence and that is only peripherally related to race. And amongst them, BCCI is the only one with real power, so it's natural that it's going to be the target. Everyone knows Zimbabwe is corrupt, but they have no real power. The issue is putting corruption and hypocrisy on the international stage, masquerading as some sort of nationalism or issue about racism and post-colonial angst.

Secondly, I do not know nor care about any other sports in India, but I bet none of them have the income or the power of BCCI on the international stage. BCCI, with their power, are not content simply sabotaging the future of their own country, they are spilling their petty incompetence onto the world stage.

The fact is that if any legitimate body was found to be as corrupt as BCCI, they would have no credibility left on any issue, let alone issues directly related to their corruption. It's a sad story that people just don't laugh in BCCI's face when stories about hundreds of thousands of dollars in hotel bills are out in the open on one hand, and they crow about having 'proper cricket administrative experience' on the other. Maybe Howard hasn't figured out how to properly pay for ****** services, coke and four seasons hotel rooms while paying a pittance to the actual players and/or investments in infrastructure, but I'm sure with the proper BCCI guidance, he'll learn.

 

[Dissector]

Do you actually know anything about the BCCI? It doesn't pay a pittance to players and infrastructure. For example just last year it tripled the prize money in the Ranji Trophy. In 2006, it announced a $347 million plan to invest in stadiums around India. It certainly needs to improve its internal management and become more transparent but it is already a very effective organization in some ways.

Despite its recent scandals, the IPL is probably the most exciting new franchise in all of world sports and was built in just three years. It's quite remarkable how it managed to maintain its stride despite being forced to leave India at such short notice in its second year. In business terms the IPL is a hell of a more impressive achievement than anything we have seen from Cricket Australia or the ECB.

And it's particularly laughable to attack the BCCI for rejecting the patently unsuitable John Howard. Is nominating Howard really a good example of the "professionalism" of Cricket Australia. Practically everyone agrees that Anderson was the more suitable candidate so how exactly did the supposedly "exhaustive and open nomination process" pick out a politician with no cricket administration exprerience. Has Cricket Australia been open about the reasons it thought Howard was more suitable than Anderson?

 

[jeevan]

When you say 'other bodies in cricket' - what exactly are we talking about here? Let's be specific, and get it out on the table. It's certainly not the ECB, ACB or the NZC - which is the issue. Do you think such a lack of transparency would be tolerated from a non-profit in any of those countries? All the other boards that are 'just as bad' are all on the same side - something which is not a coincidence and that is only peripherally related to race. And amongst them, BCCI is the only one with real power, so it's natural that it's going to be the target. Everyone knows Zimbabwe is corrupt, but they have no real power. The issue is putting corruption and hypocrisy on the international stage, masquerading as some sort of nationalism or issue about racism and post-colonial angst.

Secondly, I do not know nor care about any other sports in India, but I bet none of them have the income or the power of BCCI on the international stage. BCCI, with their power, are not content simply sabotaging the future of their own country, they are spilling their petty incompetence onto the world stage.

The fact is that if any legitimate body was found to be as corrupt as BCCI, they would have no credibility left on any issue, let alone issues directly related to their corruption. It's a sad story that people just don't laugh in BCCI's face when stories about hundreds of thousands of dollars in hotel bills are out in the open on one hand, and they crow about having 'proper cricket administrative experience' on the other. Maybe Howard hasn't figured out how to properly pay for ****** services, coke and four seasons hotel rooms while paying a pittance to the actual players and/or investments in infrastructure, but I'm sure with the proper BCCI guidance, he'll learn.

Howard is very much party to the multi trillion dollar scam known as the Iraq war. A PM of a country who sends troops based on made up evidence that was utterly flimsy even at the time needs no lessons on incompetence and ill-advised expenditure from the BCCI.

 

[jeevan]

And furthermore when the author says "a public that it treats with utter disdain at every opportunity.", he should not confuse his own self with the actual public in India.

BCCI has very recently created a product - the IPL - that the multitude in India can't quite get enough of.
The IPL doesn't appeal much to the cognoscenti, but the BCCI seems to have a fairly clear idea on who its audience really is. Tough **** if it is not you.

