Crowds

[Jono]

Wtf does that have to do with talking about the crowds?

Benchy isn't hating on India.

FFS.

 

[benchmark00]

Wtf does that have to do with talking about the crowds?

Benchy isn't hating on India.

FFS.

Yeah exactly.

People take things too personally, as if it's an attack on their country. In no way is this even remotely confined to Indian fans either (and it's only a small minority of Indian fans that do this ftr) , there are fans from all countries that get too defensive and take it the wrong way.

I'll re-iterate my point - the crowd issue in WC's between neutrals would in all likelyhood be exactly the same in all countries. I think India deserves a bit more attention though because they have such a highly publicised tag of being cricket obsessed.

 

[Bun]

Wtf does that have to do with talking about the crowds?

Benchy isn't hating on India.

FFS.

All the knock out matches were sell offs. And most of the group matches were too.

Why should India be any different from other "sport crazy" countries is my question. Such a non issue blown up to this proportion, one has to suspect a bit more into that Jono.

 

[Jono]

Who are you referring to?

The article? Did you even read the article? An American who had never watched cricket in his life wrote it FFS.

And the article praised India. Jesus Christ.

 

[Bun]

Who are you referring to?

The article? Did you even read the article? An American who had never watched cricket in his life wrote it FFS.

And the article praised India. Jesus Christ.

No, the article is top notch. Quality.

 

[vcs]

Yeah I immediately thought of this thread when I read that bit in that article. I'm spending way too much time on CW, haha.

 

[honestbharani]

Isn't India still getting out much better crowds for a neutral game and in larger venues, at that, than other countries?

 

[Sanz]

I turn to Rahul. "Do Indians still love the actual game of cricket?"

There's a pause.

"It's a delicate sort of question," he says.

Another pause.

"The thing about Indians' love for cricket is, a lot of it is having something to support India at," he says. "A lot of it is celebrity. People in love with [team captain MS] Dhoni instead of the actual sport. It happens all the time. In the past five years, you find that matches not featuring India don't draw crowds. It does seem on some level the love is not for the sport itself but for some of the things it stands for."

Wright Thompson: In Tendulkar country | Specials | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

Shelling out their hard earned money to fill the stands isn't the criteria I use for measuring the love for the game. I don't follow any star and I know many who don't and yet they still love this game and other sports more than many on this forum do.


The ridiculousness of that kind of criteria doesn't change because it has come from an Indian. Does Rahul watch other teams ? Yes, well he is an Indian too. ?

Do You, Jono, follow other teams ? Do you consider yourself an Indian fan ? If so then don't be the judge of of other people's love of the game because they don't fit your criteria of a fan.

 

[benchmark00]

Haha and your criteria of picking out specific individual Indian supporters is amazingly sound logic. What a joke.

 

[Sanz]

I'll re-iterate my point - the crowd issue in WC's between neutrals would in all likelyhood be exactly the same in all countries. I think India deserves a bit more attention though because they have such a highly publicised tag of being cricket obsessed.

First of you didn't only talk about "Cricket" alone, you said the following :-

Always get the feeling that Indians don't like following sport, they just like following India.

Secondly If you had criticized the crowd for not turning up to the neutral games, it would have been fine, you said that we don't like following sport based on the crowd in neutral games. That's ridiculous and I did not say that you hate India, just that you had no clue.

 

[Sanz]

Haha and your criteria of picking out specific individual Indian supporters is amazingly sound logic. What a joke.

Way to digress from the point I have raised. Have you got any other criteria to show case your statement that Indians don't love sports ?

 

[benchmark00]

The crowds during the recent Dehli Comm games were very poor at events that:

a) India werent participating in and/or;
b) India are historically rubbish in.

hockey, which I understand is Indias official national sport, had poor crowds for games not involving India, but brilliant and massive crowds for Indian games. That is a fact, but absolutely off the point because I have never commented on India having the tag of hockey obsessed.

Can I summarise your argument as the following:

"Indians dont go to neutral cricket matches because of the heat and they cant afford it."

??

The fact that we have an Indian cricket writer, who would know way more about the state of support for neutral cricket in India than both of us, commenting that Indians are obsessed with the celebrity of the Indian cricket team but not so much the neutrals illustrates my point.

 

[honestbharani]

The crowds during the recent Dehli Comm games were very poor at events that:

a) India werent participating in and/or;
b) India are historically rubbish in.

hockey, which I understand is Indias official national sport, had poor crowds for games not involving India, but brilliant and massive crowds for Indian games. That is a fact, but absolutely off the point because I have never commented on India having the tag of hockey obsessed.

Can I summarise your argument as the following:

"Indians dont go to neutral cricket matches because of the heat and they cant afford it."

??

The fact that we have an Indian cricket writer, who would know way more about the state of support for neutral cricket in India than both of us, commenting that Indians are obsessed with the celebrity of the Indian cricket team but not so much the neutrals illustrates my point.

I don't think that is true at all and you are definitely reading too much into what one guy has said.. The same way that Rahul Bhattacharya would know more than you and me, similarly a Harsha Bhogle or a Sunny Gavaskar would know even more than Rahul Bhattacharya and they say India loves cricket wtih a passion..


Comparing with CW games is moot coz no one here is saying India loves ALL sports yada yada.. The question is about cricket and India definitely bring in more crowds for a England/West Indies game than Australia or any other country...

 

[benchmark00]

I don't think that is true at all and you are definitely reading too much into what one guy has said.. The same way that Rahul Bhattacharya would know more than you and me, similarly a Harsha Bhogle or a Sunny Gavaskar would know even more than Rahul Bhattacharya and they say India loves cricket wtih a passion..


