Published: Monday, 28 March, 2016 10:30 AM
Cricket looks more as an event than a game
After having cleared cutoff percentile at MBA Institute, you will be invited for Group Discussion and now it is must for you to practice with variety of GD topics.
Read and develop points for discussion for GD Topic : Cricket looks more as an event than a game
In the present scenario, where marketing a product seems to have assumed great significance, the transition of cricket from a game to an event hardly comes as a surprise. It is part of the need to market it, to grab the interest of the youth, women, and children and to spread it to newer areas like the USA, that cricket has dished out the exciting and fast paced T20 version. |
A. All things need to constantly reinvent itself to stay relevant to the times and meet the demands of the changing society. Cricket, a battle of bat and bowl between two teams, is one sport which has continuously reinvented itself and introduced drastic changes in the way the game is played. The introduction of limited overs cricket, white balls, coloured clothing, change in rules, T20 cricket show how cricket has adapted to changing times and managed to command devoted attention from fans across the globe, especially in the Indian subcontinent.
B. The T20 format of cricket is tailor- made to cater to the demands of the young generation who, perhaps, don’t have the time to watch the game for an entire day. It offers an incredible entertainment package to the audience. For three hours, the viewers are treated to thrilling cricket, more boundaries, music and dance. It is more of an event than a game.
C. The corporates seem to have unearthed tremendous opportunities and the strategy of turning the game into an event is paying rich dividends and firmly establishing their presence in the market. This phenomenon also translates into more money being brought to the game, which is passed on to the players and used to improve the sports infrastructure of the country. It serves the purpose of all stakeholders involved. The BCCI was the first to tap into the potential of T20 cricket by launching the Indian Premier League to resounding success. Since then, such leagues have mushroomed across the world, especially in England, Australia, West Indies and Pakistan. This has also provided an opportunity to unearth young talent and provide livelihood to players who may not make it to the national teams.
D. Taking cue from cricket, other sports such as kabaddi and badminton have also introduced changes so that they can compete in this marketing race. These sports have turned themselves into exciting events and attracted investors. This has helped improve the sports environment too.
E. Though, T20 has gained popularity, Test match cricket remains the greatest test of a cricketer’s abilities and is, therefore, held in the highest regard. Any cricketer worth his/her salt considers Test match cricket as the pinnacle and aspires to do well in it. With time, even the longest format of cricket has undergone changes to make it more adaptable to the modern world and with day and night test matches being introduced, it is set to revitalise this format too.
F. I agree. It is the beauty of cricket that all the three formats survive simultaneously, without encroaching upon each other’s domain. Test match cricket has stood the test of time, even in the face of competition from limited overs cricket and now T20 cricket. As long as people like to see a game between bat and ball and appreciate the skills of a player, test match cricket will survive.
Though it has been turned into an event, at the heart of it, cricket still remains a game between bat and ball. The marketing can be only as effective as the product. If the product is bad, no amount of marketing can help sell it. All the marketing gimmicks serve the purpose of bringing eyeballs to the stadiums and television sets, but, once the game begins, everything else takes a back seat. |