When Indian doubles duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy began their Paris Olympic Games 2024 campaign with a convincing victory in their opening group stage match, in the post match conversation, Chirag Shetty emphasized the need for greater promotion of badminton in India, comparing it to the popularity and support enjoyed by cricket. He called on Indian corporate houses to support sports other than cricket to help elevate their status.
Infact, even before the Olympics began, Chirag had expressed his chagrin, and slammed the Maharashtra government on ignoring his Thomas Cup win. As per media reports, a day after Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal were felicitated by Maharashtra government for winning the T20 World Cup, Chirag Shetty lashed out at the authorities for giving badminton step-motherly treatment. Shetty won the Thomas Cup and World Championships bronze in 2022, and Asian Games men’s doubles gold in 2023.
Chirag Shetty had said as per a leading publication’s report : “Thomas Cup is equivalent to winning the World Cup. I was part of the Indian badminton team, which won its maiden title, shocking champions Indonesia in the final. I was the only Maharashtra player in the Indian team. When the government can honor World Cup-winning cricket stars, they should have also recognized my efforts. Government should treat any other sport equally”.
The passage of such events, where sportspersons from other sports are feeling disgruntled over the apathy shown towards them or their achievements versus cricketers, has been brewing in India’s sporting milieu for quite sometime. In the ongoing Olympics, sports like badminton have again showcased, India’s wonderful shuttlers like the super talented Lakshya Sen (the first man from India to reach an Olympic SF), two time Olympic medal winner Pursala Venkata Sindhu, HS Prannoy, etc. The men’s hockey team has shown great progress too ; they have won their second consecutive Olympic bronze medal & showed some incredible fighting spirit to vanquish some quality opponents during their campaign. In shooting, the incredible feats of Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh will be etched amongst all of India’s greatest Olympics moments. And, we already are aware of the legacy created by Neeraj Chopra – probably the greatest athlete India has ever produced. Chopra has won almost everything that his sport javelin encompasses :
– Olympic Gold 2020 Tokyo & Silver Medal in Paris 2024.
– World Champion : He is also the reigning World champion in the men’s javelin throw, having won the gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
– Asian Games Gold Medal : Chopra has won gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and the 2022 Asian Games.
– Commonwealth Games Gold Medal : He won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
– World Under-20 Champion : Chopra won gold at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships, setting a world junior record with a throw of 86.48m.
– Asian Athletics Championships Gold Medal : He won gold at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships.
– Diamond League Champion : Chopra has won the Diamond League javelin throw title in 2022 and 2023.
These titles make Neeraj Chopra, one of the most successful Indian athletes in the history of our country’s sports. But, is he the most followed athlete in India or has the sport of javelin grown immensely in India due to Neeraj’s feats. That’s a situation to ponder upon & as titled, a bone of contention in Indian sports.
So, YES ! Whatever the above cited points reflect, from Chirag’s glum remarks, to Olympic champions or other sports getting a certain degree of disregard, in India, cricket is THE SPORT that everyone follows, that is the highest money spinner, that has the highest sponsors, highest media coverage, arguably the highest earnings for any sportsperson and most importantly, the infrastructure & coaching system that has been producing champions, generations after generations.
Just sample this data. As on date, followers count in Instagram of the following “active” sportspersons are :
- PV SINDHU : 3.9 million
- PR SREEJESH : 169 K
- Neeraj Chopra : 9.1 million
- Virat Kohli : 270 million
This reflects how influenced we are by cricket and it’s superstars. The greatest platform in sports are the Olympics. Every country (almost 190 odd nations) put in their best efforts and send their best athletes to bring glory for their nation. Novak Djokovic (of Serbia), One of the MOST PRODUCTIVE TENNIS PLAYERS and arguably the greatest of all time (Fedal fans might dispute this J), had won 24 grand slams ~ the highest by any singles player in the men’s game. He had won only a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics & nothing since then. Yet when he won the Gold medal match versus Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, he said : “I was so blessed to win everything pretty much there is to win in my sport, but this is something different,” said Djokovic. “This supersedes everything that I’ve ever felt on the tennis court after winning big trophies. It’s just incredible joy.”
