Media and public attention are negligible for other sports. Excessive media focus on cricket sidelines other sports, reducing their visibility and fan base. Despite India’s historic achievements in badminton, the sport rarely receives as much media attention as cricket does, limiting its appeal among the masses. There is a lack of grassroots development programs for other sports. Unlike cricket, which has a strong grassroots development system, many other sports lack structured programs to nurture young talent. India’s athletics landscape struggles to identify and nurture talent at a young age due to the absence of dedicated programs. Limited corporate sponsorship flows primarily into cricket, leaving other sports with minimal financial support. This leads to fewer tournaments, inadequate training facilities, and low salaries for athletes. For example: Despite the popularity of the sport in rural areas, kabaddi players struggle with low incomes due to fewer sponsorship deals.
Dr Satyawan Saurabh
An inclusive sports culture ensures equal opportunities for all athletes, regardless of the sport they participate in. In India, cricket dominates over other sports, leading to limited development in various sports.
According to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, while cricket has many fans, sports such as athletics, hockey, and badminton are struggling with inadequate infrastructure and funding. Insufficient funding and infrastructure are the reasons behind the limited development of sports other than cricket.
The popularity of cricket is the result of corporate houses. Cricket is a game of corporate and power and is played to benefit them. Therefore, this game should be avoided and its popularity should not be allowed to become an addiction, otherwise, corporate and power holders will continue to reap benefits. Apart from cricket, most sports struggle with inadequate financial support and substandard infrastructure.
Despite hockey being India’s national sport and having a glorious history, hockey players often face old training grounds, inadequate equipment, and limited financial support, which affects their performance at the international level. Media and public attention is negligible in other sports.
The excessive media focus on cricket marginalizes other sports, reducing their visibility and fan base. Despite India’s historic achievements in badminton, the sport rarely receives as much media attention as cricket does, limiting its appeal among the masses.
There is a lack of grassroots development programs for other sports. Unlike cricket, which has a strong grassroots development system, many other sports lack structured programs to nurture young talent. India’s athletics scene struggles to identify and nurture talent at a young age due to the absence of dedicated programs.
Limited corporate sponsorship flows primarily into cricket, leaving other sports with minimal financial support. This leads to fewer tournaments, inadequate training facilities, and low salaries for athletes. For example: despite the sport’s popularity in rural areas, kabaddi players struggle with low incomes due to fewer sponsorship deals. There is a cultural bias towards cricket, which is often perceived as the only viable career in sports, due to cultural and social bias. This bias discourages youth from taking up other sports professionally. Even in states like Punjab, where hockey has a rich history, cricket has gradually overtaken it, affecting the growth of the sport.
To promote a more inclusive sporting culture, we need to increase funding for all sports. The government and the private sector should increase funding for all sports, ensuring that facilities and training programs are at par with those available for cricket. Investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure for athletics and swimming can help identify and develop potential Olympians.
Media houses should actively promote and cover a wide range of sports to increase people’s interest. For example: initiatives such as telecasting national and regional leagues of sports such as football and wrestling on prime-time television can increase their popularity and viewership.
Strengthening grassroots programs and expanding grassroots programs like Khelo India to cover more sports can help identify and nurture talent at a young age. Setting up dedicated academies for sports like archery and gymnastics in various states can ensure a steady intake of trained athletes.
Encouraging corporate sponsorship for various sports through tax incentives and public recognition can boost investment in underfunded sports. Successful models like the Pro Kabaddi League, which has received significant corporate support, can be replicated for other sports like hockey and athletics.
Implementing policies that provide equal incentives and support for athletes across all sports can encourage greater participation. For example: Promoting job reservations and scholarships for athletes from non-cricket sports will encourage youth to pursue careers in diverse sporting disciplines. India’s sporting culture must be developed to embrace and promote multiple disciplines beyond cricket. Instead of making cricket an outcast because of corporate interference, there is a need to understand why this change has happened!
Why corporate houses have been able to gain entry into sports and why sports have become dependent on them? This happened only because governments have failed to promote sports. With strategic investments, media diversification, and inclusive policies, India can build a strong sports ecosystem that nurtures talent across various sports.
This approach not only enhances India’s global sporting status but also promotes a healthier and more inclusive sporting environment and society where every sport gets its due recognition and support.
