Sports monopoly

Pakistanis of all social classes are waiting in excitement for the upcoming T20 world cup, which seems to pop-up almost every year instead of every four years, somewhat diluting the exclusivity of the prize. Even so, the people are undeterred and feel happy that something wonderful is coming their way. Cricket is the only sport left that draws this kind of euphoria. Hockey, with a misleading moniker as the national game, struggles to drum up attention for potential spectators. TV has all but stopped telecasting the sport, let alone matches involving Pakistan. Squash, once the darling of the public, has receded into oblivion after the fantastic winning streaks of Jehangir Khan and Jansher Khan. Athletics lags behind as well since there are few stars who can compete on the world stage. The government should pay attention to our skewed sports landscape, with cricket garnering all the attention. One sport for the whole country is not acceptable and is unfair to players of other sports, simply lagging into an abyss from a dearth of financial inflow.

Yasser Shah

Lahore