Musings before the start of 2010 F1 Season

It’s that time of the year again. New Formula One season is upon us this weekend. New teams, new drivers, some chops and changes in team compositions and rules and…and the return of the king- Michael Schumacher. For an Indian there is the very exciting prospect of seeing Karun Chandok, cutting it out with the world’s elite.
I am a self-proclaimed Michael Schumacher and Ferrari fan. I love Schumi. I love Ferrari. I want Schumi to outclass the rest and win the championship for the eighth time. I also want the prancing horse to reign supreme. It is really mindboggling to decide which side to sway my support. I can’t help myself. No matter how much I think about it or how much I try not to think about it, I shall have to face it. Michael Schumacher will not be driving for Ferrari this season.

Racing is in Ferrari’s DNA. You can never leave them out of reckoning. No matter how many rule modifications are done they will produce a top of the grid car soon enough. They were not championship contenders last year but make no mistake they are gonna be there or there about at the top come November. Ferrari will be aiming for both drivers’ and constructors’ championship. I do fancy them winning the constructors but really can’t pick the champion driver.

Michael Schumacher is a legend. It’s as simple as that. And if anyone thinks he can’t win the championship again then I am more than welcome to have an argument with the person. Combination of Ross Brawn, Schumi and Mercedes is definitely making waves but as the season progresses it will become more apparent if they can challenge Ferrari and Mclaren who appear as frontrunners in pre-season practice.

Sebastian Vettel is fast becoming a favourite of mine. I see him winning championships in future. For me he is the next big thing in motorsports. He would have learnt a lot from last season and will be itching to have another go at the title with more experience in his bag. If the mistakes that left him second in the championship are ironed out, he will have a really strong chance this time. Better lookout for this guy, I tell all. He is the underdog.

I feel its Fernando Alonso who wants to win the title more than anyone else this time around. He is back in a competitive car and would be raring to go full throttle. He will be especially motivated to take revenge after his not so cordial affair with Mclaren and Lewis Hamilton in particular. It will also be intriguing to see the partnership of Alonso and Massa. Felipe Massa is a great driver in his own respect and has experience at Ferrari’s wheels. He is also in the mix of championship contenders for me.

Lewis Hamilton is young and fiery. He will want to show his critics that he is not- “all style and no substance”. Also it will be personally exhilarating for him to drive wheel to wheel with the one and only Michael Schumacher. As for his partner and the current world champion, Jenson Button, I see him having a solid season but not a shot for the championship.

I hope you can fathom the internal conflict and scourge I have in seeing Schumi driving against a Ferrari. What emotions will be generated when seeing Schumacher overtaking a Ferrari or vice-versa is a mystery for myself. I seriously don’t know how to cope with this. It is building up to be the most widely fought championship in recent history. Let's have the wheels rolling!!!

The Romance of Beckham and Ferguson

Six and a half years after leaving Manchester United, David Beckham faces for the first time Sir Alex Ferguson’s team that turned him into a global star when AC Milan host the Reds in San Siro in what will be a great showpiece of footballing romance.
Beckham’s story began in July 1991 when he, a lifelong United fan, moved north from Leytonstone to sign apprentice forms for the Reds. Early in his career he was described by Ferguson as, “a normal, likable, straightforward boy”. Sir Alex carefully and masterfully reared him into one of the outstanding midfielders of the generation. But by the early 2000s, the relationship between Ferguson and Beckham had begun to deteriorate, perhaps as a consequence of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football.
In 2007 Ferguson commented, "He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time; he was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing – from that moment, his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity; football is only a small part."
His departure from United in 2003 left a bruising impression on all fans. Leaving and coming to terms that he was not a United player was the toughest thing he had to do in his life. Beckham later revealed in his autobiography, My Side, how devastated he felt. He wrote: 'The gaffer had had enough. I'd grown up as a person and he didn't seem to like what I'd become. Now (after a Champions League tie against Real Madrid in 2003) it looked like he'd seen enough of me as a player, as well. If it was anything to do with the gaffer - and, of course, it would be - I was sure I was finished.'
It will be a very emotional moment for both Beckham as well as the fans when he sets foot on the pitch against United. Beckham has revealed to the media: “I was nearly in tears when I heard the draw. Manchester is a special place for me and I haven’t played there for nearly seven years. I have a lot of friends at United and a great rapport with the fans. It will be a special evening, but we will be trying to win the tie.”
Beckham has always lavished honour for Ferguson in all these years away from Old Trafford. Speaking to the media before the first leg he hailed Ferguson saying, “Sir Alex will always be a father figure to me. He always has been and he always will be. No matter what has been said in the past, whether good or bad, I only remember the good times. He was the man who gave me my chance to play for club I had always dreamed of playing for. For me they were only good times. Sir Alex is respected throughout football all around the world. Clubs move forward and it was my time to leave Manchester United in 2003 and I moved on. I definitely hold nothing against the manager, he's an incredible man. There's definitely no score to be settled. He added “I wouldn't celebrate. Obviously I'd be pleased to score. But out of respect to Manchester United and the fans, I wouldn't celebrate. But I wouldn't want Milan fans to think I wasn't excited to score. But I'm more focused on winning the game than the emotional part. To say that as a Manchester United fan is quite difficult."
On the other hand Ferguson has not been so placate like Beckham leading up to the tie and has said: "The only difference with David's return to Manchester United compared with other players is that there will be a big media circus surrounding him when Milan arrive.[I have] no regrets. We move on. He's such a high-profile celebrity - not just a high-profile footballer - and we haven't really seen anybody else return to the club in that situation. Our job is to concentrate on the football match and let the David Beckham media circus carry on - we know we're not going to stop it anyway."
The kickoff is less than 24 hours away and I cannot keep my mind off from thinking about what if Ferguson had not been his ruthless self in Beckham’s case. Whatsoever happens in the match; one thing I don’t want to see is Beckham shed tears. I don’t know why but that image is looming at the back of my head. My Heart is stronger than my Mind. I dearly wish David Beckham could don the great Red Jersey again in future.

