Throughout time, mankind has been competing, whether it is to see who the alpha male in the pack was, or to see who could bring home the biggest caribou for dinner time. It is enshrined in us, this need to see who is better. No one puts it better than Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda, who says, “There is no life without sport and no sport without competition.” But how many of us recognise this? How many people realise the role of grassroot sports, its roles and the impact on nation-building?
Sure people see a huge crowd at a football game but what people don’t do is look at the deeper meaning. When we go to a local football game, a cricket match or even a basketball game, there is no disparity in social class, ethnic background or age; there are just fans.
Fans of a football team do not care who’s rich and who’s poor, they are all fans together and it’s this sort of approach we need to develop as a country. Let’s look at it. The same goals that apply for a sport are the obvious goals that apply for the development of nations, both small and large. The United Nations Report on the International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005 highlighted the benefits that sport can bring in building national identity, especially at the level of elite sport.
It said, “Sport can provide a positive image of the nation to the international community. Studies on specific cases have shown that sport, especially football, can positively contribute to strengthening national pride and forming a cohesive national identity.”
That nationalistic pride that fills one when one’s country’s flag is being displayed at the Olympics or at the FIFA World Cup and even moreso when the National Anthem is being played is only one example of the unifying power of sport. More importantly, it erases those lines that often times act as barriers to development. Often times we see individuals who don’t want to engage each other due to reasons that sometimes are flimsy and downright stupid but if we are serious about nation building, then sport is the way to break these barriers.
We take a stroll back to just a few years ago when Guyana was in the initial stages of drafting the Cricket Administration Bill the West Indies Cricket Board had downright rejected this act. However, the importance of this matter in the National Assembly led to both the government side and the main opposition agreeing that this piece of legislation was paramount in getting the sport back on the road. Hence it was passed.
Another important factor that is often overlooked as it relates to nation building and sport, are the actual athletes. People tend to respect and hold players in high regard. Personally, I feel that many of these sport officials and athletes are not properly used to convey messages – often time messages of discipline, mannerisms and general attitudes.” These are only a few of the examples of the power of sport and its ultimate step in nation building and even clearer are the reasons why sport is being looked at more and more for its off-field value as well.
Perhaps it might be useful that we remember the words of Abhishek Bachchan: “When I was in school, sport was given utmost importance. I think it’s fantastic for character building, for team playing, and I think it’s a great profile for a nation. One in every six people on Earth is an Indian, and I look forward to the day when we can compete with the heavyweights of the sporting world and do well in the medal tally.”