Money makes the sports world go round

Things have changed in the past few decades. Back in 2010, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, one of Pakistan’s most accomplished tennis players, earned around $300,000 in prize money on the ATP Tour. In addition, Aisam supplements his income with plenty of endorsements which fetch him tens of thousands of dollars.

Aisam’s earnings may just be a fraction of what international sports stars like tennis ace Roger Federer make but they are still substantial according to Pakistani standards.

“There is so much money in sports these days that it is mind boggling,” says Saeed Hai, who is regarded among the legends of Pakistan tennis. Hai preceded Pirzada as Pakistan’s tennis champion for several years and is one of the few players from his country to have featured at Grand Slam events.

“In the good old days, we used to play for respect. Money was important but it wasn’t all important,” says Pirzada.

Well, in today’s world money does seem to be all important. In fact one would not be off the mark in saying that money makes the sports world go round.

Take for example the London 2012 Olympic Games which exploded into action with a $43 million opening ceremony orchestrated by British film director Danny Boyle. The ceremony was staged at the brand new Olympic Stadium in East London that was recently completed at a cost of almost half-a-billion pounds. Britain is battling recession but it would still end up spending 12 billion pounds on London 2012. It had to after Beijing delivered history’s most expensive Games four years ago. It is believed that Beijing 2008 cost China $40 billion.

The modern Olympics have certainly grown since their inception in Athens in 1896. And not just in terms of participation. The Olympics are now a rich man’s event. Gone are the days when sheer talent or determination could lead you to Olympic glory. Today, you need top class facilities and expensive coaching to win Olympic medals.

Take for example the case of Australia. The Aussies have over the decades proved themselves as sporting giants and not just in team sports like cricket and hockey. They have produced legendary athletes like swimmer Ian Thorpe and sprinter Cathy Freeman. According to a rough estimate, Australia spent a whopping $40 million on each Olympic gold medal they won during the 20-year period spanning from Seoul (’88) to Beijing (2008).

Sounds unfair, doesn’t it? I mean, how can you compete with that? Just imagine an Aussie athlete – well-trained, well-oiled and well-funded – coming face to face with an under-trained Pakistani opponent at some Olympic arena in London. There won’t be any contest.

And it’s not just Australia. United States has over the years mastered the art of Olympics through mammoth sporting complexes that churn out world class athletes. Same is now the case with China. Europeans aren’t far behind. It’s not surprising when a handful of the ‘moneyed’ nations walk away with the lion’s share of Olympic medals after every four years.

It’s not that there is no talent or the desire to win glory among the athletes of developing nations such as Pakistan. But the ever-widening gap between athletes from rich and poor nations has pushed the Olympics far from the sort of level playing field they were supposed to be when conceived by men like Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Frenchman considered the father of the modern Olympic Games.

There are still a few countries like Ethiopia, Kenya and Jamaica which continue to produce world class athletes in spite of all odds but Olympic success stories from the third world are few and far between.

And even the most successful of third world nations such as Ethiopia and Kenya just produce track stars. Their athletes are not good in field events or swimming. There is a simple reason behind it and it has everything to do with material resources. Running requires very little in terms of funds, facilities and equipment. In contrast, building and maintaining an Olympic standard swimming pool is out of the reach of many developing nations. It is estimated that a single swimming pool laced with bio-mechanical testing equipment costs a country like Australia around $20 million.

The power of money doesn’t just dictate terms at the Olympics.

Cricket, Pakistan’s favou-rite pastime, has been witnessing the rise of India primarily due to the fact that the country is the sport’s financial engine.

There was a time when world-class players from countries like Pakistan would head to England to play county cricket which was regarded as the best way to make a decent living for a cricketer. Today, all roads lead to India, thanks to the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). India’s cricketers are counted among the world’s highest-paid sportspersons. Further, India is one of the most successful teams in all three formats of the game.

Money, for better or for worse, has made India a game changer.

“As cricketers when we look toward India we say ‘now that’s the way our cricketers should also be paid,’” says Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s most popular cricketer. “I mean, even a domestic player there makes millions of rupees thanks to the IPL and other local tournaments.”

Over the years, Afridi has made his millions through his cricketing heroics and endorsements. But he rues the fact that playing cricket is still not a secure means to make a living in Pakistan.

“I know from experience that feeling financially secure is very important for a sportsman,” he says. “It’s very difficult for him to give his best when he is unable to make a decent living for his family.”

So how much should a first-class cricketer make in a year to be able to feel financially secure?

“With so much inflation and countless expenses, I believe a first-class player in our country should make around 3.5 million to 4 million,” responds Afridi. “He would still be making much less than his Indian counterpart but at least he would be comfortable.”

So how much does an average first-class cricketer make per annum in Pakistan? There are no official statistics but it is understood that most of them don’t even earn a fraction of the amount Afridi wants them to make. “This has to change. We will have to pump more money in our domestic cricket to be able to stay at par with other leading teams,” says the former Pakistan captain. “Money will certainly make a big difference.”