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ISSUE 4

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EDITORIALThe “Grand Slam,” launched two years ago, was the Doon School’s first ever sports magazine. In an environment where sports are such an integral element of our daily lives, the publication was an experiment, created with the objective of providing the reader food for thought, knowledge and trivia. Conforming to convention, yet innovative the “Grand Slam” has been successfully established as a leading magazine in Doon School society. For this, I must place on record my thanks to the founding board that put in so much effort and time into its founding and design.Now that the reigns have been passed on to me and my team, we are driven to create better and improved editions during our tenure. We strive to intellectually stimulate and enlighten while at the same time give you reason to smile. In our first issue, as the new editorial board, we have addressed chal-lenging questions such as “When is the right time to retire,” explored the impact of the blooming of leagues such as the IPL, and also given you a personal account of a Dosco’s in-ring boxing experience. The Grandslam is not just another publication! It is not a mun-dane magazine, full of listless statistics and figures or irrele-vant analyses. We have designed a publication, in which each article is spellbinding and engaging for the average sports fanatic, but at the same time one which fascinates and cap-tures the imagination of those whose interests lay elsewhere.We hope that we have been able to provide you with an ex-citing issue. As always we are open to feedback which will help us improve this publication and take it to even greater heights.

CheersRohan Chaudhuri

Editor-in-Chief

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Give Red A Hand Blue The Winner

Superman

Kaboom

Sports In India

A Bright Future

The Middle Eastern Effect

What’s The Right Time To

Retire

True Support

Mission Sports Management

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Rishab Goel

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7 Atrey Bhargava

Rohan Chaudhuri

Daksh Bhatia

Codanda Chengappa

Harshit Bansal

Vivan Sharma

Tushaar Sharma

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“Why are these guys hugging every ten seconds? Just beat the living daylights out of that guy man!”. This statement is heard very often. As a matter of fact, it is heard every time a cluster of no-good people show up for a boxing bout. To them, boxing is just a sport where a pumped-up boxer makes roadkill of another boxer. Their mindset is that one punch- a Muhammad Ali “standard” punch- should be enough to swell up eyes, and maybe scar the face with a cut or two. They are all under the wrong impres-sion of boxing as they watch fictional boxing on TV. The Rocky series doesn’t actually feature the plight of an average world champion. Even Inter-House boxing tires out the best of boxers in school. Here is a first person experience.The corner of a boxing ring isn’t a pretty sight. My heart is thumping, faster than the speed of my punches. The announcer calls out my name. I turn around and raise my hands, attempting to look chilled out and relaxed. And there goes the bell. We stare at one another, going in circles. Then he makes a move. That stunning hit in the face dazzles me, leaving me with no other choice but to be aggressive. I charge back at him. That little chit with my “strategy” on it, is lying deep in my pocket, and seems to have been a complete waste of time.

About five hours later, the first round ends. I am panting away. My boxing captain is not pleased with my performance. He strictly tells me what to do, but in the back of my head, I am wondering whether I have yet invoked fear in him or not. The bell goes off once more. My captain’s orders hold no meaning after a few seconds of entering the ring. How dare that atrocious imp hit me! I always lose my cool just after getting hit. Newton’s third law of motion is quite applied here.

I hear the bell again. I go to my corner to receive yet another set of commands and a great deal of encouragement as the last round is to follow.

In the meanwhile, the audience has placed bets on either of us.

The third round is where you witness what I like to call, a catfight. Very loosely. pa-thetically placed and improper punches are followed by the referee’s displeasure and frowns. Some hours and punches later, the bell goes off again. I am praised by my ‘handlers’. I go to the center of the ring, hoping for some positive words. The words “Give blue a hand, red the winner!” depress me, followed by realization, that I AM RED! Oh, these colours can be confusing sometimes. Inside, a rainbow, flowers and smiles. My opponent is my best friend.

By the way, after the results, the bet placers are feeling like cats whiskers for having won the bet. Even though most people are not completely engrossed into boxing, it is a sport which holds great skill and glory. And all the boxers reading this, will agree with me.

Abhyudaye Gupta

Blue The WinnerGive Red A Hand

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We all know AB De Villiers as the amazing batsman of the South African Cricket Team. But not many know that De Villiers is a man who has accumulated stupendous amount of achievements in other sports while at the same time being an ace academic. Here, I will reveal the superpowers of this great cricketing legend.

