Indian cricket star Rohit Sharma is upset with IPL broadcasters for airing a private conversation. He had asked them to turn off the audio but they did not listen.
Sharma talked about this problem on social media platform X formerly known as Twitter. He said cricketers have no privacy because cameras record everything, even private talks with friends and teammates.
He posted “The lives of cricketers have become so intrusive that cameras are now recording every step and conversation we are having in privacy with our friends and colleagues, at training or on match days.”
The issue started after a conversation between Sharma and Kolkata Knight Riders’ Abhishek Nayar was broadcast by Star Sports. This happened after a match between Mumbai Indians and KKR on May 11. Sharma had asked Star Sports to turn off the audio but they did not listen.
“Despite asking Star Sports to not record my conversation, it was and was also then played on air which is a breach of privacy,” Sharma said. He warned that this kind of behaviour could damage the trust between fans, cricketers and the sport itself. “The need to get exclusive content and focus only on views and engagement will one day break the trust between the fans, cricketers and cricket. Let better sense prevail” he added.
This incident shows a big concern among athletes about how much of their personal and professional lives are shown by the media. While broadcasters want interesting content, they also need to respect the privacy and consent of the players.
People in sports and media need to find a balance between getting good content and respecting players’ privacy rights.
