Don't try to produce Gold as People are often intrigued by Bronze! Has that been the new motto of broadcasters in this country? It feels we are leading
a generation towards cheap thrills; far away from the basics, etiquettes and class.
In a country which worships cricket, an advertisement carries a weight, an enormous weight to send the right message to the billion viewers. But the writing at the top seems myopic, as these ads are often spoiling a budding mind, just like Star Sports in this T20 World Cup with their serial disasters.
Star Sports' India vs South Africa Promotional is Un-Indian
Star Sports' promotional ad for the India vs South Africa Super 8 clash in the T20 World Cup 2026 is an absolute disgrace - a pathetic, brain-dead attempt at hype that sinks to new lows of crassness and insensitivity.
This 30-second disaster, built around a smug Indian fan taunting a South African counterpart with a pink cupcake as a jab at the Proteas' "chokers" tag is a new low in marketing.
The ad reeks of arrogant entitlement, portraying South Africa, a team that arrived unbeaten, fresh off demolishing opponents, as "soft" and "sweet," destined to crumble again under pressure. It dredges up the painful 2024 final loss without any respect for the sport's competitive spirit, reducing a legitimate rivalry between two powerhouse sides to cheap, playground-level mockery.
Where's the creativity? Where's the drama that elevates cricket? Instead, we get a tired trope recycled from tired memes, delivered with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.Fans from both nations rightly erupted in outrage, dubbing it "Cupcakegate" and labeling it cringe-worthy, ugly, dumb, disrespectful, and classless. Even Indian supporters called it out for its arrogance, fearing it could jinx the team or simply embarrass the game.
South African fans feel demeaned, and who can blame them? This isn't building excitement; it's poisoning the atmosphere before a high-stakes match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Star Sports and its India vs Pakistan disaster
Star Sports has form-remember the equally tasteless India-Pakistan promo with Fukra Insaan that reduced a historic rivalry to influencer-level trash? The continuous trolling of 7-1 to 8-1 at an instance reeks garbage, and the purpose of the ad also seems vague, disoriented and abysmal.
But this South Africa ad is worse - it is mean-spirited where the other was just lazy. A person choking in the visuals and the narrator says 'Choking 24, History Repeat', sounds not just bad but it only wrecks India as a whole, its very fabric.
Who are We Kidding?
In an era when cricket needs global respect and inclusive hype, this broadcaster delivers juvenile trash that insults viewers' intelligence and the sport's dignity. The attempt to buy laughs with the humiliation of rivals is an antithesis of India as a whole, and exploiting the current generation with this visual garbage warrants a proper dressing down.
The neo-system of broadcasting has become a click-driven, view-driven organization where cheap showmanship has taken over the fundamental aspects. And a global broadcasting mogul such as Star mustn't follow the cheap route to enhance their social media view counts, as in the long run, the fans will eventually defenestrate it.
