The Fallacies of band-aid solutions in Sports

In this post, I would like to talk about the shortcomings of quick fix solutions being recently implemented across various sports, rather than long term sustainable changes

1.Cricket:

Some makeup has been applied to the ODI format by bringing in some inconsequential changes such as removal of a runner, specification of range of overs available for powerplays, etc…The cricket body hopes that the 50 over format will be able to arouse more interest through such tweaks. Instead of repainting the walls, the cricket body should have looked at strengthening the foundation wall of cricket by helping it spread to nations which haven’t even heard of cricket.I have already written about the irony of the DRS in my last post on cricket… The adoption of DRS in its current form is again a short term compromise solution from the virtual cricket head to appease the real cricket head, before the upcoming series with England. The uncertainty surrounding the DRS is unlikely to get reduced by this patch work. What is really needed is a set unambiguous rules covering all possible scenarios & more importantly defined & agreed upon once & for all. This will ensure uniformity in all decisions, just as it happens in tennis…

2.Badminton:

The ruling body asked the women to wear skirts to help increase the general level of interest in the game. Although the rule is now reverted, the thinking from the authorities is clear. They will not do anything significant to promote the game in a country dominated by cricket viewership, followed by that for football & tennis. Although I donot defend the absolute rule of cricket in India, the question I ask in the face of such short sighted management is whether cricket is solely responsible for insignificant growth of other sports in the country? Have the other sports bodies done enough to take their sports to higher levels, before putting the blame on cricket?

3. Football:

Sacking a coach after a defeat /exit from a tournament is another short term quick fix which is followed by many football teams all over the world. A complete introspection may reveal that the coach may not be the real culprit behind the loss.

4.Formula 1:

A formula 1 team, after a non illustrious season has decided to spend millions for a complete overhaul of its technical structure. This looks to be a good approach, aimed at strong performances in the future rather than a few costly technical fixes just to keep the head above the water in the current season..

These are a few instances which tell us that while looking at immediate remedies, we should also look at long-term, perhaps painstaking solutions to remove the problem from the root cause, be it in our personal or professional lives…