Over hundred crores of Indian population could produce few players, very few winners but unfortunately hundreds of commentators. Biggest ever Indian Olympic squad 2012 has almost met the expectations by producing the India’s biggest ever Olympic haul with six medals. The medalists are still being felicitated in the Indian contingent even after almost a month since the closing ceremony of the London games.
This time round it’s the turn of the winners from other sports than just cricket to endorse the brands. The medalists have just signed the endorsements and the commentators, through media of course, have started voicing their opinions. Most of them have said that the athletes should not get carried away with the attention that they are getting. Some of them have even said that the players should not be concentrating on endorsements and instead they should be going back to their respective fields to start practicing once again.
Every person who said this has just one reason in mind. That’s the fear they have if these players would get simply carried away!
If the endorsements alone can make players get carried away, there would not have been the Teldulkar, Beckham, Federer etc who have equally done well on and off the field.
What one must be worried now or rather must be concerned and dedicated to do is to bring out the successful examples of such players cum celebrities who can inspire the new generation for a balanced life style on and off the field. Also, the players who are being approached by the brands shall be supported by training them on how to handle the career and celebrity image. I think the coaches must also take up the job of mental ability advisors along with the role of on-field performance improvers.
A lot of self control has to be built within a person to handle success. That’s not everyone’s game! But that’s neither impossible too.
I don’t see any wrong in what the medal winners have been doing by signing the brands. Of course they have been earning crores of rupees but I look at it as the payment that they deserve to get for the years of hard work they did to be one of the bests on the international stage in their respective domains.
There were days when medal winners did die penniless in this cricket crazy nation. I see nothing wrong in earning as much as one can when he is in form.
Instead of commenting them by saying that they would be getting carried away with the success or with money, one must try his best to encourage players to manage the conditions well. Parents, partners and coaches majorly play the important role in all this. When the attitude is right you win mostly. Players shall of course introspect time to time to take care of their own careers.
Career of a successful sports person is not just of his own. Rather it inspires a million. One must remember this all the time and live.
2 comments:
Celebrity endorsements are generally deceptions.The well known actress flaunting a soap or a super star championing a brand of cement or a cricketer promoting a car would never have persoanally used them.If some other competing product pays them more, they would support it with equal fervour.I am not grudging the money they make.Let them make hay while there is sunshine of fame.
But what I feel bad is the gullible many who fall for such ads and go for the products on that basis alone.More importantly I detest the interruptions of such ads ad nausea eating into the time of the regular show on TV.I also would like to see different faces and not the same for every product.
Pramoda,
There is nothing wrong if they maintain balance between devoting time to advertisements and practice. Why should they not make hay when sun shines? I agree with what KP said above about celebrities endorsing something which they may never ever use making many gullible persons purchase that, but that is what marketing is meant for.
Take care
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