Asks Dr Rudi Webster
Two years ago, I asked M.S. Dhoni, Captain of India, what motivates today’s cricketers? He said:“Playing for your country should be your main motivating force. But today you need to have a good income and livelihood. Only a few players have a professional education or academic qualifications. A good cricketer has seven to 10 years to earn the money that will sustain him for life after cricket. So he must balance his love for and loyalty to the country with a good income and livelihood. Of course love and passion for the game and the need for recognition are other powerful motivators. But in today’s competitive and fast-changing world we cannot ignore the importance of money in the life of a cricketer.”
I remember telling him that if those basic needs are not balanced, a conflict of values would result in mistrust and bad feelings between cricket boards and players who are trying to set themselves up financially for life after cricket.
I then wondered aloud why in our economic system cricketers are labeled as mercenaries and are victimized and punished for doing things for
