Lessons from Slapgate

Two important questions that have arisen from last week’s Slapgate which has for obvious reasons upstaged everything else that has happened yet in the Indian Premier League and my answers to these.

1) Harbhajan paid a big price for his misdeed, copping a long ban and losing heck a lot of money, but did Sreesanth get away scot-free?

No he didn’t. A real slap is not be confused with the kind of slapstick stuff you see in Laurel and Hardy movies, though even slapstick gives some idea of the startling effect and humiliation that a victim can experience.

The only time it seemed that the Harbhajan-Sreesanth fracas was from a comic book was when portly match referee Farokh Engineer tried to broker a friendly handshake between the two ashen-faced players for the cameras. That was funny even if unintended.

The ‘real thing’ is hardly fun however, a whole lot painful and while it leaves only a temporary imprint on the cheek of the recipient, on the mind it can be more lasting. Crores may come and go but a slap stings for a long time.

My late mother had a standard line whenever the Memon code of conduct was under threat. “Ek thappad pade ga to zindagi bhar yaad rahega”, which roughly translated means, “You’ll get a tight slap which you will remember all through your life.”

I remember a few as, doubtless, Sreesanth will too after his recent experience. What will perhaps also keep him on tenterhooks for the rest of his life is a hypothesis: What if the man who slapped him was not Harbhajan, but Andrew Symonds?

2) The BCCI had decided to educate young cricketers to prevent a repeat of the Harbhajan-Sreesanth fiasco. Is formal education necessary in professional sport? This is an interesting poser. The answer would be yes and no. The value of education can never be undermined, but just for argument’s sake here is a list of great sportspersons from various countries, races and sports who were/are great role models despite the lack of it.

Michael Schumacher: Son of a bricklayer in Germany, money was hard to come by and to support young Michael’s passion, his father Rolf volunteered for a second job, renting and repairing karts at the circuit, while his wife worked at the track’s canteen stand. Michael and younger brother Ralph paid back by becoming champion drivers.

Pele: Arguably the greatest footballer ever, came from the slums in Três Corações and rose to dizzying heights. Denied the benefit of formal education, became a club footballer at 15, and made his debut for Brazil at 17. Remains soccer’s most influential voice.

Muhammad Ali: Disregarded by the US armed forces in 1964 because his writing and spelling skills were sub par but in 1966 when the tests were revised, Ali was drafted into the army. By then, however, he was anti-war and refused to go to Vietnam. His world title was taken away, and he even went to jail, returning a few years later to regain his crown. Widely regarded as not only the best heavyweight boxer of all-time, but also the finest sportsperson of the 20th century: In every which way, The Greatest.

Tiger Woods: A prodigy, he won several US Junior Amateur Championships while still in school in California. Went to Stanford University, but dropped out after two years to become a professional. Is unanimously regarded as the best golfer of all time — and nary a controversy still.

Sachin Tendulkar: Yes, how can one forget Sachin Tendulkar, the icon of both Harbhajan and Sreesanth, who has only completed Class X in school but has been a champion cricketer both in deed and behaviour.

Bottom line: Education and money are important in the wellbeing of an individual in sport as in every walk of life, but alas, no panacea against boorishness — in sport, as in every walk of life. The good part is that this may not be a permanent affliction. If Harbhajan and Sreesanth have learned their lessons, who knows they could become role models for the future.

Email: ayaz@dnaindia.net