Which category of ' The fan ', do you belong to?

Only a few people in the world, have the much desired tag of Superstars attached to them. They are Superstars because simply, they are super. They are what people desire to be one day, their route is what people desire to follow, but most importantly, they are the world's richest banks with respect to their popularity and they generate a strong affinity towards them from the people. By the way, who are the 'people' here? Well, every constituent of the 'people' is what we associate as ' The Fan'. The fans always form a major ingredient in a person's ascendancy to mega stardom. I am sure, every one of you out there, must be a fan of someone. It may be a Superstar, a rising star, your colleague, your parents, or even one of your friends who you pretty much adore and look upto. So in a way, India is a population of a billion fans.Pretty big number. So considering the importance of fans, its interesting to see, which categories of fans exist.

First category solely belongs to the Fans, for whom the word, 'fan' is actually reserved for. These are the 'Die Hard' fans. We have two categories here. First sub category have their motto as " I love you so,so much. I dont care what you do, but I will love you till the end. I can do anything for you". Fans belonging to this category are just blinded in their love for their stars. They consider that they have been born to see their stars and will never hear a word against them.Many Superstars are there in this 'die for' list, like SRK, Rajni devaa, Big B etc.Well, if i think a bit, a friend in my class belongs to this category.

The second sub category, are equally 'die hard', but they do tend to go to the other extreme. Its because they love them so much they cant see them commit any mistake which would dishearten them. Best example in this country is that of the Indian cricket team. There is no point in denying that we all love them so much, but we can also see that when they lose(which can happen in sports), we do tends towards hatred as was witnessed after WC 2007, or as in violent clashes in football matches

Second category is more of a diluted form of the first category. Their motto is "I love you a lot. But sorry boss, you arent good enough for me to give my life". More of a practical category, isnt it? They are more of entertainment seekers. They are pretty much attracted to their stars then other stars. So you can rightly term as the average fan.

Third category, does not exactly belong to the fans. They are ,well, spectators. Not in either extremes. They do prefer watching their stars but are also ready to criticize them if nesscary. Some of them love to criticize more. In the words of Jim Morrison, " Film Spectators are silent vampires". But none the less, they are fans as they look upto their heroes.

Well, i guess thats about it. Maybe, i might have missed out on some categories. As you are also a fan, you can enlighten me on other categories if they exist. And also tell me which category you belong to. So lets have it from you my friends.

Sledge out the Sledging

Good Communication skills are a pre-requisite to succeed in today's competitive world. That's because words used, impinge on the listener and usually makes the speaker's case stronger. Well, communication has managed to make its presence felt, in the cricketing arena. Its not the good ol' Banter or the off field press conference we are talking about. Its the words which fly, on field, amidst an exciting game of cricket.Yup, its sledging we are taking about.

A couple of weeks back, I was lucky enough to have a glimpse, in the Times of India, about the famous sledges, which have taken place in this sport. And believe me, they were so humorous I almost fell of my chair. The listener on the field, of course, wouldn't have seen the funny side of it. That brings us to the question, is sledging acceptable?

The source of sledging lies in the frustration which develops in the mind of a bowler(generally the starter) or a fielder. The concentration of the batsmen is diverted and the end result could be the batsmen getting out.Of course,the batsmen also has a crack back at the bowler. If you believed in the saying "The end justifies the means", then my friend, it may not be applicable here. A Sport needs to be played in the right spirit to sustain the interest of the masses. Whatever i read in the newspaper, was funny as I was the third person, and i didn't visualize it in front of my eyes. In visual, it does appear as if something wrong is happening on the field, even if it is just plain chatter.In short, it goes down in a bad taste, no matter which team you are supporting.

Sometimes, it does get pretty ugly as was witnessed in the recently concluded Sydney test, which ended with serious charges of Racism against Bhajji(Harbhajan Singh). Australia, known as the world capital of Sledging, are usually the ones involved in the sledges. It goes on that they cannot take it themselves when given back.Of course this does not undermine the great talent and champion spirit they possess.

But the point is, the game does go into a different mode, when sledging takes place. Players get charged up, the environment becomes more hostile, the crowd gets into the act with their boos and yays, the media gets into overdrive condemning the verbal assault, and ultimately a good competitive sport may go on the downhill. It does manage to entertain the viewers, but is it good for the sport in the long run? Lets have it from you, my friends.