JOIN USI am a diehard fan of cricket and the IPL-T20 has me and a few million people in its delicious grip this season, year after year. I grew up excitedly listening to running commentary on All India Radio (AIR), bunked college to watch Ranji Trophy matches, and when television arrived in our sitting room, sat glued to it through five-day tests, three- day matches, floodlight One Day Internationals and now, the high energy and glamorous Indian Premier League, which just happens to be a big money spinner, has me clapping and screaming with the crowd. Cricket, as a sport, has come of age.
Common needs & concerns
Some sports, more than others, are automatic crowd pullers. Football is the most popular game in the world, followed by cricket, Formula 1, golf, hockey, tennis and baseball. Money, fame, glamour, media attention and fan following are integral parts of any sport played across nations. Smart thinking and quick action on the part of senior professional players and sports enthusiasts with keen business acumen saw the birth of clubs, leagues and federations mushrooming, the world over.
This brought together groups and individuals who were passionate about a particular sport, to study the common needs and concerns they had and to work out a plan to shape up the existing system into a professional organisation. The sports industry thus came into being.
Marketing the sport
A sport is not unlike a business. You have to be passionate about what you are doing. There is strategic planning, fierce competition, there are risks to be taken and losses and gains to be handled with equal aplomb. It is little wonder then that a careful study of the management and marketing of a sport has become a science in itself. We have had (will always have) celebrity sports persons endorsing products and we now see them advertising their sponsors.
Way back in time, marketing a sport meant merely selling tickets and running coverage of the local professional team in the local daily. Today, media exposure is multi-dimensional and has to be a carefully cultivated relationship. Like in everything else, media support can be the game changer.
Formulating programmes
So, you are now probably thinking when sports turned into a serious study and career option? As many as 32 years ago — that is when it all began. Sports management education programmes have been around since 1985. Initially, universities launched postgraduate diploma programmes for a broad based curriculum covering Sports Administration, Sports Management, Sports Marketing and Sports Media. Today, we have Bachelors and Masters degree in place, and the curriculum has branched into need-based study areas, like Sports Medicine, Sports Psychology, Sports Physiology, Sports Finance & Business, Sports Policies & Law, Media Management, Event Staging and yes, managing sports celebrities!
Research & study
India has its fair share of sports education programmes in Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Schools, colleges and universities have understood the importance of sports and encourage youngsters to research the game they love, to keep abreast of changing trends and relevant issues in the news. Beyond Class 12, there is a whole new world of sports to discover and the management thereof.
Practical challenges
The playground has always been an active classroom for those who cared to learn. From fair play to team spirit, from taking turns to leadership skills, games and sports have helped in the holistic development of an individual. If nothing else, the physical activity and exertion involved sharpened ones reflexes and kept one fighting fit, so to speak. A common entrance test has been designed to facilitate admission process to institutions and universities offering sports as a subject.
The course content of these programmes, whether a diploma or a degree, prepares an individual to thrive in a field of their choice in this lucrative domain of sports. Live projects and global internships help in giving the right kind of exposure, not to mention opportunities galore. Both, money and effort are being poured into nurturing and channelising sports talent by national sports federations everywhere to promote different sports.
Career choices
When the field of study is so clearly charted and planned, job and career growth is bound to be and is, equally promising. Do you fancy yourself as an admin person? Who is to stop you from becoming the chief executive officer of a sports club! A degree in sports administration will arm you the tools and techniques of event management, while keeping you cued in on contemporary trends on the field and off the field. If you have good communication and Public Relations skills, studying sports media, both traditional and social media, will stand you in good stead. If it is a managerial post that you fancy, there are programme modules to help you qualify to be one and what is more — internship with popular teams is a distinct possibility! You could well be part of a popular sports channel some day soon.
Sports Science prepares you for a career in Sports Physiotherapy, Sports Psychology to manage sports celebrities and officials. The remuneration is generous and the perks of being associated with a popular sport are unlimited. For the marketing expert, the focus is on sponsorship and merchandise, the nitty gritty of money matters and liaising with the department of hospitality and other related services. Encouraging reports keep streaming in from market surveys, that advertising investment in sport – on ground, team sponsorship, athlete management and media spend, encompassing a host of sports is on the rise.
Estimated growth
The business of sports is a dynamic and ever-changing enterprise which cleverly uses technology to showcase its multi- dimensional importance and to heighten the excitement (the use of drones) of a game without taking away from the live action. Experts in the field predict a happy futuristic number of 23 lakh people to be flourishing in the sport industry by the year 2025.
Young sports lovers, do not compromise on your passion. Be part of the sports business with pride and ride the crest of a new age sporting career. As boxing legend Mohammad Ali once said, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” it is not the height of the mountain that keeps you from scaling it, it is the pebble in your shoe! Cast your doubts aside. Put your best foot forward and keep your sights on your goal post and kick like Ronaldo, to score.