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Sania Mirza

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Michael is right. It is one of the many flaws we suffer. We easily get influenced by outward shine and glamour. May be we are not completely human with some attributes of beasts. Chess is a beautiful game. I have been to many torunaments during my school days. The depth and strategies
are not at all appealing for extroverts(who are in majority in any society). But that's a great game. Just pick up a chess book containing strategies.

Having a limited appeal is in itself a great attribute. Virginia Wolf had zero fans when compared to JK Rowling. But Rowling's books(Hary Potter) will eventually go into the dust bin of history and Virginia WOlf's works are eternal.

Regarding women grand master's , Judith Polgar is the undisputed no.1. She is so confident that participating in a women's chess competition is a waste of time. She competes exclusively in men's fray . A true confident sportswomen.
[ September 12, 2005: Message edited by: Ramesh Choudhary ]
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Originally posted by Michael Ernest:
Don't know! That's my point. I don't watch tennis either, but I can recognize a bunch of players because their pictures are everywhere and people talk about them.

Professional sports, as well a lot of high-profile amateur sports, are entertainment, the most purely democratic form there is. If people want to see it, it gets attention, money, coverage, and yes, people of power circling around it. When you add beautiful, charismatic people to it, it's even more intense. Anna Kournikova has how many tennis titles again?

Being among in the world at any human endeavor is a formidable accomplishment, but the recognition one receives for it is mostly not a matter of fairness. It's a matter of what the people care about.

You certainly can't expect the majority of any population to value skills at a game they may not even understand, for which chess certainly qualifies.




I read an article some years back (when Anna Kornikova was all the rage) that said almost the same thing. (Sorry couldn't find it online, otherwise I would have posted it) In fact, the article went on to say that the women tennis players should be paid more than the men because women tennis players are doing more for the game than men. If Shaq is paid more because he draws more people to basketball, then why shouldn't Kournikova be paid more?
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If Shaq is paid more because he draws more people to basketball, then why shouldn't Kournikova be paid more?



That's an argument on weak(if not contrived) grounds. To any sporting authority players are recognisd by two tags those who win and those who do not.So the 'successful' player is paid more to encourage excellence.

On Kournikova issue, I have a different opinion. She used tennis to make herself popular . That' the main reason why she is in the news even when her prowess declined to an ordinary stage.
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Originally posted by Ramesh Choudhary:


That's an argument on weak(if not contrived) grounds. To any sporting authority players are recognisd by two tags those who win and those who do not.So the 'successful' player is paid more to encourage excellence.




Whether you agree with it or not, most players are recognised by those who draw the fans out and those who don't. If you have players who are able to make fans spend money on tickets and merchandise, then the sport can use that money to provide better equipment, training and salaries to the players. Yes, that makes sport less of a sport and more of entertainment. You might disagree with it. However, IMO, the sport benifits because drawing more people to the game makes the game competitive.
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Originally posted by Jayesh Lalwani:

If Shaq is paid more because he draws more people to basketball, then why shouldn't Kournikova be paid more?


If you were to compare the two on income vs. accomplishments, and tennis and US basketball had comparable markets, I would guess this is probably the case. Shaq is a great example; he was famous (and rich) for being a player long before he won a championship.
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Originally posted by Jayesh Lalwani:

However, IMO, the sport benifits because drawing more people to the game makes the game competitive.


Well, one doesn't imagine too many budding tennis stars take Kounikova as their hero. Tiger Woods is another matter. How many kids today want to play golf because of what they've seen him do? Tennis could use another figure like that to inspire young ones.

As for Sania Mirza, if she inspires a stronger following for tennis in India, she's contributed to an appreciation of the sport. Imagine if she won, and a country of India's size started putting their efforts into conquering tennis...that's exciting to think about.
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Oh�I had totally forgotten bout this thread for some time!

The fact that she has managed to reach #34th rank from #169th place in less than 9 months speaks volume for her and she deserves the appreciation she is getting. If anyone thinks that she is getting more than she deserves than add that to her charismatic personality which only few players have. A simple analogy is that all actors don�t classify as stars and not all stars are the best actors but both coexist in the same industry and get their due share. If stars get paid more than what actors get, that doesn�t mean they are doing wrong by being star!

