Stardom achieved via sports connects fans deeply to their stars so what these stars say can have wide ramifications. Whether it is Ali refusing to fight the war, Mike Brearley’s ruminations, Navratilova’s take on injustice or Kumar Sangakkara’s candid thoughts, they have the power to shift the discourse and draw the line on what is acceptable and what is not. Good performance on sporting fields gets bestowed by iconic status only when sport stars go that extra mile.

Indian sport stars, who enjoy widespread adulation due to their own efforts but also because Indians shower their love on them, are conscious of their messaging abilities. The oil, cars, tyres and other products they help sell and the ‘influencing’ they do makes it clear that they are aware of their power and happy to monetise it.

So why do we not see so many eloquent A-listers come out and speak up against social ills, the bigotry and messaging that is so rampant today and is costing lives? There is not even banal messaging on amity and preserving India’s social fabric and trying to equate it with team-spirit or the essence of sport that has made them the stars that they are.