I live in and am a citizen of a first world country not dissimilar to Australia - and the amount of corruption on show here, be it Halliburton, Goldman Sachs or Lockheed Martin (who all do it in some amount of collaboration with the government), makes the BCCI look like a bunch of boy scouts in skimming off the top.

It's the BCCI who needs lessons in finessing these types of things, not vice versa.

 

[SaeedAnwar]

just to clarify, i didn't say brown in a (race) sense. I meant brown in cultural sense. hypocrite and cheating is really easily accepted in the brown culture, its a norm there.

For example a brown person raised in america would have american cultural values. so no, i dont mean race at all, i mean culture.

 

[Teja.]

just to clarify, i didn't say brown in a (race) sense. I meant brown in cultural sense. hypocrite and cheating is really easily accepted in the brown culture, its a norm there.

For example a brown person raised in america would have american cultural values. so no, i dont mean race at all, i mean culture.

Bann

 

[jeevan]

Do you actually know anything about the BCCI? It doesn't pay a pittance to players and infrastructure. For example just last year it tripled the prize money in the Ranji Trophy. In 2006, it announced a $347 million plan to invest in stadiums around India. It certainly needs to improve its internal management and become more transparent but it is already a very effective organization in some ways.

Despite its recent scandals, the IPL is probably the most exciting new franchise in all of world sports and was built in just three years. It's quite remarkable how it managed to maintain its stride despite being forced to leave India at such short notice in its second year. In business terms the IPL is a hell of a more impressive achievement than anything we have seen from Cricket Australia or the ECB.

And it's particularly laughable to attack the BCCI for rejecting the patently unsuitable John Howard. Is nominating Howard really a good example of the "professionalism" of Cricket Australia. Practically everyone agrees that Anderson was the more suitable candidate so how exactly did the supposedly "exhaustive and open nomination process" pick out a politician with no cricket administration exprerience. Has Cricket Australia been open about the reasons it thought Howard was more suitable than Anderson?

Amen to that.

While we're speaking frankly on the race issue - us po' brown folks have a long way to go - in our homelands and in our adopted countries. But one thing we need like the plague are 'coconuts' who in this case are riling that a bunch of "our" folks voted against an amateur who they had no confidence in. And brought race into it because they happened to be brown or black and the guy in question happened to be white.

 

[silentstriker]

Do you actually know anything about the BCCI? It doesn't pay a pittance to players and infrastructure. For example just last year it tripled the prize money in the Ranji Trophy. In 2006, it announced a $347 million plan to invest in stadiums around India. It certainly needs to improve its internal management and become more transparent but it is already a very effective organization in some ways.

Ah yes, they announced a plan. Amazing.

Transparent? Really? Can you find a document that lists their expense and income please?

 

[Dissector]

Please read what I said which was that the BCCI needed to be more transparent. Do you disagree with this?

And what exactly is wrong with announcing a plan? Do you think the BCCI can improve stadiums by magic? And it has followed up the annoucement by putting in large amounts of money to renovate India's cricket stadiums especially for the world cup.

 

[Matt79]

Howard is very much party to the multi trillion dollar scam known as the Iraq war. A PM of a country who sends troops based on made up evidence that was utterly flimsy even at the time needs no lessons on incompetence and ill-advised expenditure from the BCCI.

Plenty of people here, and in the US, would disagree with that assessment of why we went to war in Iraq. Bit misleading to state as fact what is merely an opinion (albeit a popular one in some political circles).

 

[jeevan]

Plenty of people here, and in the US, would disagree with that assessment of why we went to war in Iraq. Bit misleading to state as fact what is merely an opinion (albeit a popular one in some political circles).

We, the public in the US, were told the Iraq war was about WMDs and Saddam's support to Al Qaeda. The evidence on either was pretty flimsy or just plain non-existent even before the war, and per CIA sources too.

CNN.com - Ex-CIA official: WMD evidence ignored - Apr 23, 2006
Clarke's Take On Terror - 60 Minutes - CBS News
Op-Ed Contributor - What I Didn and #146 - t Find in Africa - NYTimes.com

 

[jeevan]

Plenty of people here, and in the US, would disagree with that assessment of why we went to war in Iraq. Bit misleading to state as fact what is merely an opinion (albeit a popular one in some political circles).

