btw..theres a game called hockey

THERES A GAME CALLED HOCKEY
Teacher: What is the national game of India?
Rohan: Cricket
this is a common mistake made by almost all 3rd standard students who mistake cricket for the national game, as they forget that there is a game called hockey- Hockey is our national game! So who should be blamed for this? The hockey players who failed to gather as much attention or failed to create as much hype as other sportsperson have? Or is it the media who failed to glorify the team and players as much as they glorified others? Or was it the authority and Government, who failed to give them an appropriate platform despite their performance? The responsibility cannot be fixed. Yet the fact remains that Indian hockey team and players have been denied much affection.
The game has brought much glory and respect to India on the map of world sports! This history of Indian hockey goes back to 1885 when the first hockey club came up in Calcutta and soon Bombay and Punjab followed suit. Making its Olympic debut at the 1928 Amsterdam Games, Indian hockey team cruised home to its first Olympic gold, without conceding a single goal. The hallmark of this ruthless domination was the wizardry of Indian hockey legend - Dhyan Chand, who mesmerized the Amsterdam crowd with his dazzling skills. From there on, India won six straight Olympic gold medals while winning 24 consecutive matches between 1924 and 1956, a record likely to stand through the ages. The Indians have won two more gold since then. The team continued to do brilliantly and made India proud every time they got an opportunity. Talking about some of the legendary and outstanding players of Indian hockey, Dhyan Chand, K.D. Singh, Dhanraj Pillay, Balbir Singh and Dilip Tirkey are some names that come to mind instantly. Thanks to their exceptional gaming technique and enduring enthusiasm, the position of India in the field of hockey achieved new heights.
However, it’s unfortunate for Indian hockey, that such legends whom the world revered, had to undergo pathetic treatment from the hockey federation. When the legend of legends Dhyan Chand was ailing in his last days, he was dumped in the general ward, and only after an article by a journalist, he was shifted to a special ward. Hockey has been overshadowed by other popular games who have received more media hype and fan attention.
Dhoni’s haircut, Yuvraj’s affairs, Sehwag’s injury, are to sight a few examples, the hot topics of any discussions. IPL tee shirts, IPL happy hours etc are the most popular advertisement gimmicks most companies indulge in during IPL season. But how many of us honestly know the captain of hockey team? Or how many of us honestly know that there is a premier hockey league as well?!! It’s true that the popularity of a sport depends upon the liking of the public, individual tastes etc. but its also true that if special efforts are made by media and authorities to at least get the game under spotlight and create awareness about it, the game would definitely receive the recognition in our nation that it truly deserves after getting all the glory to the nation!

During the recent times, when Indian sportspersons were swiftly asserting themselves on the global stage, India’s hockey fate was plunging to a chasm. Gradually things took a turn for the worse with the Indian team which was failing to keep pace with vastly improving European rivals. With success being far and few between, hockey was losing out to other popular sports that have brought India international success.
But when things changed, and hockey team emerged again, media was still not enthused to cover them more and bring them back to be the hero in the hearts of the Indian public. Surprisingly even the Government remembers the hockey team only during the time of World Cup, Olympics, and the Asiad.

Most people in India complain and crib about systems that don’t work. But unfortunately, they never make an effort to change it. Hockey, the national sport of India, is also in such a state. Cricket has taken over the position, though unofficially, and cricketers have become the gods of the masses. A loss in cricket is equated to a national loss and a matter of national shame. On the other hand, a win in hockey was treated as if a child had won a match at school.

However fortunately, for the past four years, opinions seem to have changed for the game with the launch of Premier Hockey League. The Premier Hockey League (PHL) is a domestic field hockey tournament conducted by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) with active support from sports news channel ESPN India. The tournament was initiated to revive interest in the sport, which was losing spectator interest. There were 7teams including Bangalore Hi-Fliers, Chennai Veerans, Hyderabad Sultans, Maratha Warriors, Sher-e-Jalandhar, Chandigarh Dynamos and Orissa Steelers. This effort was appreciated, and hockey was brought back to the main focus. Another attempt was made, in the form of ‘Chak De’, which was much appreciated. The movie tried to go away from the main stream cinema idea of cricket, and tried to show the potential and capacity of the Indian Hockey team.
Many in the Indian hockey circles are delighted to have hockey glamorized with the intention of reviving the flagging sport. Though experts do accuse the Indian Hockey Federation of being too lethargic and bureaucratic in popularizing the sport, the International Hockey Federation is keenly studying the format. We must not forget that hockey is the game the world learnt from us and we are now distancing ourselves from the game. It is high time we give the game and its players credit and fame. We could do our bit by emphasizing on it at school level, or college levels. I do not say that one steals the crown from cricket. It’s not a cricket vs hockey debate. But the issue here is that our game, our national game is loosing its sheen. We must remember that there’s a game called hockey- our national game!