Why some things never change

For long, there has been a dichotomy between players and sports administrators in the country. By and large, people who rule in the corridors of power at various associations have never donned national colours and those who actually sweat it out in the middle are kept away from the decision-making process.It's no wonder then that Indian hockey is in a muddle. It is one Olympic sport that still evokes pleasant memories, even if from 28 years ago. It is a team event that, in its best form, can still draw in the faithful and create converts -- I've known colleagues who specialise in cricket but still genuinely admire the beauty of the hockey and the spirit of its players. In short, it is a sport that can make money and produce stars -- we got a preview of that in 2003 -- but it doesn't because there is no one to market it.As long as the Indian Hockey Federation existed, it was a given that those in power were only concerned about themselves. A succession of players, home-grown coaches and managers were paraded, only to be dumped after a few outings. No one was allowed to speak -- 'don't name me' or 'please don't quote me' was a common refrain, the epilogue after you had spoken to anyone associated with the sport.Now we have an IOA ad-hoc committee that has, yet again, administrators with no idea of turf realities. The much-touted inclusion of Olympians -- people who have actually strived to get India their eight Olympic golds -- was only as selectors, with no powers when it came to taking decisions about how the game should be run."Olympians have been included to increase recognition, but people don't understand that we don't have any real powers," one of the selectors said recently. The result? Selections have become less controversial but administration remains hazy.Have things really changed? Not for the man on the streets, whose heroes now play on a 22-yard strip.