AB had excelled in many sports soon after he joined Afrikaanse Hoer Seunskool, a sporting institute in South Africa, at the tender age of 13.His early life did evolve around cricket, but he also showed his immense talent in almost every other sport. Sports which required speed and stamina were mastered by AB De Villiers. He was shortlisted for South Africa’s junior national hockey team and junior national football team. He was the captain of junior national rugby team. Also, he holds six South African school swimming records, along with the record for the 100m sprint in South Africa’s junior athletics. He was a member of junior Davis Cup tennis team and the Under 19 badminton champion. With this, he also had a flair for sports that require accuracy and agility. He has a golf handicap of scratch.

Being preoccupied with so many sports, you would expect someone not to be do-ing all too well in the classroom. However even in the field of academics, he let no one down. He is a recipient of the prestigious national medal from the Late Nelson Man-dela for a science project.

Despite such godly talent in multiple fields AB De Villiers remains a humble person who is respected by one and all. Recently De Villiers also broke the record for the fast-est century scored in the history of cricket by scoring a thrilling and exhilarating cen-tury in a mere 31 balls.

We may term him as a superhero as he is one of a kind but it is his determination and hard work that has gotten him so much suc-cess and fame. A very important lesson that one must learn from a person as gifted as AB is that one must always pursue the field that intrigues and excites one the most, it is only then that one can reach the highest ring in the ladder of perfection and success.

SUPERMAN?Rishab Goel discusses the legend that is AB Devilliers

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The past year witnessed a revolution of sorts for sports in India. Be it the Indian Super League, the Indian Premier Tennis League or the Indian Hockey League, they have all played an integral role in changing the sporting scenario. The objective of these events (barring the IPTL to an extent) mainly was not to rake in revenue but to make people aware and excited about sports which have not been given recognition in the past. It also serves to provide a platform for emerging Indian tal-ent to showcase their talent and gain valuable experience from veteran coaches and international superstars.

Cricket is the most prestigious and acclaimed sport played in this country. It attracts enormous fanfare and wealth, which is unrivalled by other sports. Cricket has brought great laurels for our country over the years. However, it is time that we begin to recognize and develop games such as football, badminton and even our national sport hockey. The leagues aforementioned have con-tributed a large deal in this process by creating a level of acceptance for sports other than cricket. If this space is continued to be harnessed, India will reap rewards in the near future (maybe even at the 2016 Olympics).

The ‘raining of sports leagues’ in India is inspired from the Japanese ‘J- soccer league’, which was founded in the 1980’s. Japan has since been a regular feature at the World Cup and even has Jap-anese players playing in the professional arena for the best football clubs around the world. The success of such a league in promoting a sport and bringing around a turnaround in performance levels has motivated the Indian sporting authorities and businessmen to combine to create such arenas. The economic viability of such ventures also motivates the owners to expand these em-pires.

The concept of International players not exceeding a certain limit is what aids the growth of young Indian talent. Seeing an Indian score the winning goal in the final of the soccer league truly de-scribed what the league stood for. The heartiest donation by the highest scorer of the tournament to his team for its development showed the co-operation of international players and their belief in India’s future sport investment. On the other hand, the involvement of International players inspires and motivates the young talent in the respective teams. Be it the competitive matches between Federer and Djokovic or Iain Hume’s contribution to the Kerala Blasters as an inspiring leader and captain, these seasoned professionals are raising the standard of sport in India. There-fore, whoever believes that International plays destroy the essence of the league, must be aware of the fact that their positives outweigh their negatives! Their stardom attracts crowds (promotes the league) and helps in achieving economic as well as managerial success. The advent of International coaches too has a similar positive impact on the players, their training and their practices.

The popularity, reach and impact of these leagues are showcased by the fact that they flourished in the North-East (especially the soccer league) with the stadiums overflowing with enthusiastic fans.

The acceptance that these leagues have achieved in their first year itself clearly indicates a bright future for sports in the India.

KABOOM!Atrey Bhargava

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Recently India celebrated the news that Sania Mirza has been ranked the World No.1 in Doubles Tennis. The media has been quick to glorify her and plaudits are aplenty. But this has only masked reality. In an age where gender inequality is such a major issue globally and more so in India, it is time we explored this same problem in the sporting sphere as well.

