Sport in T&T—We like it so
By Andre E Baptiste (T&T Guardian)
There is so much wrong with sports in T&T that sometimes I wonder where to start, whether it is football, horseracing, basketball, hockey, swimming, netball or even athletics, they all have inherent problems born out of a sense of despair due to poor management techniques. So instead of discussing these matters, I want to talk about you, yes you! All of you! Or should I correctly say all of us. We the people of T&T who say: “We care about sports.” We who say: “We love sports.” We talk so much sport as if we understand its importance and role. Yet still the reality is that in all spheres of sports, it is—we—(you, me and everybody else), who collectively have failed sports in this country over the last 20 years. And if you do not believe me, or are in a state of denial, then explain some of the following to me with a straight face and an honest soul. Okay, okay, forget about honesty in sports in this country, let us just stick to a straight face.
How can anyone explain there is currently no senior T&T football team in training since last year and no one seems to be concerned? We (the people) are not clamouring for something to be done. Football continues to behave as if there is no one who can make one decisive decision unless it is a World Cup qualifying year, and most of those involved in the sport, seem too busy on self promotion rather than country. Instead most of us are only waiting to cheer on whoever replaces Russell Latapy as national coach. It is almost as if, every one of us is convinced that Austin Jack Warner will again wave his magical Fifa wand and we will qualify for the last round of six for Brazil 2014. Perhaps, Jack Warner has to accept individual responsibility for making this country and by extension, the people so dependent on him that we cannot think on our own. If we really care about football and understand just how poor and how backward our football is, we need to realise that this time around that even the greatest efforts of The Minister of Works and Transport will not suffice unless the team practices together for a lengthy period of time. So the truth is, we in this carnival atmosphere and mentality appear to like it so.
Cricket
In cricket, can we explain how some persons who should know better are placing politics in front of success of the national cricket team? Why would a former test player not be willing to work with the current T&T Cricket Board and instead be attempting to place obstacles in the way of the development of cricket? We, the people need to know more, we need to find out if it is because this is an election year for cricket (most likely October 2011). We must stop allowing persons to escape unchallenged because of their previous record in the sports, we must show that we still care, because we have a major say in the upcoming voting for positions on the T&T Cricket Board. But in the end, all of these officials know we are a waste of time because we like it so.
Swimming
In swimming, why are we not interested in why it appears only one swimmer George Bovell III is getting more support than others, even though he is 27 and approaching the end of his swimming career after the next Olympics in 2012. It is not his fault that he has better management, better coaching and better appeal than the other swimmers. But we need to ask the swimming association to improve their programmes so that they can develop younger versions of Bovell III. If we really care and understand swimming, we should be aware of the great gulf between Bovell III and our other swimmers. We need to not only be satisfied with Bovell’s success, but instead question why since Bovell III’s Olympic bronze medal in 2002, there has been no other swimmer to follow almost ten years later.
Was enough done by all concerned, government sporting officials and various swimming administrators over the years? This new administration has only been around for four months, but we still need to question what is being done for life after George Bovell III. Again, though, that would be if we really cared about the sport, but instead—we like it so.
Basketball
In basketball, there continues to be silence on several matters that were ventilated before the new administration took over, and whilst there has been no necessary increase in the quality of performance or enhancement of the product. We should be calling on the powers to explain whether the last administration was telling the truth about money shortage and funding from the Ministry of Sports.
In this country, we allow persons to escape too easily after they have made comments on matters which at the time seem very questionable. It is this comfort zone mentality that has allowed these sporting administrators to say what they want, when they want and how they want. Because they understand that we like it so.
Boxing
Boxing is another sport that we have allowed to do nearly anything without too much fuss. It seems as if the people of this beautiful twin island republic are just not in touch with what is going. Can anyone explain, why is that the people of this country only seemed to be interested in what was going on with the appointment of Boxu Potts as a special advisor to the Boxing Board, when the matter was raised on both i95.5fm (Isports Thursday and Saturday) and Synergy Sports. It is amazing, how in the first place, the powers that control sports in this country could believe that they would escape censoring from the people. It can only mean, that they realised the don’t care attitude of our people, that anyone can get away with nearly any deed no matter how dastardly. It is the same old saying we like it so.
Motorsport
In Motorsport, there is the situation where the T&T Automobile Sports Association has caused a major eruption in the motor sport industry with their choice of Daniel Ramoutarsingh instead of Sheldon Bissessar which can only tarnish the sports. Yet still the majority of the persons, who claim they love this sport, have stood idly by and done absolutely nothing about what is a clear injustice. And what is doubly amazing is that many of those involved in motor sport always claim that they care the most for their sport, yet still this has occurred. But so be it we like it so.
Summary
So how will it all end, another year, another set of errant sports administrators who if allowed to go unchecked, will continue to reek ruin and havoc on the sporting world that is T&T.
Unless we, the people, begin to ask for accountability and transparency, and demand more, then we cannot expect any change or any long term solution to this persistent problem of persons spoiling the respective sport because of their individual petulance. And the truth is the same old—We like it so—is just not good enough.
It never was and never will be, but so be it.
