Prakash Kumar

 American sports are awesome – with limitations. Competitiveness is just unbeliavable even in un-consequential games. Crowds pouring in day after day and filling ballparks and domes are just an awe. Football (played mostly with hand) gives a semblance of a festival at the least. However, barring an odd ruckus on hockey ice and bench clearing incidents in baseball – games are generally played in a very cordial atmosphere. While huge support is seen for home team no particular rebukal of visiting team is witnessed. Games are played in a very congenial – controversy free atmosphere and barring odd cases of dope cheats, historically all of American sports are free from corruption, fixing – betting is legal though and fantasy picks are popular though.

What are the limitations then – There are a few. Most of that is the way various leagues are organized and way some of the level playing fields are distorted. The biggest anamoly is the fact that budget of a particular club is the most important thing. With New York Yankees budget – they can (and they generally do) buy the entire A+ players outhere in the lobby. Look what Miami Heat just did in Basketball – how can you beat a team which just expands its purse to bring all  the allstars in town together. While it might sound odd but a salary cap at francise level can make various league more competitive.

Second major factor is also a major factor. All New Yorkers can be in Boston team and vice versa. There is no rule which mandates a certain percentage of local presence in a local team. IPL in India, which is league based annual cricket event is an excellent example. Teams belong to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and its popularity worldwide in just a couple of years of inception can be attributable to the presence of iconic local player in the team. Tendulkar the heart of Mumbai and Indian cricket if not world cricket could easily have fetched twice the money at all other clubs but the mandate is for him to stay in Mumbai.

Coaches and managers are given just too much importance. All players should know their positions and their roles and expectations. It makes no sense for officials on the sidelines making play calls on the field. Even more ridiculous is presence of on base coaches in baseball – let the runner decide whether he needs to run ahead or stop. The player on field is made to look like a machine with remote control from everywhere. Let the players (pitcher) make the call whether he should walk the batter if situation warrants and not the coaches on sideline.

Make the roster small – 15/20 pitchers for one baseball match. It takes away the fun of planned matchup. It is something like a pick which one should make before and not at the first onset when things does not seem to be going the planned way. It should more be like – you pick a spinner over a fast baller in your selection in final 11 in cricket – now stick to that – and not change the moment you find it is not working. Some sort of a rule should exist which should allow a pitcher to be changed only after a particular innings and/or a particular number of pitches. Live  with whatever decision you have made in the first place.

Three teams play a football game – defence/offence/special team. Everyone actually does the same job and are similar built barring lets say the catchers. Objective of one team playing on field be simple – stop the ball in defence, move the ball in offence and kick the ball for field goal and or block the punt or receive the kick off. One team should be able to do the same. This will give better identity to a team and players than a 50+ player roster.

Hockey seems to be a game which encourage a boxing-wrestling combo in between the game. Hockey is a beautiful game and let the game be played and not punches be thrown – a strict penalty should be enforced to take away the boxing part from the hockey match.

Basketball is the only game where author finds most of the things are in place. The only thing which might be tweaked is that – let good players play entire game and do not take out bring in – at every throw of a hat. Rule must exist in which if you pull a player out you cannot bring him in. If a x number of foul has been committed by the player –  let him stay out there and play cautiously. Let the team in that case pay the price of him being cautious and live with it – rather than bring someone fresh with another set of foul to give.

Last and most important thing is give respect to winner and vanquished. Shake hands with the losing team in baseball and not with your own team only. The vanquished team – do not just turn your back to the winner and leave your dugout – meet the winner and congratulate them. We are not at war here – it is just a game.