In India itself, sports are a male dominated arena. Whichever game we look at, we are familiar with its stars, be it Bhaichung Bhutia, Leander Paes or Jeev Milkha Singh, while all the members of the Indian Cricket team are known by the general public. But look at female sport and the names that arise are scarce. Aside from Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom, it would be difficult to recognize anyone else. And herein lies the biggest dilemma. Where is the next Sania Mirza and why have we not found her yet?

While Indian society has progressed over the years, girls are still not given the freedom to pur-sue sport as an activity, yet alone a profession. The mind-set that girls are feeble, not physically equipped for outdoor exertions still exists in most Indian households. We may have succeeded in ousting many from the kitchen, but we have not yet emerged victorious in creating an equal playing field for both men and women when it comes to sport.

Rohan Chaudhuri explores gender inequality prevailing in Indian sports

Sports In India

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Moreover in a new age India, where the female gender is now slowly but surely being encouraged to have an education and to make a living herself, academics is now the latest restraining barrier for them. While boys are given ample opportunity to engage in football, hockey or even badminton, girls are asked to concentrate solely on their stud-ies. In such an environment, how is it possible for India to have a good array of female sportspersons?

However, it is not parents who are entirely responsible for this situation. There is no incentive for women to take up sport professionally and the media must take their fair share of blame. While they do highlight gender inequalities from time to time in their programmes, where is the coverage of female sport? Those girls who are representing India in various sports are receiving minimal media attention as compared to their male counterparts. In the last edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2013, M. Thi-rush Kamini went on to become the first Indian women to score a century in ODI cricket. In the 20th Commonwealth games held in 2014, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa won gold in the doubles event in squash. These feats attracted little if any television and press coverage. If the media does not showcase women’s sport, then how is a country’s population supposed to garner interest in this field?

Tennis has proved that televising and promoting women’s sport can be a successful venture. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams are renowned personalities and millions tune in to follow their gruelling encounters. This should inspire tournament organizers and media honchos that achieving the same status that women’s tennis has acquired globally, can and should be made plausible in all other sports.

The UNDP’s Human Development Report in 2013 ranked India 136th out of 186 coun-tries. To add further shame to the nation, it was ranked below Pakistan, Nepal and Ban-gladesh when it came to gender equality. Sania Mirza recently stated that “it’s diffi-cult to be a Sania Mirza in this country” due to the prevailing “gender inequality.” This is alarming. In the 21st Century for us to progress as a nation it is imperative to remove these biases. Sport could provide girls with this very opportunity to break free from these evil practices and strengthen their position in society.

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Honestly, it has come as a surprise to the entire cricketing fraternity. After dismal per-formances in previous international tours not much expected from Dhoni’s men in blue at the World Cup. Against all odds the Indian Cricket Team proved the critics wrong by reaching the semi-finals and though they eventually lost, they have returned home with their pride intact. After India’s historic win at the 2011 ICC World Cup in Mumbai, team India was at an all-time high. Even the retirement of, Sachin Tendulkar soon after could not dampen spirits and they went on to win the ICC Champions Trophy However, their dominance was to come to an abrupt end. Their ability to perform over-seas on bouncy and bowler friendly pitches had been highlighted in the past and they were to be called into question yet again. In 2013, in South Africa India was unable to win a single test match against the Proteas. The batting order struggled to post chal-lenging scores while the bowling was ineffective and seemed unable to take wickets. With the 2015 World Cup nearing and similar pitch conditions expected, the team was put under heavy scrutiny from the media and fans.Nearer to the World Cup now, India put in miserable performances in the New Zealand Tour and the tour ‘Down Under.’ Their weaknesses away from the flat pitches found in India, and which had been displaying themselves with alarming regularity in overseas tours over the past two years were now firmly in the spotlight. The build-up to the World Cup had been disappointing for MS Dhoni’s men. The team’s morale was low. But the break in between the Australian tour and the World Cup seemed to revitalize India. They returned a much more cohesive unit who were determined to defend their title. Great credit must be given to the director of the team- Ravi Shastri who supported the team day in and day out during the build-up to the tournament, whether it was during training or during the warm-up games. A very young 15 man squad entered the tournament not as favourites, but definitely as a team to reckon with. With additions in the bowling line up such as Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav the pace attack certainly seemed to be revitalized. The team began their campaign with a fresh outlook, good displays of batting and bowling, and to the surprise of many proved to be very diligent when fielding too. India cruised through the group stage emerging as winners of their respective group. This was unexpected, with the likes of the South Africans in their group as well.The men in blue breezed past Bangladesh in the semi-finals to set up a mouth -watering

