Sports fans get short end of the stick

The sports fan lives a roller coaster life. One day his team is on top of the world and he can hear birds singing and poetry in running brooks. Next day a crucial match is lost, and all is devastation and questioning of the meaning of life. He will queue outside a stadium for hours and days to get a ticket, he will save up for months for the big event, he will forego meals, entertainment, stay off fatty food or even jog in the morning if it helps his team.

All he asks for in return is that his team keeps winning, and when the caravan comes to his city he is given a chance to watch a game live.

World cups thrive on this support, yet something has changed recently. Sport is now all about TV rights, sponsorships, and complimentary passes for the high and mighty. A World Cup cricket match in India is a good example. Stadia holding nearly 50,000 people have seen only a tenth of that number of seats made available to the paying public.

There are demands from the international body, from overseas supporters, club members. Then there are the local legislators, the corporators, the policemen, the utilities departments, many of whom wouldn't know a cover point from a ballpoint. No one is above a judicious spot of blackmail ("Give us passes or we will cut off your water supply".)

Other ways to discourage the fan include not allowing him to carry water or food into the stadium (in the name of security). In some places, reserve players earn the public's gratitude by distributing water to those seated behind them! A clever trick that is sometimes used to restrict the movement of the fans is to deny them entry altogether, especially if they have a valid ticket.

Security guards are allowed to frisk you and confiscate such dangerous items as chewing gum or digestive biscuits which you may be carrying in your pockets. Touts operate freely, however. The blackmailers sell their allotted free tickets at ten times the cover price. Often the touts are those whose job it is to keep order. Such keenness to keep the wheels of commerce moving might have been appreciated in another context, but this confusion over the law - should they protect it or break it? - muddies the waters somewhat.

At the end of it, not everyone finds even a tied match exciting. "What a waste of eight hours," someone complained. "So much effort, and no result!" He probably had bought his ticket from a tout. When you fork out huge amounts of money, you assume the ticket comes with a guarantee of victory.

It is hard being a fan.