And you also have to note that this, and other aspects of John Howard's international career, is being observed and judged through the eyes that are not Australian or American. To defend Howard's resume, you have to make arguments that make sense to those people.

 

[silentstriker]

Yup, Howard shouldn't be the President of ICC because Iraw didn't have WMDs.

That is hilarious.

 

[silentstriker]

Please read what I said which was that the BCCI needed to be more transparent.

By more, you mean greater than 'zero'.

 

[Cruxdude]

Yup, Howard shouldn't be the President of ICC because Iraw didn't have WMDs.

That is hilarious.

Sambit Bal has written a pretty good article on this. It really brings a bit of perspective to the issue.

 

[jeevan]

Yup, Howard shouldn't be the President of ICC because Iraw didn't have WMDs.

That is hilarious.

Might've been hilarious, but for the fact that this fiasco has cost each resident of the US between $3K and $10K. (How much, we don't know. Our government won't give us a straight answer.)

Any way, let me bring out the crayons if you pretend to not get the connection.
- Howard's primary qualification appears to be his "international statesmanship" (that or a similar phrase from a CA press release iirc).
- His primary role in international affairs will go down in history as one of the international leaders who bought the nonsensical story put out by Bush & co, and acted in the extreme (send troops to two war zones).
- Which was flimsy then, we know to be false now, pretty much for sure. Either wrt WMD or wrt Saddam working with Al Qaeda.
- The rest of the world, at the time or now, did not see the Iraq war the same way as Bush & his lackeys did.

- I.e. there is a distinct lack of respect for Mr Howard's primary "qualification".
- Added to his other mouthings off (wrt Zimbabwe & Murali) and inaction (aborigines, apartheid) -> this is a distinctly poor candidate to lead any international organization, especially if there is a diverse membership.

 

[jeevan]

By more, you mean greater than 'zero'.

Let's review some facts here.
- Jagmohan Dalmiya went to jail for misusing BCCI funds.
- Shashi Tharoor and/or his SO had to forfeit their entire stake in the Kochi IPL franchise, even the part they had legitimately earned on account of putting the deal together.
Would have lost his central ministership too, but for intervention by the Indian PM (the one thing you can say about him, is his clean record wrt his own financial dealings).
- Lalit Modi lost his IPL chairmanship and now potentially faces criminal charges on account of abusing the IPL franchising process.
- Even Sharad Pawar comes under the scanner for an indirect investment in a business group that made a failed IPL bid. That's right - the Sharad Pawar, then chief of BCCI - financially backed a group that bid for an IPL franchise and lost.

I.e. the corrupt chief of an outfit that needs to make no records public could not swing a franchise for his business associates. And, in fact, had to go public with the nature of his investments.

Yep, zero transparency at the BCCI since all their executives are running scott-free alright.

 

[honestbharani]

Plenty of people here, and in the US, would disagree with that assessment of why we went to war in Iraq. Bit misleading to state as fact what is merely an opinion (albeit a popular one in some political circles).

And plenty of people (I dare say more than the amount of people who support this) would disagree with that...


Let's put the cards on the table.. Howard had no experience of running cricket at any level, and him being nominated as a figurehead is not going to do anything for anyone. If the BCCI and the boards that voted with them wanted someone who has a background of cricket administration as the figurehead, then that's that. That is NO reason to blame the BCCI.


SS, if you wanna criticize BCCI for something, there is plenty.. Rejecting Howard is not it. The way it was done is certainly wrong, but I still think it is the right decision. There is no way why a guy who is unacceptable to this many of the member boards should be made president, just because his home board thought it would be a good idea one fine day...

 

[honestbharani]

Sambit Bal has written a pretty good article on this. It really brings a bit of perspective to the issue.

Perspecitve and SS dont' really sit together when it comes to BCCI.



SS, I have a lot of respect for you as a poster but you are doing yourself any good on this issue.. I am yet to see you respond to most people's valid points.. And again, unless you are going to show us ONE GOOD reason why Howard was a good choice (apart from the fact that he was nominated by the boards who's turn it was to nominate someone), you are not winning anything here in this argument..

 

[Xuhaib]

Bann

awta.

What a cheater and hypocrite I am.