IPL and cheerleaders

There were distinct sides to watching the IPL cheerleaders: At the stadium I barely noticed them – most of time I was watching the game, listening to the drumming/music or was watching fellow spectators dance/drum. I was not very close to the boundary in any of the matches, so I barely spotted them… When the match was in a boring phase, the cheerleaders also kept quiet – so they were really not effective.

On the other hand, on television the cameras focused on the cheerleaders much more. And if you were watching the match with a young nephew – you were always poised for any embarrassing questions. To those who say you see much more in bollywood movies – that is true – but I would not take my nephews out to see a movie with item numbers. We can be selective about the movies we watch and I would not want to be selective about watching a sporting event.

If the IPL is serious about portraying themselves as family entertainment and increasing female viewership, why do many teams have only female cheerleaders? I have no qualms about cheerleading as a profession, and in western countries they don’t look out of place at all. In India these women are exposed to vulgar comments and racist discrimination. That Indian society needs to treat women better is not in doubt and not the point of the post. My point is simply that the cheerleaders did not add any value for me during the IPL experience.

And on a final note, if you have to have cheerleaders why import them – the local dancers will be better at the bollywood numbers and probably understand cricket more than their American counterparts.