Perhaps the easiest thing to do, as one would note, would be to simply watch cricket. You and I could do that for the rest of our lives given the love we have for this great sport. But do you know what’s harder? A lot harder actually, is to be able to write, commentate, or create content about the sport that’s being played in no fewer than 130 countries as we speak.
Times have changed today and you don’t need to be reminded of this fact by every new app popping up on your salubrious gizmo or the next advert that clings to your attention whilst it is somewhere else on YouTube, for instance.
And in here lies a critical fact.
The boundaries between fans and cricketers are blurring in that one doesn’t even know where the next “Cricket Content Creator” is emanating from?
In lighter vein, they pop out everywhere much like acne on a bad skin day.
But then you know what to peel off and what to stick with- in this huge information-led, stat-obsessed age- don’t you?
Yet, the biggest challenge, it appears is this.
Where are the real cricket insights? Who can give it to you? From where do you get it? Esteemed and redoubtable platforms that need little introduction, whether the Wisdens, ESPNCricinfos of the world are there.
But so are the Instagrammers, the meme-makers, the “this-day-that-year” reminder givers who make a poster of an eventful cricket date when perhaps a few more words, though knowing less is more, could do the job instead of being another one (amid the countless).
Never before has the cricket fan needed perspective as vitally and urgently as needed today. Just look at the way the sport has expanded, traversed geographies, gone from ‘accommodating’ into celebrating women’s cricket.
Right?
We need someone who can talk not for the heck of it, but for the fact that cricket content in an age of cliched, drab, insipid material that’s simply being put out there to either incite or evoke a reaction needs to be upheld.
That’s where the concept of On Drive seems like a breather of fresh air. Not just a respite, but perhaps, a resuscitator of insight- that very thing that often lacks- into cricket content.
An idea whose time has come.
A product marked by a personal touch and backed by professional commitment and peerless quality that must be heard.
Here’s what we unearthed in our recent chat behind the creators of On Drive, one of the driving forces being Vernon A Springer from the Caribbean.
How Did The Concept Of On Drive Come About?
First of all, the name of the program is called On Drive. And as you know in Cricket, On Drive is the hardest shot to play in the book.
The concept of On Drive is to test myself and to be able to make sure that one is able to understand the dynamics as to what it is like to be able to put oneself into the right frame of mind, into the right structure, and position to play the On-Drive. That’s whether you are a left-hander or a right hander, regardless of whether in the men’s or women’s drive! To play an on drive, whether it is against a fast bowler or spinner, is just the most beautiful shot to me in the game.It’s the most beautiful shot in the game, once one masters it.
Can You Elaborate As To What On-Drive Wishes To Highlight About Cricket?
There have to be many avenues to get the message out of Cricket. West Indies Cricket is a brand and am part of the brand. But the sensationalization of the information ‘could’ be wider. We are talking to millions around the world, we have to remember.
I’m not competing with anybody. That is not the idea.
We are not pitting ourselves against anybody.
But we are offering a product that hopes to inspire and present cricket differently, without trying to class ourselves against anyone. We must remember there are many unsung heroes. So with On Drive, we bring to life cricket stories that inspire and inform. Tied to it is my passion and mission as a journalist.
To be able to educate people about the game of Cricket, and in the larger context, sports! The economics of cricket, the opportunities it brings and yet, the massive unawareness that there is.. we wish to address some of these things, among the many, through On Drive.
It has been a lifelong dream for me personally to be out there with my product and now with Cal (Cal Blankendal, Executive Director, Bermuda Cricket Board) and his excellent team joining hands to present On Drive, I feel we are on the right path.
How Does On Drive Plan To Put These Exciting Ideas Into Practice?
We have a lot of interesting things that we are going to do. But let me tell you in a nutshell. The idea is actually to go into the communities and hear their stories. That’s from the vantage point.
To see the highs of the fans and sportsmen; listen to the lows and hear their joys. Feel their pain even! To experience the changing vagaries of the sport and tales not commonly heard about or known.
It’s not about Vernon Springer, it’s not about the competition; it has always been and will always be about the message.
That we are an educational platform that can provide insights about the sport much loved in the Caribbean and world over, without being restricted by geography.
Are There Any Motivations With You On This Journey Or Anything That You Wish To Cite?
“Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.”
But there’s another!
Let me just say that, “Don’t try to be perfect; just try to be better than you were yesterday.”
And I can tell you how these two will converge in On Drive.
With this motto in mind, I wish to say that whatever you do in life, regardless of vocation, aspiration, or motivation, it’s important to keep working on the self.
That the process of improvement, of working on the self never ends. And finally that to achieve something is beautiful, provided one keeps journeying.
Never stop!
