Strip clubs, we have all been to them, some of us more than others. Whether it was for a bachelor party, a friend’s birthday; it was on the way home from a golf day or you simply think that the food served there resembles good value and hearty nutrition. Whatever your reason you will be able relate to the following piece which draws significant similarities between this popular venue of blueness and the modern phenomenon of 20/20 cricket.
Yes that's centre.
Guys go to strip clubs because it is a concentrated place combining a bar, naked chicks and an environment where they can generally speak loudly and say things that they wouldn’t in front of their mothers all with a beer in hand. This sounds like the perfect formula for fun, but even the most sordid of souls enjoys this environment up to a point. I mean like anything, when provided with it in excess you do tend to become a bit desensitized to it. Make a fat kid work in a chocolate factory, eventually the podgy little mess will seek out a salad!
Too much of something is never good.
20/20 cricket started with a bang and lured the public in with strip club like attributes: a glut of boundaries, wickets, bright lights, dancing girls and loud music, all in an environment where you could again speak loudly and say things that you wouldn’t ordinarily say in front of your mother all with a beer in hand. This seemingly perfect formula packaged everything that cricket had to offer and created something that quickly attracted the words “franchise” and “marketability”.
20/20, cricket's big score.
Much like the sex/strip industry, major money flooded in and greatly lined the pockets of the major players. Lofty praise came from all sides and good times were had by all. But it didn’t take long for the seedier elements to come in. Match fixing allegations, the general prostitution pimped out by the IPL and natural essence of cricket being a proper gentleman’s game being eroded for a quick buck, has now seen the 20/20 game in my opinion leaving a rather dirty snail trial on the sporting pitch map.
Genuine class and match up between bat and ball have been morphed into a circus act of numerous trivial performances. Kids are now growing up thinking that a wicket here or there makes you a legend and that anybody that hits a six is a veritable Brian Lara.
Shot!
The hangover of all this will kick in soon though, and when it does, 20/20 cricket will be like that over worked slightly saggy stripper who works the room generally having to talk a lot more than the rest in order to warrant selection so to speak.
20/20 cricket
My suggestion, let’s keep strip clubs and 20/20 somewhere in the background because when either are demanded or given too much airtime, we will end up in a truly dreadful place in life. Just look at Lolly Jackson and Lalit Modi.
Dismissed.
Tags: 20/20 cricket, strip clubs
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ben Karpinski. Ben Karpinski said: New blog posting, 20/20 cricket, the soon to be tired old stripper of the sporting world. – http://tinyurl.com/34u68r2 [...]
Ben 10!!
Interesting little post. Thought provoking.
I rekon 20/20 will have its place for a while yet. It has brought spectators to the game that didnt watch cricket cause they thought it long & boring. As long as it keeps doing that the money making machine will stand & the franchises will continue to pay their players big money.
20/20 should always have its place as it is a stepping stone and a device to grow cricket and young talent. but i think too much and cricket will be in a toilet before long.
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