The Lords debacle has put the already reeling public perception of sports into a further tailspin, even in the absence of any strong link to India in the present scenario. After all, it is nauseating that fixing is still taking place in cricket when past egressions should have pushed authorities to take decisive action. Now, every dropped catch at a crucial juncture and every wince of pain by a star player will be put under the umbrella suspicion of a ?lower plan?. What makes this particular episode all the more mystifying is that the world had been put on notice on numerous occasions in the past. By now, the least that the powers that be could have done was instil among the member nations? core teams the idea that there was a zero tolerance policy to anything akin to morally repugnant behaviour on the part of athletes or personnel.

Globally, the business of sports isn?t likely to ever become entirely clean. However, it would be safe to say that most, if not all, offenders have been disciplined by their respective governing bodies, which have instituted clear-cut guidelines and reinforced a zero tolerance policy when it comes to fixing, betting, drug-use or other acts of moral turpitude that jeopardise the integrity of the leagues or the sports themselves. Foolproof or not, at times hypocritical, that is how the cookie has crumbled in the past and present when it comes to on-field egressions.

Cricket, by contrast, is reeling under the ten degrees of separation syndrome?think IPL fans and tweets. Till now, unsubstantiated claims of opaque ownership, company law violations and rigging of bids that victimised IPL were ?entertaining?. But they did not cast a pall of gloom over the on-field performances. After all, there was little credibility to match-fixing rumours. Plus, in terms of bankable memories, few could question the passion of MSD as he punched the opposition out of the tournament or the commitment of the Little Master as he dove in vain to dismiss his erstwhile teammate and at the time fierce rival or the anger of the Wall as his valiant attempt to help accelerate the run rate led to his dismissal and his team?s demise. A large part of IPL?s bankability was its ability to churn up passion, with nary a question as to the integrity of the players? efforts or the authenticity of the results. This is why the Lords debacle will rest heavily on the shoulders of the enforcers who were supposed to have instilled among the players a legal and moral sense of right vs wrong. After all, cricket is the only sport to have cleared its own path towards compliance, for example in terms of the WADA whereabouts clause.

Much is forgotten and forgiven when the game begins, especially if the scandals emanate from things unrelated to the field of play. Fans have a short-term memory when it comes to off-field egressions. But when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs or, worse, adversely affecting the game outcome for personal gains, the economic viability of the offending sport or league often suffers.

Some of the so-called ?pariahs? of sport are also its biggest heroes. Pete Rose, Andre Agassi, Diego Maradona, Brett Favre, Ronaldo, OJ Simpson, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Flintoff and more recently Tiger Woods?many a saga proves that off-field conduct does not a villain make. All is forgiven if the athlete remains committed to success and battles the odds to find his way back to sports success. However, the public is not so forgiving of those who effectively ?facilitate? their own rise to the top (or bottom) for personal gains or vices. Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Thierry Henry, Floyd Landis, Ben Johnson and dozens of other derided athletes will find it difficult to overcome the stigma attached to performances or lack thereof.

When the fans?who are the true stakeholders and weathervanes indicating which way the wind will blow for a sport or a league in terms of financials, revenue scalability and popularity?no longer believe in the sanctity of a sport or its ambassadors, all bets come off in terms of predicting future gains. The economic viability of cycling, baseball and now cricket may be seriously jeopardised if scandals persuade public perception away from them.

Admittedly, the spot-fixing scandal unfolding in cricket is not the first of its kind; nor can anyone guarantee that it?s the last. But for a sport that has served as a South Asian talisman for decades, it?s really, really serious. Never has the integrity of a sport and an event been so closely bound to the perception of a nation (Pakistan). And from the business perspective, the fine balance that one aspired to find over the last decade in India has also been rocked, to say the least. Cricket is now in a precarious position as other sports jostle for positive publicity. If we don?t fix this credibility mess, don?t expect the Formula 1s and other sports with elite and urban fan bases to restore faith and hope, passion and fervour. Ironically, the only saving grace would be if the Commonwealth Games produce some positive results and focus the Indian sports spotlight on the future. Cricket will rebound when the pest-ravaged grain has been sifted through honestly and the carrion weeded out.

The author is a sports attorney with J Sagar Associates. Views are personal