Survival of the fittest: A new era in Indian sports

Cricket, the undisputed monarch of Indian sports, is facing tough challenge to retain its monarchy in India. The grand introduction of F1 has changed the scenario of Indian sports. A whopping crowed of 95000 witnessed the first ever F1 race in India at the $ 450 million Buddh International Circuit in the Greater Noida. A report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) estimates that the first race in India is expected to generate revenue of Rs. 10,000 crore while it is expected to generate revenue of over Rs. 900 billion in the next 10 years and may create job opportunities for 1.5 million skilled work- force. It is, therefore, evident that F1 is here to stay. The condition of Indian football may not be very impressive, but the super powers of world football are making their presence felt in the vast Indian market. Who can forget the historic match between Argentina and Venezuela at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata? The Liverpool Academy in Delhi may play a pivotal role in attracting the EPL crazy youth of India towards football. They are followed by Barcelona FC which will open the ‘FC Barcelona Soccer Camp’ in Delhi in early 2012. Manchester United has already taken a number of initiatives to promote its brand in India. Other disciplines of sports are also making positive attempts to establish their footprints in Indian sporting environment. So, a tough competition is waiting for cricket.

Cricket becomes the religion of this country because of the success of the national team at the international level. The prowess of the India cricket heroes inspires the common mass to follow the game. The triumph of Captain Kapil and his team in Cricket World Cup 1983 revolutionized the sporting scenario of India. The disappointing results in other disciplines were suppressed by the demonstrated success of the cricket warriors of the country. That was, perhaps, the reason of the dominance of cricket in India. The economic reform in nineties provided a scope to market the game and the cricket administrators of the country exploited every possibility of it. The continuous achievements of the Indian cricket team and the iconic presence of cricket legends are the major factors for establishing India as the hub of cricket. Another change had been made with the inception of T-20 which gave birth to one of the most exciting events of the game in the form of ‘IPL’. IPL, the brainchild of Lalit Modi, combines cricket with entertainment to introduce the concept of ‘Cricketainment’. It was thought that no other discipline could touch the tremendous popularity of cricket. However, the situation is changing. The law of diminishing return is visible in cricket. Even the die- heart fans are tired of cricket overdoes. The last ODI at Eden Gardens in Kolkata failed to attract enough eyeballs. This low turnout is the result of excessive cricket which must be controlled to reduce the effect of diminishing return.

Therefore, slowly but steadily, the scenario of Indian sports is changing. We have already cited a number of examples in the first paragraph of this article. The introduction of F1 and the investments in other sporting disciplines, like football, are the major contributors to this change. These emerging disciplines may create an impact in the pattern of test and preference of the sports fans of this country and may challenge the supremacy of cricket. However, nobody can ignore the abilities of the cricket administrators of India to innovate a new dimension to retain the popularity of cricket. Thus, there will be an exciting fight for survival which will surely bring a new era in Indian sports. Let’s hope for the best!

Ankan Banerjee

Member of Faculty

Naval Tata Centre of Excellence in Sports Management

IISWBM, Kolkata