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encounter against a team which caused them so much anguish over the last two months. They were to face the Aussies in the semi-finals in their own backyard.The situation this time was different. Had this match happened in the Group Stages the pre-match mind-set would have been far gloomier. Owing to India’s outstanding performances throughout the tournament expectations were high and many were even predicting India beating the Australians. Sadly, this was not to be the case. A great batting display by the Aus-tralian side, and a quick fall of wickets for India’s top order halted India’s road to the final and shattered the hopes of an entire nation. However despite the defeat, India’s outstanding performance throughout the tournament has given a sense of achievement to India. The team was primarily known to be batting side, but this tournament has altered this view, India is now one of the best bowling and fielding sides of the world. The bowling unit had managed to take all 70 wickets prior to the semi-fi-nal stage.Had anyone expected such spirited performances from the Indians? I feel it would be right to say that a major cause for these performances was due to the mentorship of acting Team Director Ravi Shastri who helped the team enter the tournament with a clear, refreshed and focused mind. He advised the players to enjoy and focus on the game. His influence and sup-port have been acknowledged by the entire team.Now that the World Cup has ended and the task on hand is to create a strong group of players for the next World Cup, a major question has arisen. Should Dhoni continue as captain of the ODI team? In Dhoni’s absence, Kohli led India to an unbeatable 3-0 lead against the Lankans in the five-match ODI series. He filled in Down Under as India played a four-Test series against Australia. Dhoni might be getting older, but when it comes to fitness and form, he is still an elite player. Kohli is a great batsman, but is not ready to fill Dhoni’s shoes yet. Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar also feels that there is no need to rush Virat Kohli into captaincy as long as Mahendra Singh Dhoni is performing consistently and willing to continue.

With the presence of Virat Kohli, Umesh Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, the future for the sport in the country seems incredibly bright.

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Middle Eastern cities such as Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait and Doha are known for their magnificent structure and how they have developed over the years. Most of these developments have been produced through ‘Oil Money’. People believe that this ‘Oil Money’ has not only made the countries rich but has affected other fields in a massive way such as in sports. From a report released by Repucom a sports market-ing Research Company disclosed that out of the 20 richest European Football, 5 of them were sponsored by a Middle Eastern Company.

In August of 2008 Manchester City was successfully bought by the Abu Dhabi Unit-ed Group (ADUG) which is an investment company owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The ADUG was known as a sovereign wealth fund by Abu Dhabi which is mainly all ‘Oil Money’. After the year of 2008 the club was the fifth richest club in the premier league which was on the basis of revenue. Sheikh Mansour im-mediately paid off the clubs debt and through his charitable funds provided the club with better infrastructure for both the supporters and staff. This improvement immediately showed results for the club and help them win the premier league twice in three years in 2011-1012 and 2013-2014 respectively.

In October 2014, Real Madrid signed a deal with the Internation-al Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) which is owned by the Royal family of Abu Dhabi. The deal included that the stadium would be renamed. There were rumors of Florentino Perez (The current president of Real Madrid) explaining to the clubs committee that the name of the stadium would be changed to IPIC Bernabeu. Another example is of Real Madrid’s rivals Barcelona, which got sponsored by the Qatar foundation in 2011. This is deal was as big as $40 million and it was their first ever major shirt sponsor. Later that year

The Middle Eastern Effect

Vivan Sharma

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Qatari Sheikh bought the French Club Paris Saint German, the German Club Bayern Munich and the British Club Arsenal which added the company Emirates and the in-surance company Allianz to this deal. The two famous stadiums, the Emirates Stadium and the Allianz Arena were name after this massive deal. With the financial support of the Sheikh the teams were able to easily pay off their debts. The development of the teams were improved immensely. With all this power inside the football business, Qa-tar were successfully able to win the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. This sheer power of the Middle East was not looked well upon by some of the Euro-peans as the Christian Cross was removed from the Real Madrid logo when the deal occurred. The Crown was given by King Alonso XIII in 1920 when the club was give the name ‘Real’ or ‘Royal’ in English. In Spain, the Catholic conservative association raised a petition of 3500 signatures criticizing the loss of the religious cross from the logo. Even with the signatures there was no change to the logo. This really showed the supremacy of the deal over even religion itself.