Sports Entrepreneurship

There are several avenues we can lead our lives into. Some can be chosen to fetch money, some taken for pleasure and some to gain power and popularity. Entrepreneurship is fantastic; the thrill that one gets in fostering something which is one’s own is superb besides freedom from being bossed. Looking out for ventures where one can convert their passion into a successful business is the way to go. There are dozens of way to explain the appeal of sports, the fervour and emotions it brings out and yet no way to make it comprehendible to all. Either you get it or you don’t. India has thousands of frustrated sports aficionados who are motivated and ready to work for the betterment of sports in the country. Sports fans are a formidable customer base. So if you love sports the only thing that can limit the possibilities of sports entrepreneurship ideas is your imagination. Simply think business first and then apply sports to it. If you are not sure what type of business you can start, here are a few ideas:
· Website: you can sell licensed merchandise, books, DVDs etc online or offer discussion boards, chat rooms, scores, articles, fantasy sports leagues etc
· Player Management: includes everything from enhancing your client’s potential on the field to taking care of all legal, financial, marketing, PR and travel operations. (do a Jerry Mcguire)
· Sports tourism: arrange travel for purpose of participating/viewing events as well adventure sports activities.
· Sport themed restaurant or bar: who wouldn’t like a tasty bite/sip while watching their favourite team play.
· Printing/Publication: you could target a fan base with magazines, posters or themed post cards. · Sports Camps: if you want to serve the game by working at the grassroots level, you can organize learning camps which can be popularised by bringing in current or former stars of the game.
· Sports related franchise: if you have always dreamed of creating computer games go ahead and develop sports video games. Else bring out a sports drink or energy bar or a retail chain of sports equipment. You can specialize in training athletes – helping them increase speed, stamina, agility and preventing injuries or treatment of injuries and recuperation.
The list goes on and on.
In 2006, Nandan Kamath, Joseph Ollapally and Hakimuddin Habibulla dared to envision big when they founded GoSports Pvt. Ltd. Hakkimuddin Habibulla is a former Olympian swimmer who represented India at the Sydney Olympics. GoSports aims to help shape up sporting careers and also boosting India on the international sporting sphere. Their goal for 2010 is to ensure their athletes grab 10 Commonwealth Games medals. Furthermore, at the 2012 London Olympics, GoSports aims to nurture at least 20 individuals who will represent and secure multiple medals for India. In 2007, Virdhawal Khade was stuck in choosing between his 10th standard board exams and the opportunity to participate in the World Swimming Championships. Thankfully GoSports convinced his parents to let their son give the exams later. The move bore great fruits as the young swimmer qualified for the Olympics, creating history by becoming the youngest Indian swimmer to do so. Outstandingly, he has since gone on to win 6 medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Such success stories have brought them into spotlight and a number of talented athletes are seeking their services.
IndiaKhelo is a start-up by a group of IIT-Madras students. IndiaKhelo is being incubated in RTBI Cell at IIT-Madras. Their mentor Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Padam Shri, has been named as one of "The 50 Most Powerful People in India” by Business Week magazine. IndiaKhelo Team collects the match-results of the local matches played at schools, colleges, & sports clubs all around India, analyse them and upload them on IndiaKhelo.com. Through this initiative each grass-root player gets a chance to play organized matches, based on his daily performance get national rankings, and showcase his sports talent to friends and family. A large number of talented youngsters have been overlooked because of the absence of a system to uncover talent. IndiaKhelo was set out to provide solvents to all these problems. They have also started a Sports-fitness report card (equivalent to academic report card) for school students giving them sports ranking, sponsorship and recognition to excel in sports.
Neel Shah, an IIM Kozhikode PGDM graduate was always on the lookout for ventures where he could convert his hobby into a profit-making venture. The merger of Sports and Stocks appeared to be the beacon for multiple reasons. With the recent market downturn, a stock market devoted to sports would not only provide entertainment but also be a platform for beginners to learn the trading fundamentals while dealing with virtual money. Neel Shah’s SPOXCHANGE is an entertainment portal that lets fans use their knowledge & understanding to trade in stocks of their favourite sports players.
It is tremendous how these men have soldiered on in the face of adverse economic conditions. These go-getters are a great source of inspiration for trusting one’s instincts and working hard to convert dreams into reality. As youth of this country who know the prevalent laws of economics in sports, it is easy to agnise the lamentable condition of our overall sporting prowess. It would take the efforts of exceptional individuals willing to sweat to make the dream of Indian supremacy in sports a reality. It is an onerous task but much can be achieved with an entrepreneurial spirit to bring change.

