Spitting image

We speak of that delightful habit of a player spitting on TV. Haven8217;t you noticed during sports telecasts? They throw back their heads, make a cricket ball or football of their mouths, and deliver wet salutes

Is it a disease? Is it a compulsive habit? Or just downright uncouth? We would like to believe that it is the first because then it is easily forgiven, we suspect it is the second because then it goes with the territory and we sincerely hope it is not the last because that is unacceptable.

Mohammed Kaif does it. Like a hosepipe. Yuvraj Singh does it. Like an aerosol. Ricky Ponting does it. Like a hand wash pump. And then rubs his palms in pleasure. Andrew Flintoff does it. Like nobody else. Every football player worth a goal does it. Like a light shower.

We speak of that delightful habit of a player spitting on television. Haven8217;t you noticed during sports telecasts? They throw back their heads and just when you think, oh poor dear, he8217;s got a cold and is about to give an almighty sneeze, he snaps his head forward, makes a cricket ball or football depending on the sport he plays of his mouth and delivers a wet salute.

It8217;s not a pretty sight, in fact it is awful and you wish you hadn8217;t seen it. But the TV cameramen have this uncanny of knack of picking up a man exactly when he is about to expel the saliva from his mouth. You wonder whether to pinch your nose in distaste, look away or write a letter of complaint to the broadcasters asking them, in the future to be careful and focus on more pleasant sights. Like someone blowing their nose or scratching themselves, instance. Why even a shot of the commentator8217;s box would be preferable.

Not all sportsmen have this spitting habit. Never seen Tendulkar spit. Never seen Dravid spit. Never seen Lara spit, either. Obviously they know that where saliva is concerned there is only one thing to do: swallow it. Along with your pride.

So what is it? Perhaps the answer is that the salivary glands work faster for some people. Or else when a player has a bat and a ball in hand. If you have watched a baseball game on Star Sports-ESPN, you8217;ll have seen everyone expelling the stuff, left, right and centre.

Of course, not all sportsmen or women are seen expelling in public. In fact, never seen tennis stars Roger Federer or Justin Hardenne spit it out. And although the TV set clearly picks up the sound and sight of Mary Pierce and the likes of Maria Sharapova emitting something, it8217;s usually a grunt. Nor can one recall golf stars, or baseball players doing it. Table tennis? Badminton? Hmmn.

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Perhaps it has something do to with chewing gum. You8217;ve seen how exercised Ponting8217;s mouth becomes when he is on the field. Baseball players too. But the theory doesn8217;t quite hold water because soccer stars do shoot with their mouths as well as their feet but would die chewing gum while

playing a match.

Whatever the reason, the thing is it must stop. Or must be stopped. By the umpire or the referee if necessary. The fact that we don8217;t see everyone doing it, means that it is not a necessary part of the game. It8217;s just a bad habit and it looks ugly on television. Which is the other thing: if we can8217;t change superstars habits at least the television cameras can have the courtesy to look elsewhere when the person in question is caught in the act. Instead, they close in for a good view so that we can actually see the goblets. It8217;s the same thing when the bowler is polishing the ball on his pants. We angle in for a close up of the8230;er8230; zip.

Is this decent? No. Will they stop doing it and the cameramen stop showing it? Of course not. So either you switch channels or join 8217;em: splat.