IPL Season 2 - Cricket makes decisive move into entertainment industry from sport industry
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and I mean it, PERIOD!
After a lot of back and forth, exchanging of carefully chosen words of criticism by both IPL and Indian Government (the likes of 'because of attitude of government' by Sasank Manohar, 'I'm disappointed with comments made by IPL' by Chidambaram), IPL season 2 will be played in South Africa starting April 18, 09.
But there is one comment made by Chidambaram that aptly describes what IPL is all about - 'shrewed combination of sport and business!' - I say whats wrong with that and then go on and further say thats the way it ought to be.
IPL has created a 'product' that resonates with consumers needs big time. Now, if you have a great product, just because a particular region/country (even if it is your home region/country) doesn't support you with appropriate infrastructure you will not just lie down and accept that you are in wrong place at a wrong time. In fact if you do, you are unfit to run that business.
IPL is based on cricket but it is not cricket alone! It is an enterprise worth multi-million dollars and people have invested in it quite heavily. In fact the very reason for asking for involvement of corporates in IPL is to move cricket from 'sports industry' to 'entertainment industry' - This is big shift and does need a different approach.
History is replete with examples of how enterprises with great products have transcended boundaries, built even bigger enterprises and made a mockery of unimaginative policy frameworks of certain regions/countries. Lalit Modi and his team have done exactly that - They knew they have great product, they run IPL as an enterprise which had to give decent returns on investment and more importantly understand (having created) that cricket is part of entertainment industry. Result, balls to politicians.
Well, I'm not debating whether cricket should have been accorded equal importance along with elections in India. However I will certainly suggest this - Today it is elections, tomorrow it can be something else and day after a completely different thing. If we do not get our thinking straight and change our approach as to how we view cricket (go back to sport vs entertainment), the ones to lose will not be cricket/IPL.
After a lot of back and forth, exchanging of carefully chosen words of criticism by both IPL and Indian Government (the likes of 'because of attitude of government' by Sasank Manohar, 'I'm disappointed with comments made by IPL' by Chidambaram), IPL season 2 will be played in South Africa starting April 18, 09.
But there is one comment made by Chidambaram that aptly describes what IPL is all about - 'shrewed combination of sport and business!' - I say whats wrong with that and then go on and further say thats the way it ought to be.
IPL has created a 'product' that resonates with consumers needs big time. Now, if you have a great product, just because a particular region/country (even if it is your home region/country) doesn't support you with appropriate infrastructure you will not just lie down and accept that you are in wrong place at a wrong time. In fact if you do, you are unfit to run that business.
IPL is based on cricket but it is not cricket alone! It is an enterprise worth multi-million dollars and people have invested in it quite heavily. In fact the very reason for asking for involvement of corporates in IPL is to move cricket from 'sports industry' to 'entertainment industry' - This is big shift and does need a different approach.
History is replete with examples of how enterprises with great products have transcended boundaries, built even bigger enterprises and made a mockery of unimaginative policy frameworks of certain regions/countries. Lalit Modi and his team have done exactly that - They knew they have great product, they run IPL as an enterprise which had to give decent returns on investment and more importantly understand (having created) that cricket is part of entertainment industry. Result, balls to politicians.
Well, I'm not debating whether cricket should have been accorded equal importance along with elections in India. However I will certainly suggest this - Today it is elections, tomorrow it can be something else and day after a completely different thing. If we do not get our thinking straight and change our approach as to how we view cricket (go back to sport vs entertainment), the ones to lose will not be cricket/IPL.
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