Nepali Sports Dot Com

Recently I had been to Pokhara to watch a football match. The stadium was almost full and I was happy to see quite a number of ladies who had turned up to watch the match. Once the whistle blew the atmosphere was charged up as local boys too were playing. Chanting and hooting had begun and people were sitting on the edge of their sit with excitement. Few girls, couple of rows above me, started chanting interesting slogans for the local boys.  Eyes of the other spectators glued to the ground earlier were on these girls now. Soon these girls were asked in loud shouts if they indeed understood the game well enough to comment on it. While there were those who simply couldn’t keep quite while a girl commented on their beloved game.

Then there was an incident when sisters and girlfriends of the players had turned up to watch a football match. It was raining hard and the stands were wet yet here they were to support their loved ones.  Soon they were shouting at the payers to perform better. ‘Pass on the ball to the midfielder silly’ and ‘ run faster were some of the comments. The audience, who were unaware of the fact that these ladies discussed the game with the players and at times advised them on their game too, were laughing at them for voicing their thoughts aloud. And I on my part was laughing at the funny situation when a gentle looking guy beside me in a loud voice asked the girls to stop their stupid comments. I was simply stunned. Only a while ago he too was busy yelling at the players.

Then there was this case at the cricket stadium in Kirtipur during the national games where players had brought their sisters to watch them play and some of their friends form college too had turned up to support these players after the first innings. We had seen the first half off with lots of ho-halls and nobody had a problem with it. But when some of the girls who had come latter opened their mouth everyone had problems. I simply failed to comprehend why these guys were having problem with the girls who were calling a wide a wide and a no ball a no ball and knowledgeably commenting to change their fielding position.

I simply fail to understand why these girls are not taken seriously. When they for the love of the game sit through such a long game of cricket until the end. The authorities that proudly boast off the fact that cricket are popular in their region and cash on it. But think of girls as sports spectators who despite occasional complains of the lack of lavatory facilities for them on cricket ground go to miss a match.

I have faced many a situation when women are frowned upon or worst teased for hooting. Incidents like these have turned the team cheerier me who, loved to go to the ground and watch a game voicing my enthusiasm into a TV watcher who can freely clap and shout as much as she likes inside her room.

These incidents have left me with the impression that sports is a men’s world, where they compete, coach handle the technical aspect and watch the fierce competition themselves. As far as they are concerned women have no place on it. Not even as mere spectators. How else can we explain all these brow raising when a lady comments on a game and she is teased if she dares to raise her voice in support of her team. But these brave women are entering the loins den and going through all these nonsense juts for the love of the game.