Originally posted by Ramesh Choudhary:

If you implied me to be a supporter of BJP, I am honoured.
[ September 06, 2005: Message edited by: Ramesh Choudhary ]




Say whatever you wish but please don�t try to sound as if you represent BJP's views. When I said India's self proclaimed Moral Guards, I meant likes of Praveen Togadia and none from BJP.


Originally posted by Jayesh Lalwani:



Whether you agree with it or not, most players are recognised by those who draw the fans out and those who don't. If you have players who are able to make fans spend money on tickets and merchandise, then the sport can use that money to provide better equipment, training and salaries to the players. Yes, that makes sport less of a sport and more of entertainment. You might disagree with it. However, IMO, the sport benifits because drawing more people to the game makes the game competitive.




IMHO, you are right.
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Originally posted by Michael Ernest:

Well, one doesn't imagine too many budding tennis stars take Kounikova as their hero. Tiger Woods is another matter. How many kids today want to play golf because of what they've seen him do? Tennis could use another figure like that to inspire young ones.

As for Sania Mirza, if she inspires a stronger following for tennis in India, she's contributed to an appreciation of the sport. Imagine if she won, and a country of India's size started putting their efforts into conquering tennis...that's exciting to think about.



Yes, making people interested in playing a game is one of the most important things that a player can do for the game. But, another thing that is important is to draw investment into the game. Kournikova might not have inspired people to start playing, but she did make people turn on their TVs when the world cup was on, which let the TV networks sell more soap, which resulted in more money for the game of tennis.

It's not like India doesn't have respectable tennis players. India has Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati. What is missing in India is not respectable players, but players who can sell the game and draw investment into the game. Currently, almost all investment in Indian sport goes towards Cricket. India is fully capable of creating one-time wonders like PT Usha. What India sorely needs is a infrastructure that can systematically sustain growth in sports. For that, Indians need someone who can make Indians pay to watch a sport other than cricket. India desperately needs a Shaq and a Kournikova.

If Sania Mirza can make Indians watch Tennis, which would sell more Indian soap, which would make it more attractive for various leagues to attract more players, better coaches and better racquets, then what's the harm in that?
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So long as it doesn't interefere with Indian music video production, there's no harm.
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Originally posted by Michael Ernest:
So long as it doesn't interefere with Indian music video production, there's no harm.



have you seen any (Indian music videos)?
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Oh yeah. I used to watch a show called Namaste America every Saturday morning. It rocked, right down to the host.

In the movie Ghost World there is a dance number from a 60's movie called Gumnaam which is passed off as an old Indian music video. Fun stuff.

Some of the women that show up in these videos -- woo! Beautiful.
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Whether you agree with it or not, most players are recognised by those who draw the fans out and those who don't.



That may be partly true. But you have to put in quality performance to sustain the fan base and the oomph appeal in the media. If some fans attend only for players not for appreciating the drama involved in sport, god save them.
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Originally posted by Ramesh Choudhary:


That may be partly true. But you have to put in quality performance to sustain the fan base and the oomph appeal in the media. If some fans attend only for players not for appreciating the drama involved in sport, god save them.



It's not just the media. Most fans watch the sport for the pure excitement of the competition and the glamour of the players. I think you would be hard-pressed to find any sports fan who likes the sport but doesn't like the players. For a sportsperson to be succesful, people have to like his/her game as well as like his/her personality.

Maybe you are one of the few sports-purists who watch the game and don't watch the players, or maybe you are looking for differrent things in a player. But, you can't say that everyone has to like the same kind of sportsperson that you like. Live and let live. If you don't like a player's personality, don't watch her. Simple!!
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Originally posted by Michael Ernest:
Tennis champions don't emerge from nowhere; they're cultivated and winnowed from large, sophisticated academies and programs that develop player skills for years. Until India develops a similar program and support system, it's unlikely it will see a Grand Slam title.

There aren't a whole lot of rags-to-riches or diamonds-in-the-rough stories in tennis.



May be you meant Singles Grand Slam title. We already won some in mens and mixed doubles in the last 10 years. Just a FYI.
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What's a 'doubles'?
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Originally posted by Michael Ernest:
What's a 'doubles'?



[URL=http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define oubles]Good Question[/URL]
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Sania has made an early exit from singles and 'doubles' from the Bali tournament.
[ September 15, 2005: Message edited by: Pradip Bhat ]
I guess I've been abducted by space aliens. So unprofessional. They tried to probe me with this tiny ad:
a bit of art, as a gift, the permaculture playing cards
https://gardener-gift.com


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