Chris Gayle can kiss his glory cricket years goodbye
Sports, like politics, is a lot about perception. Sporting heroes want to be perceived in a particular way by their fans and sponsors. Fans like to perceive their heroes in a certain way. So on and so forth. There is a reason why Chris Gayle may not be counted among the true sporting greats.
This is why Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Federer are more revered than, say Shane Warne or Tiger Woods. There is not much that separates these four iconic athletes. One is the greatest batsman since the days of Don Bradman, another is one of the most celebrated tennis players in the modern era, one is the greatest leg-spinner the world has ever seen while the other is among the best golfers in history.
All four men have achieved fame, adulation and earned money beyond our wildest imaginations. Yet, look at how Warne is remembered in certain quarters; the greatest captain Australia did not have. Why? Because the administrators Down Under were tired of his Casanova ways.
Warne's sexcapades became an embarrassment for Australia and when he was found harassing married British nurse Donna Wright with lewd phone calls, that was the end of his vice-captaincy. Subsequent affairs and sexual romps also ended his marriage with Simon.
Similarly, Woods was involved in one of the biggest sex scandals in sports history. His world was rocked when news emerged of an affair with a New York City nightclub manager named Rachel Uchitel in 2009. By the end of the controversy, Woods was embarrassed, divorced and forced to take a break from the game he loved. The American lost his No.1 ranking next year and never got back to the top again.
Tendulkar and Federer, the quintessential family gentlemen, never had to go through any of these ordeals and achieved everything they were destined to.
Like Warne and Woods before him, West Indian batting powerhouse Chris Gayle has done his reputation plenty of harm. He has always been known to be an entertainer, a joker in the pack but this week he went too far with his indecent proposition to Australian television reporter Mel McLaughlin.
After suggesting that he had played well (in a Big Bash League match) in order to get an interview with McLaughlin, the big-hitting batsman proceeded to direct personal comments towards her. "To see your eyes for the first time is nice," the 36-year-old said. "Hopefully we can have a drink afterwards. Don't blush, baby."
Gayle was slammed, reprimanded and sanctioned by his Australian employers - Melbourne Renegades. He lost his contract with Fairfax Media even as the burly left-handed opener offered a lame apology.
The dust had yet to settle on the "cheeky" interview when an Australian woman, part of the West Indies support staff during the 2015 World Cup, made a sensational claim to Fairfax Media. She accused Gayle of partially exposing his genitals to him when she stepped into the team dressing-room for a sandwich. It does not matter if these reports are true. Gayle has already lost the battle of perception.
The powerful Jamaican was a toast the world over. They all adored his cavalier approach to batting and his dancing skills. Gayle's smiles lit up cricket grounds as brightly as his booming drives and fierce pulls. He does not stand to lose as much as Warne did (Gayle is no longer a regular with the West Indies team) but sponsors and the game's most important stakeholders - the fans - do not take kindly to such accusations.
Never before has Gayle been panned on social media. He is remembered for his 66-ball 175* in the Indian Premier League. He will be remembered for clobbering 600 sixes in T20 cricket, for flaying the best fast bowlers in the world but he will now have to deal with the tag of a man, who has been accused of harassing women from a position of authority.
Gayle's management company was quick to issue a stern denial but reports indicated that investigations into the alleged flashing incident will be carried out. If it is found to be true, the West Indies batting legend is in line for serious humiliation.
For a change (not a pleasant one at that), the cricket world will hold its breath to see what the immediate future holds for one of the most charismatic batsmen of our times.