Why Arn't Thier More Sikh Athletes

[Punjabi_Link]

^^Field

Cool. There are couple of Punjabi hockey players in NHL.

It's simple really:

1) Not good enough

or

2) Your parents want you to be a doctor etc - no support

Racism is NOT a factor. Look at the black English football players (the real football), they've made it. Some even play for England. Look at Monty Panesar, he's a top player, playing for the England cricket team. Obviously he made the grade. You're either good enough or you're not.

In the English cricket team, there's Monty, Ravinder Bopara, and Sajid Mahmood. So theres three Asian players in a single squad. There is enough Asian talent in cricket, just not for other major sports such as football etc.

Harpal Singh played for Leeds if I remember correctly. Also there is Michael Chopra who currently plays for Sunderland in the Premier league.

Thank you. I hate how people will pull out their "race card" on this issue. Racism isn't an issue in sports anymore.

I think in the future we will see tons of Punjabi athletes since our community will be more settled in the west and more liberal minded that we will be okay with our kids playing sports instead of becoming doctors, lawyers etc...

I was reading up on sociological context of this out of interest recently on why there arent many Asians playing Football (soccer) in the UK; even a recent BBC documentary hinted at the same conclusion that the culture of Sport in the west doesnt sit well with the Cultures of Asians.

For example your average lower league football team celebrates a win with a piss up down your local pub, or for a new player there are drunken initiation ceromonies. All Sports Socities in the top institutions around the UK have regular Piss-up bonding sessions... beleive me Ive seen them! Loughborough Uni, Brunel Uni, Bath etc who produve UK Athletes.

It also explains why Asians generally dont feel comfortable going to sporting grounds either where there is regular swearing drinking etc....

The Asians that have made it through either dont practice or have deep rooted punjabi culture going on (for example) or there has been a local inceitive within their own respective communtity which barely get investment... no one is investing in sports centres in Asian Areas compared to "ghettos" where Apnay dont live.

And off course Parental expectations...even Monty Panesar had to complete his degree before he was allowed into Sport... but this isnt the biggest Problem... its a Clash of Cultures.

How else would you explain so many Apnay in Cricket? where the culture and investment is different compared to other sports.

Hey, Canada is starting to produce decent apna footy players. Heck, our last U-16 national team had 5 apnay on them. One of them might end up in Glasgow Celtic academy according to his coach.

who were the players i read this one article talking about two guys from vancouver being scouted by european teams ill find the article and post it.

Post it if you can find it.

[guptveer1469]

'Sikh Athletes' and 'Apney' picz are monas... I'm not discriminating against them... But I thought Sikh athletes was referred to athletes with jooda..

[Surinderjit]

'Sikh Athletes' and 'Apney' all refer to monas... I'm not discriminating against them... But I thoguht athletes with jooda would be morte treat to watch???

i saw a keshdhari (without patka) in kabaddi....

[guptveer1469]

yeh.. Kabaddi.... lols

i always thought it was difficult to do martial arts sports like kung fu, karate and kick boxing with jooda and also kabaddi...

[buddasingh]

....

Thank you. I hate how people will pull out their "race card" on this issue. Racism isn't an issue in sports anymore.

I think in the future we will see tons of Punjabi athletes since our community will be more settled in the west and more liberal minded that we will be okay with our kids playing sports instead of becoming doctors, lawyers etc...

Sikhs should be politically astute.

Race may not be a factor amongst your friends playing rec in your sport. However, if you get to more competitive levels, the politics in general can be cutthroat and race is often a huge factor in the west... it often increases as you advance within a very high level. This is often the case for the upper ranks of any profession or endeavor in the west.

This simply means that people at those levels are highly skilled and Sikhs at those levels are beyond highly skilled.

Modern day racism is not overt, but very alive and well.

The most successful athlete for the purpose of discussion on this forum is the one who advances as a warrior true to her/his faith.

There are about 6-7 apne in Canada's men's hockey team.

Do "goray" or "chinese" sikhs count as apnay?

[B4ND4]

Do "goray" or "chinese" sikhs count as apnay?

If i had written "6-7 Sikhs" thn someone would have said they don't even keep kes how can you call em Sikh. That is why i chose 'apne', everyone is apna otherwise : ). Apne is just a term used for desi bande.

[buddasingh]

Do "goray" or "chinese" sikhs count as apnay?

If i had written "6-7 Sikhs" thn someone would have said they don't even keep kes how can you call em Sikh. That is why i chose 'apne', otherwise everyone is apna : ). Apne is usually used for people who have roots in Punjab. Other term could be 'Desi'.

We can waste a lifetime arguing over such things.

Thanks BRND4 for a perfectly logical and dignified reply.

I hear a lifetime is a blink of the eye... so lets at least waste a little bit of lifetime on this...

I agree with you... I would be the first one to say that we should use caution in referring to lack of kes as Sikh. Perhaps they are some type of hyphenated-sikh, but not Sikh. I may see some of them as brothers and sisters that I hold in high esteem who teach me about sikhi, but they are not Sikh. If that position means that I am challenged on my sikhi, then I simply submit that I am not worthy of sikh either. It is not about a contest, but reverence for the gift of Guruji.

With regard to punjabi's, they may be "apna". However, a Punjabi Sikh can not be an "Apna". I made the point simply because this forum deserves clarification on language which could be taken to exclude Sikh daughters and sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji from non punjabi backgrounds.

A tad more lifetime here...

The term "Apna" as i understand it literally means "ours". It's connotations are exactly that and not in a loving way, but in a completely exclusionary manner. It sounds like the punjabi equivalent of brahminism. We are just accustomed to it, so we neutralize it just like the modern brahmin neutralizes the racist aspect of caste privilege. Perhaps "apna" is a term some punjabi's wish to adopt, but it is not a term for Sikhs.

Language evolves if thought evolves....and vice versa... :TH: to you for not writing "6-7 sikhs".

[mandeep99]

when i created this topic i was talking about sikh athletes who consider themselves sikhs, i don't care if they are singh or mona. To me a mona or a singh are sikhs and many great heros from the sikh community are considered sikhs even though they weren't gursikhs and those are ppl like maharaja ranjit singh udham singh kartar singh

[B4ND4]

:TH: to you for not writing "6-7 sikhs".

I avoided writing 'sikh' because i didn't want to cause ruckus. I personally don't hold a similar opinion as some on the forum when it comes to dividing people into different classes, basis being kes. That is something which should be termed as bhraminism.

[Punjabi_Link]

apna/apnai/apnay etc.. is a term used here in Canada to describe a fellow Punjabi. No one ties the term "apna" with sikhs. It is just a Punjabi thing regardless of religion.