...When sidelines steal the spotlight

Let's be honest: if your favourite sport's most thrilling moments involve a locker room brawl, a player's dating life, a coach's existential meltdown during a press con, or the ruckus about someone apparently running away with a trophy instead of awarding it to the winning side that happens to be your side, congratulations - you're not watching a sport, you're bingeing a reality show where the quality of play is meh. When off-field drama eclipses the actual game, it's a neon-lit sign that the sport itself is about as exciting as watching paint dry on a bat. If the post-match gossip generates more clicks than the match itself, maybe, just maybe, the sport is suffering from a chronic case of 'competitive narcolepsy'.

If fans are more invested in who unfollowed whom on Instagram than who scored the winning runs, your Asia Cup may be less about cricket and more about politics with pom-poms and painted faces in the stands. And if the highlight reel includes a player throwing snide remarks or patriotic gush rather than throwing a ball or hitting a pad, it's time to call in the paramedics - your sport has flatlined. We used to tune in for athleticism, strategy and the thrill of victory. Now we're here for cryptic tweets, sideline tantrums and tweets from upstairs channelling a border war. The game? The tournament? Oh, right. That happened too.