ESPN CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 23 Dec 2008
When we first learned about the ESPN Star Sports ?Champion of Champions? internet online poll and voted, it became obvious to us that in the end with the huge advantage in population the great Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar would probably win. For, after all, it boils down to a numbers game.
To us, the ?Champion of Champions? is a seriously flawed attempt by ESPN Star Sports to get sports fans involved in an enterprise which, with all due respect, is basically aimed at getting hits and drawing attention to themselves.
How can one ever justify an online poll between two great athletes from two such diverse disciplines as boxing and cricket and dare to judge them on the basis of the votes they get? Its ridiculous to say the least and unfair to both great achievers no matter who wins.
India has a population of well over one billion while the Philippines at most has 90 million. How in heaven?s name can they compete in terms of numbers?
If ESPN Star Sports had any way of weighting the votes or used some such creative mechanism it may have been acceptable. But to decide based on mere hits indicates that it is not a question of evaluating the performance of both Pacquiao and Tendulkar in their own sports but a mere play on numbers.
We won?t dare take anything away from Tendulkar, one of the greatest cricketers of all-time who is somewhat of a God in India and is adored very much like Pacquiao is in the Philippines.
Unfortunately, since very few Filipinos know the game of cricket and follow it internationally, Tendulkar?s name doesn?t register with them and if it does, it doesn?t mean a thing.
Perhaps if ESPN Star Sports wishes to honor athletes from different disciplines they could have a poll of the top contenders in each sport and ultimately allow a select panel of qualified sports people with a sense of fairness and integrity to evaluate the contribution and achievements of each individual in his or her particular sport in the past year and then select a Champion of Champions.
We have seen appeals from Filipino admirers of Pacquiao for their countrymen to rally around Pacquiao and vote for him. We figure much the same thing is happening in India.
This doesn?t promote sports and healthy rivalry in any manner or form. It only accentuates divisions between nations. That in itself is a disservice to sports.
Besides, ESPN Star Sports must realize that while boxing has a passionate following it is nowhere near the number of countries that play the game of cricket and the millions who follow the game day in and day out. In short, the odds are loaded against Manny Pacquiao.
We remember well how Time Magazine on its 60th anniversary chose Asian Heroes and in a section for Athletes and Explorers where Tendulkar and the Philippines all-time billiards great Efren ?Bata? Reyes were among those honored.
Tendulkar whose nickname is ?Little Master? was referred to as ?cricket?s biggest talent? while Reyes was mentioned as someone whose ?ability made him unstoppable, his character made him beloved.? This line may well be true of both Pacquiao and Tendulkar because they are both beloved ? Pacquiao to the Filipinos and Tendulkar to the Indians for sure.
For Manny to get this far in the poll is in itself a singular achievement not just for himself but the Filipinos to whom he is a hero and for whom they would do just about anything. Beloved indeed to all of us.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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