So I was at a friend's place, watching one of the IPL cricket matches on TV. It was Twenty20, so it was 3 hours long at most, and packed excitement, drama - and cheerleaders. Of course, his wife comes into the room at the exact time as the camera focuses on the cheerleaders.
"Oh, I thought you guys were watching cricket? This IS cricket? You should CHANGE THE CHANNEL!!"
My friend's house was not the only house troubled by the new phenomenon of cheerleaders in cricket. It seems the girls leave some in India hot and bothered.
India's leading socio-historian and writer, Ramchandra Guha, dubbed the phenomenon of cheerleaders despicable and degrading for the game of cricket.Some of the cheerleaders are not that enthralled with the behavior of the crowd either.
"All the organizers are doing by making scantily-clad white women dance in front of huge crowds is to stoke the base, voyeuristic and sexual insecurities of the Indian male [emphasis mine - Mezba]. It is revolting, appalling and shows the game in very poor light," a disturbed Guha told HT.Rediff
Tabitha, who says she's originally from Uzbekistan, added, "Wherever we go, we do expect people to pass lewd, snide remarks but I'm shocked by the nature and magnitude of the comments people pass here. Be it a 70-year-old oldie or a 15-year-old kid, they all letch at us and make amorous advances. I feel very threatened. We are here to entertain them, to add a bit of glamor, but we are living in constant fear (of someone attempting something)." Hindustan TimesOne commentator on Rediff says "Show some respect for cultural sensitivities maan. Grow up. You seem to be groomed under western materialistic philosophy which treats woman as commodities and less of as personalities. It's the great Indian tradition that has given utmost value to women; and Indian women have by far lived up to the expectations and the respect they command in the society." Of course when it's white women than all bets are off ...
I have always wondered why societies that give such "lofty status" to women, treat them as "pearls", have problems with their men behaving lecherously when seeing some scantily clad women, and then BLAME THE WOMEN. It's YOUR hormones.
As for me, I am just enjoying the cricket. Could I have done this post without the cheerleader pictures? Absolutely. But then, I wanted to add some glamor to this post! :-P
17 comments:
LOL! Ahah, glamour indeed. Whatever! :P
I am stunned! Why do we need to see half-naked women? Cricketers are hot enough :P
Wow! I had totally missed this phenomenon. Cricket cheerleaders in India? What happened to the gentleman's game? I suppose the oldies of baseball, hockey and basketball must have felt the same way when cheerleaders were first introduced into those sports. But then they've had time to adapt in the West, from '50s-style cheerleader outfits of full-sleeved sweaters and knee-length skirts, to the modern ultra-mini outfit. I wouldn't expect 500m cricket fans in India to instantly adapt their mindsets at the introduction of the new-style cheerleaders. Talk about delusional!
Re: my earlier comment, "Talk about delusional", I'm referring to those geniuses who had the bright idea of putting mini-clad cheerleaders into Indian cricket!
Glamorous, eh? Well, cricket commentators nowadays seem to have a blind spot not to observe the scantly-clad "cheerleaders" (i.e. sidekick chicks) in Bollywood movies?
As for me, I say bring the cheerleaders on, baby!
No wonder the crowds are getting bigger and bigger. I didn't know they did that in India too, shows that am so behind with the *news*. I just find it too gross seeing half naked women running around and jumping for what???? Let them try it with male cheerleaders, lol, everyone will run away(well, men of course!). ;) sf
wtf, who would ever put cheerleaders in cricket? what for? its the longest sport known to man, and what do they cheer?
I think its absurd. Like cheerleaders in hockey.
w.
t.
f.
Wow it looks like the reaction from Indian officials have become more serious.
India warns cheerleaders
Anon @ 6.45: oh yes for that reason only!
Suroor: As a budding cricketer I will agree with you.
Yawar: I think most local Indians can't handle themselves when it comes to seeing the cheerleaders. To them, they are just glorified bar girls.
Anon @ 5.22: I say bring the cheerleaders on, baby just like Shah Rukh in the article I just linked to above, I have no problem!
Sf: I think cheerleaders have now become an "integral" part of twenty20 cricket. Please... no male cheerleaders like that yuck haha.
Molly: twenty20 cricket is actually shorter than baseball it's merely longer than just a couple of hours.
are there cheerleaders in baseball?
Molly: Gee, I don't know... only attended a couple of baseball games, that too free ticket so went late and came out early... I really find baseball a lame sport :-P and a bad imitation of cricket, so never paid much attention!
I was shocked when I saw cheerleaders at the IPL games. I think my poor dad was more shocked when he was watching and in walked my mom and I right when they started showing the cheerleaders. Of course dad started telling us about the IPL and how they introduced all these Westernized things to get people into the game. And then to distract me he told me about Shahrukh Khan owning one of the teams lol.
When they show shots of the cheerleaders with the crowd in the background you can see men of all ages pressing themselves against the fence just staring at these women. I wonder if the women even know what goes on in the games..?
I'm not a huge fan of baseball myself, which lends itself even more to cricket since I have only the most basic grasp of the million rules that govern the game. If I fall asleep during baseball I doubly do so during cricket, the only difference is that when I wake up to baseball its over but to cricket its probably still going...
AKA: lol so it happened in your family too! Shah Rukh owns the Kolkata Knight Riders which I am supporting but don't think will win, it seems his team is more showbiz than cricket skills.
I am really disgusted but not surprised by the lecherous behaviour of the Indian men behind the cheerleaders.
Molly: haha and at the end of it, it may be a draw! How you play for 5 days and decide it's a draw is beyond me... but then, hey, we now have twenty20!
Yes, the presence of cheerleaders in what is commonly a family viewing occasion is not wanted.
Sumera: Depends on who in the family is present! ;-)
The cheerleaders aren't wearing less clothes than what we see in hindi movies these days anyway. I find the cheerleaders dancing moves less provocative than the bollywood ones.
Our people are such hypocrits. *sigh*
Dugi: you are so right.
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