Ethics off the pitch

Commercials recur with maddening frequency during cricket matches on Indian TV.

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Broadcasts of the World Cup matches were no exception. Ads were shoved in at every conceivable interval. DisneyHotstar had a business case for this disorienting practice, given the humongous amounts they paid for the World Cup broadcasting rights. The brand and ad choices of moneyed celebrity cricketers who starred in several of these ads and, therefore, appeared to viewers with distressingly high frequency, were less edifying.

The star of the World Cup commercial stakes was former captain M S Dhoni. With his captaincy record, looks and a huge youth following, Mr Dhoni is one of India's most bankable sports stars. It is a pity that he does not take his youth influencer role more seriously and align his brand endorsements more responsibly.

Not choosing to star in a commercial for Lay's potato chips would have been a great start. The proposition in the commercial was that kids would get to watch a World Cup match on TV in the company of Mr Dhoni only if they had Lay's crisps on hand. The closing image is of Mr Dhoni and a bunch of teenagers happily scarfing down a packet of chips as they cheer India on.