There are many stories, where achieving glory in the Olympics, is considered to be the pinnacle of all sporting achievements. Yet, in our country, our craze for cricket and the way we have kept cricket above all other sports, reflects our mentality and vision towards the other sports.
Social media feeds, coverage by various media houses, opinions of many experts & influencers are heavily favored towards cricket. Even the amount of endorsements, branding, marketing, etc. that involves around cricket, easily outshines other sports. Sample this new fact. Our new golden girl, Manu Bhaker, who won two Olympic bronze medals in Paris 2024, has seen her endorsement fees surge 6-7x post her record breaking Olympic run. As many as 40 brands have approached Bhaker for endorsements. Her fee has also increased from an earlier INR 20-25 lakh per endorsement to “one deal” being closed at about INR 1.50 crore, according to reports. Yet, compare that to the earnings of any elite cricketer plying his trade, in the Indian Premier League alone, it might seem peanuts.
So, to summarize, in my perspective, the influence of cricket over other sports is mainly due to the following points :
1. National pride : Cricket has become a symbol of national pride, with international victories seen as a reflection of India’s strength and capabilities. There is no other team sports in India, that sees global wins like cricket. As far individual sports is concerned, cricket’s charisma outshines individual glories that our nation might have achieved.
2.Accessibility : Cricket is a relatively inexpensive sport to play, requiring minimal equipment, making it accessible to people from all walks of life. When we talk about accessibility for a sports, infrastructure is a unavoidable thing, we associate with it. In India, there are 80 stadiums that have hosted an international cricket match. In this context, sharing a relevant piece of information pertaining to our state ASSAM. In Assam, if you want to play the National sport “Hockey” on AstroTurf, there is only one stadium available in the entire state i.e. in Bhetapara Guwahati. The hockey stadium i.e. the Maulana Md. Tayabullah Hockey Stadium has a seating capacity of 2,000 people. This stadium served as the hockey venue for the 33rd National Games of India in 2007, 12th South Asian Games in 2016 and the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games. It was built in 2007 before the 33rd National Games. But other than this facility we don’t have any other hockey stadium in Assam. Infact, Odisha is the only state that has done some superlative work to promote hockey. The state of Odisha has the largest hockey stadium in the world, the Birsa Munda hockey stadium in Rourkela (inaugurated in 2023). It has in total 17 astro turf pitches across the state which provides world class facilities to players. Any reason for other states not to replicate Odisha’s work in uplifting hockey ? In Assam, the Barsapara cricket stadium is an example of international class sports infrastructure. What we need, not just in Assam, but across India, sporting infrastructure to grow across all sports and make it accessible to everyone, especially the young & aspiring generation. In a recent & positive development, we have seen the National Centre of Excellence for the sport of Badminton, come up in Amingaon, Assam. It has 24 badminton courts and a seating capacity for 5000 spectators. It also has gymnasium and hostel facilities for players. We need sports infrastructure like this in other Olympic level sports like shooting, weightlifting, wrestling, etc., where India has done well in the Olympics. This is what Chirag Shetty meant, in his aforementioned remark of “elevating the status of other sports”.
3.Iconic players : Legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and Kapil Dev have inspired generations of fans and helped build a strong emotional connection to the sport. What other sports needs is repeat champions. We don’t need one Leander Paes, one Abhinav Bindra, One PV Sindhu, one Neeraj Chopra, one Dhanraj Pillai, one Sunil Chetri. We need champions to emerge in every sports, consistently and frequently. In the current Olympics, we have seen our Archery team come close, our shooters come close, our badminton players come close, our boxers like former Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and Nishant Dev come close. They have all come close to winning medals and Olympic glory for our nation. But the inability to close out a win, have led to disappointment amongst sport lovers. This is what has helped cricket outshine other sports. In simple terms, the frequency of wins we see in cricket is directly proportional to its popularity. It’s like a math linear equation, a physics principle like a law of motion or even a chemistry formula like water formation 2H + O2 = H2O ; to put in one word, cricket’s popularity is “indisputable”.
Besides these major factors, extensive media coverage, including live broadcasts and highlights packages, has made cricket easily visible and helped maintain a high level of interest. Cricket has become an integral part of Indian culture, with the sport often reflecting and influencing societal values and trends. Cricket receives significant government support, with investments in infrastructure, training programs, and international competitions.
