Sports Fanatics or Extremists? The Curious Case of India
While sports fanaticism is good, India has transitioned to exclusion and militant extremism. The recourse lies in global censure, divestments and boycotts.
America is set to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, diplomatically for now. Allies will most likely follow suit. This could transition to a full boycott, given the trajectory of Sino-U.S. relations. This is nothing new. The Western bloc boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The favor was returned by the Soviet bloc in 1984 when Los Angeles hosted the Olympiad. Apartheid South Africa was a sporting pariah until the 1990s. Boycotts do work. But these should not be arbitrary, and should not discriminate between the so-called allies and foes. India, for example, is a U.S. ally but has an abysmal human rights record. And it has erected an exclusionary sporting architecture. Perhaps it is about time India also gets a taste of global censure. Here’s why.
India embodies the concept of sports fanaticism. Nothing wrong about it. Millions around the world are sports fanatics. Soccer hooliganism is a thing. A large section of Indian society, however, has turned extremist when it comes to sports, and has tried — and succeeded — in stifling competition. Indian sports enthusiasm borders on fratricide, fueled by racial-religious superiority. Growing Indian economic muscle has often forced international sporting organizations to fall in line, at the cost of equity and diversity. India is thus engendering racism and exclusion, and must be shamed and penalized for its behavior.
Let’s start with cricket. A game with British origins that is now more popular in the former colonies, particularly in South Asia. India is the biggest hub of world cricket, thanks to its 1.3 billion population. The ensuing market share has empowered them to practically rewrite the rules; choking competition and almost eliminating fair play. Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the main governing body of cricket, are held hostage by the whims of India. Two other market players, Australia and England, have joined forces. These so-called “big three” nations dominate the game, where they ensure to get the most competitive slots; downgrade other playing nations to limited games in any given year; and get the biggest cuts in revenues, among other shenanigans. Indian cricket also faces corruption charges but has been able to deflect investigations. And the domestic cricketing structure is stacked against lower castes like Dalits, who already face oppressive systemic exclusion.
At the public level, Indians have often espoused an extremist, hateful agenda towards their competitors. This is particularly on display against archrivals Pakistan. Hindu extremist organizations like Shiv Sena have repeatedly dug up cricket pitches in Mumbai and Delhi, most noticeably in 1991 and 1999 when Pakistan were expected to visit, along with other offenses. Pakistan cancelled the 1991 tour but went ahead with the 1999 one. In the latter tour, Indian cricket fans in Kolkata turned rowdy after sensing defeat, lobbing objects onto Pakistani fielders and doing other bad stuff. The same venue saw massive hooliganism during the 1996 world cup semifinal as India were losing to Sri Lanka.
This behavior is not limited to domestic games. Indian fans were notorious for abusing Pakistani cricketers at overseas matches. At a game in Toronto in 1997, Pakistani cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq was so incensed by the constant abuse — aimed both at him and the wife of a Muslim Indian cricketer — that he lost his cool. That behavior is relatively a thing of the past, maybe due to anti-bullying/racism laws in developed nations. Domestic hooliganism and official manipulations continue apace.
India has not played a bilateral series against Pakistan since 2007, citing security concerns. That might be understandable as Pakistan experienced security problems during the aughts. That said, India has not played against Pakistan at neutral venues either, as Pakistan has been hosting its home games in the UAE for the last 12 years.
When the two teams do play during global championships, things turn ugly. The latest episode unfolded in Dubai, when Pakistan beat India in a T20 game. Post-defeat, a large section of Indian public, politicians and the media launched a hate campaign against the sole Muslim team member, Mohammad Shami, accusing him of being a Pakistani mole and an “anti-national.” Social media plays a key role in fanning and enabling these hate campaigns aimed at Muslims, resulting in a massive loss of life and institutional exclusion of Muslims. Thankfully for Shami, the abuse remained virtual.
Ironically enough, the Indian cricket team has started taking the knee in solidarity with the BLM, more as a fashionable trend than showing substantive commitment. The practice has already come under fire for ignoring domestic systemic racism.
When the Indian cricket captain finally stood up for his teammate, the hatemongers shredded all evidence of humanity, threatening to rape his 10-month old daughter.
To add insult to injury, some tried to spin the threat as a Pakistani propaganda. That was debunked when the Mumbai police arrested the suspect, a 23-year old software engineer.
Hindutva trolls also launched a massive disinformation campaign against a Pakistani cricket player Hasan Ali, concocting racist and offensive tales. Unfortunately for them, this web of lies was quickly dismantled by social media sleuths.
Furthermore, Pakistan claims Indians were behind the fake threats that led to the abrupt departure of the New Zealand cricket team that were visiting the country. England also canceled their tour in the aftermath, which Jamaican cricketing legend Michael Holding called a sign of “western aggression.” (they have since rescheduled the tour).
This behavior goes beyond cricket. In 2014, Pakistan beat India on their home turf in a hockey championship semifinal. Pakistani athletes faced constant abuse from the crowd and when they finally won; a few of them took off their shirts and celebrated. Indian hockey federation went ballistic and strong-armed the International Hockey Federation to ban those players. If India has its way, this behavior might be expanded to the time-honored traditions of celebrating wins in America and Europe.
India denied visas to a Pakistani team competing in a snooker championship. They also denied visas to Pakistani shooters in 2019, who were to compete in an Olympics qualifying event. The IOC finally relented and issued a strong rebuke of the move that goes against the Olympics charter. Visas were also an issue for the cricket team, who were to participate in the T20 championship. That event was eventually relocated to the UAE due to Covid-19 situation in India, allowing Pakistan to compete freely.
Visa denial is rather common in India. A Kosovar athlete was denied entry in 2018. This behavior is detrimental to the global spirits of sports, which should bring people together rather than sowing discord. That India discriminates against its own athletes on the basis of caste and religion should be a warning sign for global sporting bodies.
Let’s face it: Indian sports fans — and the government — have transitioned to militant extremism. One cannot discount their fanaticism as sports madness anymore. The recourse lies in global censure, followed by divestments and boycotts if they do not change course. Boycotts are an excellent discipling tool for rogue sporting nations. Ask the apartheid South Africa.
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