In sport, the only constant is fandom. Rather, it can be said that it is one of the rare constants in human life. Every other choice or preference can change, but not fandom. You might decide to dress differently or eat a different kind of cuisine, live in another country or switch careers, but a Sachin Tendulkar fan at the age of 6 will remain one at the age of 60. For them, he is always the God of cricket. That’s how cults are built. Take the Mahendra Singh Dhoni example. Dhoni and CSK are a cult. Fans love their Thala, and even after he retires, he will be the biggest cult in CSK history. His position as the greatest will never be in doubt, and fans will continue to worship him forever.
A couple of years after his retirement, many had said that the fan passion for Sachin would gradually lessen over time. New heroes would emerge and things would change. But 60,000 fans in Raipur on Sunday was proof of what Sachin means to his fans. Also, many left the moment he got out to the hook shot off Tino Best. May be this is why Indian cricket is what it is, and India continues to be the nerve centre of the game.
What is important to state here is that these fans are real ambassadors of the sport. They follow the sport with diligence, and support their idols with passion and commitment. They understand that in sport, you will lose more than you will win, and a loss isn’t the end of the world. Loyal fans know this and stand by their stars in good and bad, and celebrate them irrespective of the result.
When we consider the careers of men like Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, they are who they are because of their association with Manchester United or Arsenal. For some like Eric Cantona, it is always the Man United identity that will overwhelm anything else. This is how the Manchester United website celebrates Cantona – ‘“Le Roi.” “Le Dieu.” Or good, old – but never, ever, plain old – Eric. Whatever you want to call Monsieur Cantona, the Frenchman’s four-and-a-half seasons at Old Trafford are the stuff of legend. No.7 shirt collar stiffly upright as if it had been starched, that imperious look, theatrical swagger and poise, Eric Cantona was born to play for Manchester United.’
Finally, it can be said that these fans, with their loyalty, enrich sport. Be it a Hari with Dhoni written in yellow paint on his body or a Rambabu, Sudhir or Sugumar, they are as much a part of sport as the players. Each feed off the other and make sport what it is –the opiate of the masses and a domain of positivity far removed from the toxicity that we see in our society.
And to come back to Sachin – he isn’t just a cricketer. He is more. After the terror attack in Mumbai in 2008, he appeared in a commercial with the compelling line: ‘I play for India, now more than ever.’ After a match-winning century against England in Chennai a few weeks later, he spoke of how it was the least he could do to lift national morale.
This is what he was, and is. A glue that binds India. And it will be the same forever.
A balmy evening in Dhaka 13 years ago, a humongous achievement and a relieved Sachin Tendulkar. The day when the impossible was achieved.@BoriaMajumdar writes.@sachin_rt #SachinTendulkar https://t.co/EL3hqHBdQE
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) March 16, 2025
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