The revenue earned by Government and sponsors from cricket is also highly impacting it’s growth over other sports. No other sport in India has so much seating capacity in a stadia, other than cricket. The cricket governing body of India, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is one of the richest cricket boards in the world. It’s turnover varies from year to year, but here are some recent figures:
- 2017-18: ₹1,935 crore (approximately $260 million USD).
- 2020-21: ₹3,794 crore (approximately $520 million USD).
The BCCI’s primary sources of revenue, a case study for other sports associations to deep dive into, are :
1. Media rights for international and domestic cricket matches
2. Sponsorship deals
3. Advertising revenue
4. Ticket sales
5. Licensing fees
The BCCI’s revenue has grown significantly over the years, mainly due to the popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the national team’s success. The board distributes a portion of its revenue to state associations, players, and other stakeholders.
Although other sports bodies have come up with their own versions of premier leagues especially in hockey, football, badminton & even kabaddi, which is a non-Olympic sports, they haven’t been able to rival the BCCI’s cash cow IPL, either in terms of popularity or revenue.
So, instead of having these scenarios where other sportspersons are feeling despondent because they don’t get the same level of support like cricket or cricketers get, it’s better we learn as a country how to popularize other sports from the success story of India’s cricket ecosystem and it’s champion players. By working at a grassroot level, identifying and nurturing budding talents across sports and giving them access to modern training and coaching facilities, India can create a new generations of champions in other sports. Lately, a story that is giving positive vibes to “other sports”, is the Khelo India initiative by the Narendra Modi led government. It is a unique but refreshing initiative that we are seeing in recent times yielding results.
The Khelo India initiative is a national-level program that was launched by the Government of India in 2017 to promote sports and physical fitness among children and youth. The program aims to:
1. Identify and nurture young talent : Discover and develop potential athletes from schools and colleges.
2. Promote sports infrastructure : Upgrade and build new sports facilities, including stadiums, playgrounds, and training centers.
3. Encourage sports culture : Make sports an integral part of the education system and promote a culture of physical fitness.
4. Provide training and coaching : Offer specialized training and coaching to young athletes.
5. Conduct national-level competitions : Organize annual Khelo India Games, Youth Games, and University Games to encourage competition and talent identification.
6. Support athletes : Provide scholarships, financial assistance, and other support to promising athletes.
The Khelo India initiative has several components across levels, including :
1. Khelo India Games (KIG)
2. Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG)
3. Khelo India University Games (KIUG)
4. Khelo India School Games (KISG)
5. Khelo India Talent Identification and Development Program
6. Khelo India Fitness Assessment Program
The initiative aims to create a robust sports ecosystem, promoting mass participation, talent identification, and international excellence.
These kind of works will definitely benefit the country and act as a catalyst for other sports to bloom in our great nation. Over the past decade or so, India’s growth as a sporting nation (in other global multi nation events, excluding the Olympics) has been seen with improved performances in the Asian games ( rank 8th in 2014 in Incheon with 57 medals to rank 4th in 2022 in the Hangzhou games in China, with 106 medals ) and even in the Commonwealth games ( from 5th in Glasgow’14 to 3rd ranked in 2018 Goldcoast games and 4th in the 2022 Birmingham games).
As said by the great Nelson Mandela with respect to sporting culture of a nation ~ “Sport is a powerful tool for social change, and a nation’s sporting culture can change its value and identity”. Hence, I feel the day is not far away, when India will see champions rise, across sports discipline, there won’t be any discrimination across sports or sportspersons and we will surely become a sports superpower in the Olympics by providing the best in class sports facilities in the world in terms of training, coaching, nutrition, physical and mental conditioning, etc. to our athletes.
But plausibly, the foremost requirement is to create a life that is secured for a sportsperson in any sport that he or she has picked up, so that there is no instability in their work-life balance, during their active sports career and after their sports career is over. This is for me, where cricket has leapfrogged other sports in providing a secured career & even creating lucrative post retirement options for former players. Hence, cricket will continue to be the prima donna amongst all sports in India, till all the touched upon necessary changes don’t happen, over a period of time, in other sports.
“Sports growth knows no boundaries, it brings people together and inspires a nation to greatness” ~ Usain Bolt (eight time Olympic gold medalist)
