A heady cocktail: Sports, marketing & nationalism

Rohit Mahajan

Good marketing can sell anything. Nothing sells as easily as nationalism. Sport is the best medium to engage in peaceful warfare. These three golden rules coincided brilliantly last night in Mumbai — Vijender Singh beat China’s Zulpikar Maimaitiali. He defended his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title and annexed Maimaitiali’s WBO Oriental super middleweight. It was a match made in marketing-sporting heaven — with India and China engaged in a standoff at the border, it was easy to rouse nationalistic fervour in a bid to sell tickets, attract a large TV audience, and gather sponsors.

Trash-talk

Among the sports in which the aim is to batter the opponent, boxing is the most popular. Boxing is also marked by another very dubious trait —trash-talking. In no other sport is it customary — compulsory, even — to throw insults at your opponent before a contest. Muhammad Ali was a genius trash-talker who didn’t need to be motivated or tutored, but a lot of times the trash-talking is encouraged and even scripted by the marketing people.

Before the fight, Vijender did his bit to rouse passions in India, saying: “Chinese products don’t last for long. I don’t think it will take so long (to beat Maimaitiali).”

This was a cheap shot, but such stuff is only expected before boxing matches. Maimaitiali’s response was quieter but more ominous, possibly hinting at the 1962 war between the two countries. “I will show Vijender what Chinese are capable of. We have shown India time and again what China is capable of... It is time that Vijender too learns his lesson,” Maimaitiali said.

Close win

In the event, Vijender won the closely-contested fight which was watched by, among others, Amitabh Bachchan and his son. The dad even got to put his hand over Vijender’s shoulder and congratulate him. Having won the fight, Vijender can now be the bigger man — he offered Maimaitiali’s belt back to him, “for the sake of peace at the border”, even though such titles aren’t personal properties that can be gifted at a boxer’s whim.

After the fight, excited people who believe themselves to be great patriots sent each other messages such as this: “Sachche Deshbhakt Ki Pehchan! Cheen Ke Mooh Par Karara Tamacha.” 

A professional boxer who took up sport to make a living is a “true patriot” because he defeated a boxer from China. Bachchan best displayed the reason for the nationalistic pride in Vijender when he added: “A slug fest but WE won!”

Would “WE” have lost if Vijender had lost? But the ability to ponder over this point is lost to even very senior citizens such as Bachchan. Such is the power of Marketing + Sport X Nationalism.

 what they said...

Before the bout

Chinese products don’t last for long. I don’t think it will take so long . Vijender

This is India versus China, 

I don’t need anything... I know the whole of India is with me. Vijender

I will show Vijender what Chinese are capable of. We have shown India time and again what China is capable of. Zulpikar

After the bout 

To India-China friendship (I dedicate my title), because tension on the border is not good, because I see on social media, news, it keeps getting on and on. I give this title to people, peace, it’s 

all about friendship, 

Hindi-Chini bhai bhai. Vijender