Time for Indian sportspersons to think out of the box and be the game changers?

The response of our sports personalities having a massive fan following across the country has been consistent and along predictable lines. Contribute to the Prime Minister relief fund, and in some cases, Chief Minister’s relief funds, as law-abiding citizens ask the people to follow the lockdown and hygiene protocols, and engage with fellow sportspersons on social media platforms.

Talk about each other's journey and post the pictures and visuals in the social media of them doing the cooking, household chores, and sharing personal moments with their kids and family members. But, has all this not become too regimented and predictable now? Has the time come to think out of the box and up the ante?

Our sports heroes need to continually remind themselves that thousands of their fans, who adore, admire and revere them, are going through the worst humanitarian crisis in the recent memory. What they do today and what they should have done will leave a deep imprint in their minds for years to come.

It was good to see our biggest sporting hero, Sachin Tendulkar, sharing a video of him, taking Yuvraj Singh’s ‘keep it up’ challenge with a blindfold on.

“I am challenging you back @yuvisofficial, but this time with a twist! All I can ask everyone to do is take care and stay safe’. Yuvraj Singh had nominated, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma for the “keep it up challenge”. But, now -‘ye dil maange moore…(our heart longs for more).’

Sachin Tendulkar is India’s most popular global sports superstar of the post-liberalization era. More than an acclaimed former cricketer, he’s our Bharat Ratna- the recipient of the country’s highest civilian award. He has already completed his term as the nominated member of our Upper House. Can this ‘keep it up challenge’ be scaled up to the level of globally much talked about “Athletes for COVID-19 Relief’ campaign?

'Athletes for COVID Relief’ was an initiative launched by the sports agency Octagon- which attracted athletes from 20 sports. Apart from offering their signed memorabilia, athletes like Stephen Curry, David Ortiz, Elena Delle Donne, Jimmie Johnson, Chris Paul, and Simone Biles contributed items that their fans have a chance to win with the minimum donation of $25.

The money thus raised is being used to help the hardest-hit communities in terms of assistance for quarantined individuals, including basic needs, access to medical services, and equipment needed to keep the health workers safe, amongst others.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma need to take an extra step

After Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli is carrying forward the legacy of the game, which is revered as a religion in the country. The Indian cricket team skipper is in the process of defining his legacy in new India: give your hundred per cent in each and every ball till the last ball of the play is bowled, raise the fitness bar of the team to the unmatched heights and making of a potent bowling attack for all conditions in the country traditionally known for its batters.

Kohli is the only cricketer who features in the list of world’s top ten highest-earning athletes through sponsored Instagram posts during the lockdown. Social media has changed the way celebrities connect with fans, and some of the athletes like Kohli have got a massive platform at their disposal. Can Kohli use his social media impact to bring about the change in the lives of those feeling the heat in the present crisis like Nathen Adrian has done?

Adrian, a five-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, has got nearly 5 lac followers between his Instagram and Twitter accounts- far too less when compared with Kohli. Adrian posted his donation of a speedo racing suit to the athlete’s fund. The racing suit quickly garnered bids worth $1,500 but also got the attention of fellow Olympians, who offered up donations of their own in the comments of Adrian’s Instagram post.

Gold medalists Natalie Coughlin, Maggie Steffens, Ryan Murphy, and others pledged their items. Like, Sachin and Virat, these athletes had made their contributions to their local communities, and “Athletes for COVID Relief’ initiative was their urge to do something together as an additive program.

The Indian fans revere Rohit Sharma for his lazy elegance and effortless batting style. The most successful captain of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, the city which is facing the lethal brunt of the coronavirus crisis completed his 33rd birthday on 30th April, amidst the lockdown. The BCCI and his franchise Mumbai Indians took to Twitter to post a video tribute and wish him on his birthday.

Had he made his birthday under the given circumstances as unique as Paul Pogba? The French professional footballer and Manchester United midfielder set up a fundraising page on his 27th birthday to raise money to help the fight against coronavirus.

More than the funds raised, and the qualitative difference this brought in helping those in need, the significance of Paul Pogba message needs to be understood. Social media has made our lives and entire living space - which includes our kitchens, dining rooms, gardens, and even our bedrooms a sort of virtual live studio today.

In the present circumstances, each and every post of special dishes being made in our kitchens and relished in our drawing rooms are competing along the parallel lines with those in need struggling for food. Our every image and visuals of spending quality times with our pets, kids, and family members in our living space has an alternate image of hundreds of labourers walking hundreds of kilometres back home along with their families and kids.

In extreme cases, we do have the visuals of a child playing with the mother's dead body in the railway station thinking she is still alive, and of one of the hospitals in Mumbai where patients those who are battling the virus are surrounded with the bodies of the deceased. Our players who are the role models need to be sensitive to this reality of today.