Don't be an ignorant MAN UNITED fan

Manchester United Football Club is the most popular football club in the world, with over 330 million supporters worldwide- almost 5% of the world’s population. The club has a long and colourful history. MAN U for Manchester United. This “short form” may be expedient for use by casual fans not knowing that it is a derogatory term for the club which leaves the more devoted and knowledgeable fan enraged. The term is only used by other supporters as utter insult to the club. The “U” is meant to be “You” by the rival fans. Manchester United are nicknamed UNITED, MAN UNITED, MAN UTD and RED DEVILS. There are no official songs with a ‘Man U’ word nor will one lay his hands upon official merchandise using that term.
The origin of ‘Man U’ lies in the song intended to insult the late great Duncan Edwards. West Brom fans started this: "Duncan Edwards is manure, rotting in his grave, man you are manure- rotting in your grave". There was brawl up on the old Scoreboard End at Old Trafford in 1964-65 season when the West Bromwich Albion fans sang. A big battle took place with the home fans that outnumbered the visiting ones and hammered them. This Dudley born Busby Babe was a highly touted schoolboy in the midlands and had attracted a lot of clubs in early 50s. His signing for United left him with hatred from midland’s clubs. Liverpool and Leeds fans copied this with their own man you versions to insult the lads who died in the Munich Tragedy.

"ManU ManU went on a plane,
ManU ManU never came back again"
And
"Man U Never Intended Coming Home" (M.U.N.I.C.H.)

Most clubs did try to ban the chant in the 60s.However after United won the European Cup, it again sprang up but this time there was also ‘Who's that lying in the aircraft’, the West Brom fans parodied the United song ‘Who's that team we call United’. But by the end of the decade its use became widespread and the term "Man U" was used by almost all rival fans to tantalise United. Everyone knew what it meant. It was laughter at the death of Duncan and the Busby Babes.
A lot of the violence that happened with the United fans around that time was usually sparked by the words ‘Man U’.A place where the word ‘Man U’ could spell doom was Millwall. United played them when they were in the second division and the Policemen were asked to work despite having a leave. The League officials had even tried to stop allocating United fans a ticket to Millwall.The kick off was put forward to 11a.m. to try and stop the United fans from going down there. It was billed as the ‘fight of the century’. Although no violence took place inside the stadium, after the game more than 20,000 fans of United and Millwall combined mobbed down the Kings Road and knocked the place up. Amusingly when Teddy Sheringham signed for United he referred the club as ‘Man U’ and received hair-dryer treatment from Sir Alex Ferguson.
I hope after reading this all ardent United fans erase the word ‘Man U’ from their vernacular. Don’t be ignorant use the proper lingo. Glory Glory MAN UNITED!!!!
Cheerio!!!