Hardik Pandya episode underscores the need for sports federations to train athletes in public conduct and handling fame

With fame, comes a certain degree of responsibility. If cricketer Hardik Pandya is bewildered by the outcry against his untoward remarks on a talk show, it is largely because he probably expected praise from his peers instead. He thought he was on a roll and doing what was expected of his personality, or so he interpreted his publicity. Such is the godliness to which cricketers are anointed that they get carried away by their own sense of self-importance. If anything, the thoughtless natter over his sexual conquests and the testosterone-driven arrogance on display is also an indictment of the celebrity status being taken to ridiculous lengths. While it does not excuse bad behaviour, the overnight leap from anonymity and social obscurity into the glare of fame and fortune can be blinding. [caption id=“attachment_5865901” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have been asked to explain themselves by BCCI. Twitter @hardikpandya7[/caption] Hardik probably meant no real harm and was marketing his newfound self worth rather than deliberately objectifying women. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the same swagger that marked his presence in the team and got him back for the one-dayers despite a one-game fitness trial is what has got him into trouble. Whether the shock of the public castigation will make him any less of a player is to be seen, but there is a lesson in this for other overnight sensations in all fields, not just sport. Since administrative bodies also have the right to exercise disciplinary action(s), they also need to study the social and psychological impact of heaping riches and power on youngsters without mandated lessons in codes of conduct that go beyond mere clauses in a contract. Just as lottery winners are offered professional and mental guidance in specialised clinics to handle the windfall, it might be a thought to have such classes for the athletes whose number has increased exponentially in the past few years - not just in cricket but with all these leagues in other sports like football, badminton, tennis and kabaddi. The IPL prospects talent from less affluent backgrounds and the players are not always to the manner born when it comes to social etiquette. It needs more than just warnings and admonishments to ensure the newfound status is not seen as a platform for self-destructive behaviour and the growth of a corrupted value system. These relatively callow youth cannot believe they have hit fame - not for finding a cure to cancer but for chasing and striking a ball on the field. No wonder it goes to their heads. I must admit that I do feel sorry for Hardik Pandya in some way because the media, the public, and the game packaged him as a macho, strutting alpha male and he concluded this was how to project himself. Public humiliation is a huge price to pay. I feel sorrier that we don’t add some classes in good conduct and the right stance to take. Perhaps this IPL could be a good start to such a coaching dimension.