Struggles of athletes through social media

In the times of the pandemic and the lockdown, the fans have been able to know about those aspects of the sporting hero’s life which they would not have known under the normal circumstances. So, whereas globally the Instagram chat between Federer and Nadal is much talked about, we also have had our own share. It was great to hear India’s football team captain Sunil Chettri interviewing Indian cricket team skipper, Virat Kohli about his memories and struggles.

We get an idea of the distance women's cricket in the country has covered when we see the double trouble brigade of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues firing their questions to their male counterparts - Yuzvendra Chahal and Shikhar Dhawan. Amidst this, the standout certainly has been the ‘Reminisce with Ash’ series - spearheaded by R Ashwin.

As one of the country’s most popular cricket commentators, Harsha Bhogle, in his session with Ashwin said- ‘In 1991, I had predicted that Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravi Shastri would make very good commentators. I am now saying that about Ashwin’. Can someone as talented and articulate as Ashwin do something on the lines of what NBA superstar Stephen Curry did?

Stephen Curry hosted a coronavirus Q&A session with infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci on Instagram. Fauci discussed the pandemic in front of a virtual audience of tens of thousands, including Barack Obama and Justin Bieber. The interview included questions about the virus, testing and social distancing. It was a brilliantly successful attempt in terms of sending forward such a significant message in these times.

What if, R Ashwin hosts a Facebook town hall with the panel comprising AIIMS Director, Randeep Guleria, ICMR DG, Dr Balram Bhargava and WHO representatives? What if one of the country’s the most thinking cricketers includes some of these domain experts in his interview sessions and dissects the takeaways for his fans in English, Hindi and Tamil. The willingness of Ashwin to use his fame to inform the public about the ongoing health crisis would be admirable and impactful.

In the week following Curry’s broadcast, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson hosted an Instagram Live chat with the California governor, Gavin Newson, in which they discussed mental health and wellness during the pandemic. The increasing numbers of affected coronavirus-infected patients testing the limits of our poor health infrastructure, the economic distress, and the job loss and job insecurities are impacting us majorly in terms of mental health.

What if, one of our most articulate sports commentators do a series of interviews with our corona warriors, with those who have conquered the disease and those who are living examples of fighting it out when confronted with the fiercest battles in their lives. After all, wishing the head coach on his 58th birthday on 27th May, amidst the lockdown, the Indian captain Virat Kohli said:- ‘Many seem confident, but only a few are brave. Happy birthday Ravi Bhai. God bless!’ What if Ravi Shastri takes the lead along these lines?

What we need now is a targeted approach to philanthropy. The sportspersons, the coaches, the franchise owners and sports federations in some of the countries have already set a template in this direction.

Indian sportspersons need to cater to the need of Indian citizens

In the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bengal and Chhattisgarh, mid-day meals provided to the kids in the schools are their only source of quality food. With the schools closed, this source has gone. Manchester United star Marcus Rashford recently announced that he was working with the charity FareShare to help distribute food for children who rely on schools for their daily meals.

He was stunned by the response to his appeal. Rashford revealed that he grew up on free school meals and said he was left concerned that up to 600,000 children would go hungry due to closure of schools. Why cannot some of the franchises of the Indian Premier League along with some of their key players be the Marcus Rashfords of India?

One of the abiding images of the current crisis is of a 70-year-old Leelavati, sitting alone at the Bandra station, crying after being kicked out of the house. When a well-known television journalist, Barkha Dutt, proactively brought her case before the nation, Leelavati got her new home.

But there are hundreds of elderly Lilavatis who are feeling neglected today? And, even those who - unlike Lilavati - have got the resources find themselves helpless and lonely. Again, some of the sportspersons across the globe have taken commendable lead in this aspect.

When the season got suspended, Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho used his time to volunteer to ensure older people in the Enfield got all items they needed while they stay indoors. Similarly, Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel donated £20,000 to Age UK as the charity launched initiative in Leicester.

“Now more than ever, charities like Age UK need our help. Let us do all we can to protect our elderly”—he said. His donation brought about care packages, phone calls and home visits to older people. Can some of our sports federations spearheaded by their famous players come forward along these lines?

Well, some of our sporting heroes and the ecosystem may have a question to this. Our main job is to play and entertain, and we have done our bit in terms of charity. Why do we need to do all these? But, then, their fans are going through unprecedented times. And, once the storm subsides, the fans may ask?

Should athletes be automatically considered a role model? In truth, once we take away their physical skills, athletes are no different from the rest of us. They too make mistakes. They also are vulnerable. And, they are impressionable as well.

Time to change the game has come.