Sports departments and ministries rightly have targets to meet when it comes to big tournaments like the Asian Games. But for the rest of us (journalists, commentators, content aggregators, fans, the casual spectator), the narrative for a while (especially in the first 10 days of the competition) about the games being a disaster/failure/disappointment felt unpleasant at so many points.
The majority of us talking about the 'disappointment' of not winning gold in disciplines did so by completely negating the value of those silver and bronze medals.
We've seen so many things motivate athletes. For us, medals and medallists are statistics; for someone participating, the colour of the medal — or medalling at all to begin with — is the difference between struggle and jobs, between funding and obscurity.
Look at the instances of athletes motivating themselves with that DSP rank, for example. It's so easy to say, "Arey, unko sirf job chahiye." Why would someone not want that, man?
We've had so many lovely stories coming from people on the ground. Read them. You will rarely hear defeatist takes on a silver or a bronze, because medals, regardless of colour, need to be celebrated before we can then talk about whether there was plausibility for a higher colour.
I am guilty of this too. For me, Tajinder Toor was one such instance. Things have historically gone wrong for him at some big events and injury revelations, and personal issues would come after. For the skeptic in me, it often looked like excuses. I used to get so frustrated to see him come away with something less than what WE, as spectators, thought he was capable of. But those ankle injuries, bereavements, and family emergencies are all realities. If it frustrates us, would it not frustrate them?
When we say, "Oh, someone is only fit for silver" (like a lot of athletics stars heard this month), it's as if winning silvers are cakewalks. Neeraj Chopra, too, for all his pathbreaking achievements, has been copping the odd snide remark after his golden run made way for a line of silver medals or injury-induced withdrawals. That his 90m throws come so laboriously has also attracted a lot of half-informed dismissals. We criticise as if 90m throws are something you and I can manage with our eyes closed.
Then there's the way athletes who fell short get abused by comparison with those who delivered. Deepika Kumari was attacked online, in contrast with the archers who did well in Aichi Nagoya. We often don't understand how pressure can cripple at stages like that. But if WE feel it, if we want to punch a wall, imagine what she'd be wanting to do? And Deepika is no participation candidate. It's a decorated resume that is sadly remembered for what it doesn't have instead of everything it does.
This is not to say one needs to engage with sportspeople through rose-tinted glasses and excessive awe. We've had athletes with fitness issues, associations that have shortchanged their squads (think equestrian and rowing), and even whole contingents who have not medalled as much as people would have thought.
That's the line we sometimes need to remember. It's nuance even the average sports fan can learn, including those of us who are writing/talking about them. Somewhere along the way, abuse has started passing for banter.
There's so much I personally need to learn about the way I engage with victory and defeat for Indian sports as just a viewer or a supporter. Accountability and quality maintenance are important, but so is acknowledging feats for what they are - FEATS.
#DiaryEntryDone.
[Aman's photo - A fantastic shot by Chalinee Thirasupa | Manu's incredible shot by PTI's Atul Yadav | More fantastic frames are there from our own
@rvmoorthyhindu but go to Sportstar/The Hindu to actually see those]