Wave after wave is hitting with no apparent respite. Is it a new fanged Tsunami or just another phase of the degeneration of our social structure that is rapidly losing all its moral values?
One day it is a saga on an athlete trying to dupe some innocent soul in a visa fraud or the next is about an individual who flouts all ethical norms in rugby. Then the next day we hear about a heavyweight in cricket shielding a tender fraudster. The list goes on without a full stop, with only commas.

At present this has become such a social evil that is destroying the very structures that our peers strived hard to accomplish and build it up to what it is today or else were there any flaws in that very structure that they laid down?

The result was that we came up with a poser and got the views of a group of eminent personalities.
The Question we put forward was: Degeneration of sports in general; Eg: Cricket, Athletics or rugby which are by far the most popular and the most internationally acclaimed disciplines in Sri Lanka. Is it a direct result of the present disintegration of moral and social structure or is it the commercialization of sports?

Both are responsible

First we sought the views of Professor S.T. Hettige, senior professor of sociology, University of Colombo.

This being a sociological question as much as a sports poser the professor was spot on with the answer. He started by saying both evils – degeneration of moral and social structure and the commercialization of sport were directly responsible for the current deplorable situation. He added “The bane of today’s society is that the instrument value has overtaken intrinsic values and people have lost their way.”

He brought forth one huge example. “For instance see the medical profession. It is a very noble profession. But, in today’s context most of those who are engaged in it use that as a vehicle to get rich. In the same way you can take politics. It also starts with very noble intentions. However values of that profession changes by the way and the individual ends up as a very rich man. In the same vein see the real value of sports. From our younger days it is inculcated in us that sports meant the cherishing of human values like learning to accept defeat and team work. But, in today’s context it is all lost and most sportsmen go behind the instrument value rather than the intrinsic value”.

He also pointed out “Today you just watch a cricketer on the field. Besides your national crest you have so many other emblems on your self. The sportsmen/women are sold in parts. For instance in a cricketer a part of the shirt will be owned by one company, the bat by another and another part by someone else. In a situation of this nature it is inevitable that accepted moral and social structures go out of the windows.”

“This is a global phenomenon and ironically we also have got entangled by the way”.

It is politics

Then we had a chat with a sportsman of yesteryear. Now quite a bystander he was none other than the former SLRFU president Y.C. Chang – a very outspoken person he was very vociferous. He said “I say this is a culmination of occurring that has taken place for the past three decades.

“I say it is the politicians who have been the root cause of this general downfall. Down the line there have been various Sports Ministers, who have been in charge of this sector, but they have had very little or no sense in what they have been doing.”

“In Sri Lanka sports have evolved into what it is today, but, during this time has any sports minister changed the ‘Sports Law’ to suit the demands of the given period? I think nothing has been done in this area since 1972. I feel this is the root cause for the general degeneration of sports today. It is sad, but it is real and very true”.
It is the commercialization
Former secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka Neil Perera opined differently. He was of the view that the main cause was commercialization. He started off by saying “Money is the root cause of all evil.”
Neil Perera was quite adamant in his stance “I think first the players must think of the national cause before they think of their wallets. This is not a new phenomenon. Even just one year after we gained Test status some Lankan cricketers were involved in a rebel tour when Lankan cricket was still in its infancy.
“Now the whole game has evolved into a huge commercial potpourri. Just see what is happening to Test cricket. I feel it is directly under threat as a result of this new fang twenty20 cricket and especially the IPL. The money in it has lured many a cricketer through sheer greed that has even taken over the national interests. It is very ironical, but, the commercialization of cricket is eating its own-self up.” said the former BCCSL secretary in conclusion.

The answers were well rounded. They came from very eminent persons who have rendered yeoman service to their given professions as well as their extra curricular activities.

However here at this end we could not help but, wonder -- this is not a thing that has jumped out all of a sudden like a jack-in-the-box. This is a culmination of events, incidents of mismanagement and nepotism along with personal greed that had come through a given period of time. Ironically, like the above, the keepers of the castle may have seen what was in store down the line, but no one has ever done a thing to prevent things from going sour at the end.