It is fit to say that the Middle East has extensively affected not just the financial side but the political side of the Football industry of Europe.

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When a sportsperson enters his or her early thirties and their once majestic, abil-ities begin to decline, they are plagued with questions about their impending retirement. Be it Sachin Tendulkar or the Swiss Maestro Roger Federer, be it the fastest man on the planet Usain Bolt or the golfing legend Tiger Woods, nobody is spared from the critical assessment of the media, experts and the common man. This question has already arisen for hundreds of sporting legends and will arise for a hundred more. When is the right time for a professional sportsman to walk away into the twilight?

The Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar had a rather dismal end to an illustrious ca-reer. Though he dominated the cricketing arena for over 2 decades, his last few years were marred by poor performances. After winning the World Cup in 2011, which was his life’s ambition, the rumor mills began to speculate about his exit. From 2012 onwards, the view was that he was holding on to a place in the nation-al team by virtue of his stature and not his expertise. There were younger players raring to play for the country, and who were being denied an opportunity. He finally ended on a high note after playing 200 test matches, and spared tarnishing his reputation.

A similar situation was seen with Roger Federer. He is 33 years old and has won 17 Grandslams. By and large he is considered to be the greatest tennis player across all eras. Yet his last major victory came in 2012 at Wimbledon. Today, with every loss comes the damning suggestion that FedEx should retire. The consensus is that he should quit the game while he is still revered by one and all rather than ruin his legacy with a string of uncharacteristically poor performances. Better to go out with a bang than a whimper.

Aside from the toll that age takes on the body, the pressure of playing a sport at the highest level begins to accumulate and devastate. The belief in one’s own prowess begins to deteriorate. The stinging criticism from all sections of society leaves the individual craving for their former glory. As a sportsperson, as one has the freedom as to decide when to enter the sport, and thereby it should also be player’ prerogative to decide as to when to quit.

TIME TO RETIRE?WHEN IS THE RIGHT

Harshit Bansal investigates when is the right time for a sportsperson to retire

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WHEN IS THE RIGHT Ideally, a player should retire when HE or she feels incapable of being able to per-form on the professional stage. They should not continue in the hope of achieving some unfulfilled ambitions if they are no longer able to contribute healthily. People should retire at a time when the question which lingers is, “Why now?” instead of, “Why not?”

Thierry Henry is one of the most renowned football players. Henry rose to fame by enjoying several stellar seasons with Arsenal and in the process scoring 228 goals. He then made a mega money move to Barcelona where he soon became an interna-tional icon. However, as he approached the age of 32, with his powers on the wane and younger players pushing through the ranks, Henry moved on to the United States where he joined the New York Red Bulls. By doing so, he was able to continue his career in albeit a less competitive league while at the same time protecting his image and his career. He retired at the end of 2014. Thierry Henry is a case in point of a perfect retirement.

Now as living legends such as Usain Bolt and Tiger Woods enter the latter stages of their playing days, the eternal question reemerges- What is the right time for them to retire?

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I have followed football for a long time now and have been supporting Arsenal since I first saw Thierry Henry play for France back in 2006. I have had the joy and sometimes despair of watch-ing matches with my friends and arguing over our favourite teams and players. I have often come across people saying “I used to support Chelsea but now I support Man U,” or “should I start supporting Real Madrid because they are winning these days? “During these occasions I usually advise them on which team to support. However, I always end up walking away wonder-ing what the true meaning of support is.

In recent times, it has become a social norm to support a football club. This without any knowl-edge of the team or any real attachment to it. Is this what the word support implies? I believe not.True support means standing by at all times, relishing the victories, and regretting the losses, but never drifting apart.

If England should take pride in something, it is the fact that they probably have the largest and the most passionate set of supporters in the world. Here, there is immense love for clubs which may be present in the third or fourth division of English football and whose matches may not even be televised. People are hugely protective of their teams and will persevere to be there in the stadium on every weekend to watch them play. There are arguments, fights, brawls and

TRUE SUPPORTCodanda Chengappa investigates the meaning of True Support

TRUE SUPPORT

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even gang fights before or after football matches. While I am not commending the brutal actions of these individuals, their enthusiasm for this game is truly remarkable. It gives the players a desire and thrill to play their sport to the best of their abilities.

