Sports - Accountability and Autonomy Issues

Issues

• Sports --> lot of $ + glamour involved --> Attraction for businessmen, politicians and assorted characters into sports administration specially cricket administration. So there is case of accountability to the public and its large fan base.
• Indian Cricket Board -  richest national body in the game --> Runs IPL --> considerable public interest involved. But how can we bring accountability when IPL is being run by BCCI and also BCCI's president owns a league in IPL?
• The BCCI is a registered society with State cricket associations affiliated to it --> So to run BCCI one must have support of state association --> in other words there are mutual interests and IPL can not be expected to be different. 
• Also recently cases related to IPL betting and spot fixing scandal.

How to control above?

• Regulatory framework as general laws governing societies and other associations have proved unequal to the task.
• UPA had prepared a draft ‘National Sports Development Bill’ aimed at “promotion of ethical practices in sports” and also talked about national sports federations to run every sport with official recognition. 

Accountability V Autonomy

• But this regulation must not interfere in autonomy in sports bodies in the spirit of sports. 
• The experience of cash-rich sporting bodies elsewhere is not enough of a guide. 
• The National Football League in the U.S., for instance, is a not-for-profit body, but the National Basketball Association is run on purely commercial lines. 
• In England, there has been headway in clubs giving some say in their management to supporters and shareholders.

Conclusion 

• Accountability will enhance public trust and accountability while retaining the autonomy necessary to ensure the highest competitive standards in the game.