A sport holds its thrill in two aspects. First, there is sportsmanship and second, despite knowing the skills and potential of teams and players, the results are almost always different.
Sportsmanship is when rules are followed. Players despite putting in their best efforts in every second of their performance, notwithstanding the results, accept the rules and results of the game fairly. If every team starts a brawl after a defeat, the game will hold no value. The fierce enmity on the field for the success is a beloved friendship outside.
Results of all sporting events are unpredictable and are always different. The proceeding of the match is always different, which is why people spend many hours watching sports. If a team always wins or results are always predictable, any sport will lose the thrill, thus the fans.
Rowdy crowd behaviors are nothing new to sports. Such behavior is un-sportsmanlike on the part of those who starts or participates in it because they are not true fans. They are just the people who don’t understand sports.
On Sunday, such people who gathered at the TU Cricket Ground repeated the behavior that nearly pushed Nepal’s cricket a few years back. During a league match between Nepal and USA in the World Cricket League Division 5, the crowd threw stones inside the stadium stopping the games for half-an-hour and International Cricket Council (ICC) had to form a committee to probe it. They recommended soft measures. Otherwise, that could have meant harsh sanctions for Nepal.
The 10-minute stoppage during Nepal-UAE match caused by the crowd, who threw water bottles and stones on the field did nothing other than shaming the sport. Nepal was headed for a certain defeat at that stage. Repetition of such behavior meant it’s a failure of cricket authorities to control the crowd, a fact that will certainly be looked into when Nepal presents itself as the host of any international cricket event.
World cricket has always lauded Nepal’s performance and fans and they considered thousands of fans gathering at match venues as asset to the game. Don’t turn assets into harmful wastes. Sports are best enjoyed when results are accepted. Results, either win or loss, are just part of the game and true fans accept that.
My sincere request to all the sports fans: be respectful to sport, enjoy the game and respect the results.
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Appeals for sportsmanship
I’m unhappy with the way the crowd behaved today (Sunday). Winning or losing is part of the game. We can’t win every match. We should learn to accept defeat. We get very few chances to play in front of the home crowd. If we behave like this, we might lose the chance of hosting tournaments in future. We have lost only one match and we have two more matches to go.
Paras Khadka, Captain, Nepal Team
We have still two matches to go. I request fans to continue their support but with patience.
Pubudu Dassanayake, Coach, Nepal Team
CAN urges all fans to behave in the spirit of sportsmanship as any rowdy behavior can create negative image of the nation at a time when the world is keenly following the event.
Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN)
(As published in Republica national daily)