Comparing with CW games is moot coz no one here is saying India loves ALL sports yada yada.. The question is about cricket and India definitely bring in more crowds for a England/West Indies game than Australia or any other country...

Although Im not arguing this point (my point wasnt comparing India to Australia or anywhere) do you have some stats that I could read over please?

The issue is that imo, India doesnt deserve a tag of being obsessed with cricket until they can consistently produce crowds to neutral games.

So far all Sanz, or anyone for that matter, has come up with to counter is that India doesnt have to have big crowds to non Indian games to maintain their cricket obsessed tag because its too hot and people cant afford to go (even though they can fill out a stadium when tickets are the most expensive).

 

[honestbharani]

Although Im not arguing this point (my point wasnt comparing India to Australia or anywhere) do you have some stats that I could read over please?

The issue is that imo, India doesnt deserve a tag of being obsessed with cricket until they can consistently produce crowds to neutral games.

So far all Sanz, or anyone for that matter, has come up with to counter is that India doesnt have to have big crowds to non Indian games to maintain their cricket obsessed tag because its too hot and people cant afford to go (even though they can fill out a stadium when tickets are the most expensive).

see.. firstly, consistently selling out grounds is not the ONLY way to show a certain population likes a certain sport..


And secondly, you have no idea of the expense involved for a nonIndia game..


And thirdly, why the hell are you equating supporting other teams to supporting the home team? In any place for any sport in the world, you will always get BIGGER and BETTER crowds for the home team, unless your point is that a Spain Vs Italy game in Portugal will see the same crowds as a Portugal Vs Italy game, taking soccer as the example..


You need to understand the difference that no matter how obsessed any country is about a sport, it wont mean it will get the same crowds for neutral matches than for matches involving the home team.. Simple fact, really.


reg. stats, Eng Vs SA in India got something like 18K people in.. I know coz I live 5 mins away from the stadium.

 

[benchmark00]

see.. firstly, consistently selling out grounds is not the ONLY way to show a certain population likes a certain sport..


And secondly, you have no idea of the expense involved for a nonIndia game..


And thirdly, why the hell are you equating supporting other teams to supporting the home team? In any place for any sport in the world, you will always get BIGGER and BETTER crowds for the home team, unless your point is that a Spain Vs Italy game in Portugal will see the same crowds as a Portugal Vs Italy game, taking soccer as the example..


You need to understand the difference that no matter how obsessed any country is about a sport, it wont mean it will get the same crowds for neutral matches than for matches involving the home team.. Simple fact, really.


.

Thanks captain obvious. You obviously have failed to read my posts on this topic. India has a reputation of cricketing obsessed, yet the only obsession I see is the obsession for the Indian team (again, this is not just indigenous to India). They may enjoy the other games but that hardly equates to an obsession does it!!! ****, cant believe how you and Sanz dont get this.

reg. stats, Eng Vs SA in India got something like 18K people in.. I know coz I live 5 mins away from the stadium

Thats a great stat, well done... but it means absolutely jack all unless you compare it to other attendances to neutral matches in WCs in other countries.

 

[Shri]

Why are you ****s fighting like being cricket obsessed is a good thing anyway? Being obsessed with anything is bad, parmis included.

 

[Sanz]

So far all Sanz, or anyone for that matter, has come up with to counter is that India doesnt have to have big crowds to non Indian games to maintain their cricket obsessed tag because its too hot and people cant afford to go (even though they can fill out a stadium when tickets are the most expensive).

Yes it is a fact that majority of people in India can't afford to go and those who can probably save their time and money for the India games. Secondly that is not the only reason, there is a good section of people who will not go to the games even if they could afford it for the simple reason that it is not a good experience. And my last and main point is just because Indians don't go to the stadium for neutral games does not mean they do not love the sport.

I grew up in a family of sports loving people and where we followed almost every sport Tennis, TT, Basketball, Badminton heck even the Olympics where Indians suck royally.
I remember very well how well the kids in my neighbourhood knew the soccer players from europe and Brazil, infact Brazil is the unofficial home team of Indian soccer fans.

So please don't give me the bull that we don't have passion for games/sports because Rahul Bhattacharya says so. He is entitled to his opinion but at the same time I am entitled to call his opinion as horse ****.

 

[benchmark00]

Why are you ****s fighting like being cricket obsessed is a good thing anyway? Being obsessed with anything is bad, parmis included.

Firstly, never take the name parmi in vain again ****.

Secondly, never said it was a good tag, just that its an erroneous one.

 

[benchmark00]

Yes it is a fact that majority of people in India can't afford to go and those who can probably save their time and money for the India games. Secondly that is not the only reason, there is a good section of people who will not go to the games even if they could afford it for the simple reason that it is not a good experience. And my last and main point is just because Indians don't go to the stadium for neutral games does not mean they do not love the sport.

I grew up in a family of sports loving people and where we followed almost every sport Tennis, TT, Basketball, Badminton heck even the Olympics where Indians suck royally.
I remember very well how well the kids in my neighbourhood knew the soccer players from europe and Brazil, infact Brazil is the unofficial home team of Indian soccer fans.

So please don't give me the bull that we don't have passion for games/sports because Rahul Bhattacharya says so. He is entitled to his opinion but at the same time I am entitled to call his opinion as horse ****.

When have I said Indian people didnt enjoy sport?? I swear you read **** that you want to read.