Win the crowd!

The recent events involving the appointment of Hardik Pandya as the Mumbai Indians captain and the resultant backlash have made me think about power and perception.

By all accounts, the decision was made by the franchise owners. Ambanis are the most powerful family in the country, possibly in Asia, arguably in the world. Their writ runs large from business to politics. It is rarely that their decisions are questioned. They are the lords and masters of their universe. Yet the constant boos by the people in the stadium indicate one thing - even with all this power if you lose the battle of perception, there is nothing much you can do except ride out the storm.

Every human at some level desires one of the following - wealth, power, or fame ( if not all three). Fame can be a substitute for adulation or love. For the longest time, I used to believe that power is the strongest of three. Power can get you wealth and fame. But over time, my perception has changed.

In the age of social media and democratization of access, fame is the strongest. I have seen powerful politicians being hung in the center of the town square, and billionaires languaging in jail. I have also seen influencers and movie stars surrounded by a sea of people when they are getting out of jail and getting both power and wealth on the back of their fame. I have seen people occupying the highest offices of the land because of the adulation they have in the eyes of the people. The love of the masses is the true power.

This reminds me of a scene from the movie Gladiator. The advice from Proximo to Maximus is to “win the crowd” to get his freedom. Even when Commodus realizes the true identity of Maximus, he cannot kill him as the crowd loves Maximus. They chant Maximus the merciful. The most powerful man in the world, cannot execute his wish because of the love the public has for a slave.

Which brings me back to the Mumbai Indians Saga. There is the India captain who took the country to the World Cup final. It was a final where he played selflessly for the team. He lost the match but his selfless act won the crowd's sympathy. There was another player. A player groomed by this very franchise from his infancy in professional cricket. The homeboy, who couldn’t be retained left for a new team. He took that new team to the finals twice, winning the tournament once. By every logic, it made perfect sense for him to come back and lead his old franchise. The return to his roots. To take the team that groomed him to new heights. However, the time was not right, nobody liked seeing the wounded India captain being denied his rights and getting humiliated. The player had also once mentioned that the said franchise buys already great players and does not groom new players ( forgetting his own journey). This one statement alienated the city. He lost the crowd. And now, he gets booed everywhere. No money or power of the franchise owners can change that! Fame is the strongest lever in the world.

Always, win the crowd!