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The FIFA world cup trophy arrived in Pakistan earlier this month as part of the trophy tour. It was a grand event and certainly essential for the promotion of the sport which is already extremely popular in the country. However, it did stir some emotions regarding the respect given to Pakistani football players as opposed to other celebrities at the event.
It really was the perfect time for the footballers to be in the spotlight, the ratio of athletes to t.v. celebrities should have been different. As always, lack of media attention given to the athletes who have spent their lives trying to make a living off of the sport was disappointing. This is not a one-off event, athletes have always taken a back seat when it comes to media attention, hype and sponsorship.
Maybe it is vanity? I understand that actors/signers/cricketers have a bigger fan following because they are naturally on television all of the time and hence involving influencers creates even more hype for events but not at the cost of ignoring the efforts of the athletes who play the sport.
Cricket is considered to be the most watched sport in the country and it too requires the help of actors and singers to promote the game to greater heights even when the game itself captures the imagination of millions but still, cricketers have never taken a backseat at a cricketing event.
The playing field is not equal. Celebrities and cricketers are on one end of the spectrum, and on the other end are the athletes who play the “lesser” sport. If sportsmen and women are given some face time on television and social media highlighting their achievements if they are made into the brands that they are just like its done in other countries then maybe one day our sports industry could thrive.
Sport is a multibillion-dollar industry with a global sponsorship spend of $62 billion in 2017, even our neighbors, India spent 77.1 crores for non-cricketing sports endorsements
Maybe we should look at the bigger picture, and support sportsmen and women respect them and give them the opportunities they deserve. Here’s a plea to the private sector to invest in sports, involve athletes in different projects to create an industry that doesn’t need to rely on anyone else.
These people who’ve spent their lives training, wanting to achieve a dream that is not limited to themselves, a dream that has, and always will make the entire nation proud because the medals and trophies are not for themselves, they are for Pakistan. It’s time we do something to change things, it’s time to respect and support our heroes.
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