Achieving Greatness
Sporting Dreams on Screen: The Role of Cricket Biopics in Shaping Youth Motivation and Identity View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Maheshwari Harikrishnan, V. Vijay Kumar
The intersection of cinema and sports fandom in India has witnessed a surge in biographical films that celebrate cricketing legends. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Sachin: A Billion Dreams (2017), and 800 (2023) narrate the lives of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, and Muttiah Muralitharan, respectively, portraying their struggles, triumphs, and contributions to the sport. These biopics play a crucial role in shaping aspirations among Indian youth, who often look to these figures for inspiration. This proposed study examines the impact of these popular films on youngsters in India by analysing how cinematic representations of real-life sporting achievements influence motivation, self-perception, resilience, perseverance, overcoming adversity, and achieving greatness against all odds. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Social Learning Theory, this proposed research employs a qualitative approach, including focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews with youngsters, film buffs, budding cricketers, film critics, and sports media analysts. The study explores how these films contribute to the formation of personal identity, personality development and goal-related activities. The findings may highlight how sports narratives are localized to inspire youngsters and the role of media in socialization, offering cultural and psychological impact and youth engagement in India.
Beyond the Boycotts: A Multi-stakeholder Approach to Enable Sporting Participation of Afghan Women View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Shubham Jain, Jörg Krieger
In August 2021, as foreign troops withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban regained control of the country and the government in Kabul. Since then, the international community has condemned the worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan. United Nations bodies have classified Taliban’s restrictions on women in Afghanistan as gender apartheid, and there are plans to initiate a discrimination case at the International Court of Justice. Women’s sport has also been banned, with most female athletes being forced to evacuate in order to survive and continue their sporting careers. Many of these athletes have sought recognition as representatives of Afghanistan to participate in mega-sporting events and international competitions in football, cricket, and volleyball. In cricket, there have been calls to boycott the Afghan men’s team to force the Taliban to lift the ban on women. Against this background, we argue that the boycott calls are misplaced: legally, a ‘levelling down’ might be a violation of international discrimination law; socially, it could lead to unintended adverse consequences for the women; and practically, there is little evidence to suggest that boycotts are successful. Instead, a multistakeholder approach involving the players, sport bodies, the International Olympic Committee, media, and civil society that shifts the focus and efforts to the immediate and multigenerational needs of the athletes should be considered as an alternative. This approach has already started to make an impact with ICC (cricket) recently announcing support for the development of the displaced players, and FIFA announcing the establishment of the Afghan women’s refugee team.
