They're only sticks and balls

I thought Americans took their sports too seriously, but after seeing my Indian and Pakistani co-workers describe their "national humiliation" when their countries were eliminated from the Super 8's in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, we've got nothing on the Asian subcontinent. These countries take their cricket seriously!

Last weekend, India lost to Bangladesh and Pakistan lost to Ireland, which is apparently like the Yankees and Red Sox losing to 1AA college teams. In India, no one has escaped the blame for their disappointing performance: the manager, the players, the sponsors, the media, even Indira Ghandi (if she hadn't given Bangladesh their freedom in 1971, they wouldn't have been able to defeat India in cricket 36 years later).

India's fortune lives and dies with their national cricket side, and their eastern neighbor Pakistan takes the sport even more seriously. After their loss to Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, their coach was found dead in his hotel room, in an apparent homicide. Shades of Andres Escobar. Referring to a sporting event as a "life or death" situation seems even more ridiculous when someone actually dies for losing a silly game. Only life and death are "life or death" situations!