It is important to build the ‘Trust factor’ in Cricket

Recently there was an another verdict on spot fixing which again left its fans wondering, “ Cricket – A Gentleman’s game anymore ?”

We hear often about how teamwork, getting ahead of the competition and winning apply both to high performing business units and sports teams. Often under-analysed, yet frequently dominating our headlines is how both sports and business are too often plagued by scandals.

Two recent glaring examples are the high profile IPL fixing episode and involvement of few Pakistan players in spot fixing that outlined how all this hurting a normal cricket fan who devotes so much of his time and money only to see his favourite team winning or favourite player performing.

These stories affect public faith in the sport and raise questions. After all the credibility of the sport is vital for the relationship to blossom. Should I buy the ticket of a match which result is already decided? Are professional athletes really competing and thus deserve their fan’s passion, time and money? It all boils down to trust. Here are few steps towards re-building this credibility:

• First, both sporting organizations and athletes need to recognize the iconic role they play in society. Those who work in the finance industry are more than business men and women – they are a cornerstone of our economy and are permitted extraordinary rewards not merely because of the financial risks they take (lots of people take risks) but because they serve as admired models of successful business acumen. The reality is that fans worldwide look up to athletes in a different way than those in other professions. Leadership is more than simply running one’s company for the benefit of shareholders or recording wins on the field; it is the embodiment of societal values.
• Leaders and athletes need to also understand why they have lost their credibility and proactively work to restore confidence. Education plays an important role here and it is responsibility of every organization to not only educate its players but also recognize them the values of being a role model in the society when you are representing your club, school, state or nation.
• This will only happen when today’s sports units which includes coaches, mentors, fans and parents of a athlete will demonstrate behavior that shows they really do care and respect the game. They need to be authentic in their response by supporting their words with actions.

No one is bigger than Sport itself and just because of few culprits it won’t be appropriate to say that this game has lost respect in front of its true fans.

By: Abhishek Shekhawat, General Manager - Franchisee & Game Development, CIA