True support is the support which individuals display for their countries at international events such as the Olympics. People travel halfway across the world to lend support to their nation’s representatives. Often this has large financial implications on these indi-viduals, but yet the thought of being there and encouraging their athletes is a far more inviting prospect.

But this phenomenon is not prevalent everywhere. In India itself where cricket is such a popular sport, it is unknown to the general population that the country has also won the Blind Cricket World Cup. Moreover when it comes to the men’s team which is followed religiously, the players are criticised severely and their effigies burnt, with every poor out-ing, the 2007 World Cup a case in point.

Supporters hold a unique position in the world of sports. They have the power to mo-tivate, inspire and elevate players. A playing field is a very lonely arena. The sound of a million individuals screaming and shouting words of encouragement makes the stadium a far more exciting venue and fills the player with energy, hunger and desire.

True support implies unconditional love. Whether there is victory or defeat, it involves undying commitment. It entails the yearning to be the 12th man on the field, the desire to motivate players, and a longing to succeed as a unit and to persist through thick and thin. This is the true meaning of support, and it applies to all aspects of life; whether big or small.

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1. What was the highlight of your reign as School Hockey Captain?

The highlight of my reign as School Hockey Captain was playing YPS, Patiala in Patiala in which Navjot Sidhu (Ex. Indian Cricketer and now commentator) was a part of the YPS team. We were told he had already graduated, but came specially to play us since they wanted to hammer us and hammer us they did, 5-1. As you may know, I was the Goalkeeper and the second of his two goals was a vicious chop from just inside the Dee which whizzed past me into the top left hand corner of the goal. I could just hear the ball whistling past and if I tried putting my hand to stop it, I probably would be missing my hand today.

2. How did your team perform that year?

I can’t quite remember, but I think we had a 50/50 win, loss percentage, which wasn’t that great.

3. How do you think that the game has evolved from your time to today?

I think in terms of equipment, you guys are now pretty much equipped like an international playing side, the protective clothing for goal keepers for sure. In my time it was just one bats-man like cricket glove on the left hand. However, in terms of skill and pace of the game, I don’t think there is much change.

4. Do you still keep interest in the sport? How long did you continue playing after school?

Frankly, I have stopped playing the DSOBS Inter House Hockey Tournaments about 20 years ago as the younger generations have completely taken over. Also, age is catching up and of course fitness levels are a question mark. I watch a bit of the IHL and some other international tournaments, but not that often.

5. How far have your team mates gone on in Hockey? Have any of them gone on to play national or at any other competitive level?

No body from our batch has taken up hockey seriously after leaving school, though there was a batch mate in Jaipur House, Rajesh Dokania, who was extremely skilful and quick as a centre forward and could have gone on to play state level.

6. How was the Inter- House Hockey Competition?

Inter House Hockey was always a very passionate and charged atmosphere. And the rivalry

“Play Hockey with all enthusiasm and gusto”The Grandslam interviews Dhruv puri 141-KA

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“Play Hockey with all enthusiasm and gusto”The Grandslam interviews Dhruv puri 141-KA

between Rajesh Dokania and I really kept interests levels high on the Jaipur vs Kashmir House XI match-es in our S and SC forms.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring hockey players in school and the school hockey team? My advice would be that hockey should be played with all enthusiasm and gusto, as it is a game which brings out over all body coordination and agility like no other. In most sports you tend to be looking up while playing, but in hockey most of the time you’re looking down to keep the ball close to the stick, so your eye and body coordination needs to be well in sync.

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Whether you’re relaxing in the common room, or playing the couch potato at home, flipping through the channels on your huge flat screen television, you may realize that something has changed. Whether you’re dining in a fancy restaurant, or sitting with your form-mates in the Central Dining Hall, you may realize that something about your conversations has changed. Regardless of which sport you remain loyal to, today you will know of the upcoming talents in football, hockey, and tennis. As you switch the channels on your television, you will see bits of Hockey, montages of football, excerpts of Kabaddi and clips of Tennis. As you’re eating butter chicken and trying to converse at the same time, you will hear the names of Sardar Singh, Sunil Chhetri, and Sania Mirza. Cricket is no longer the only sport that holds importance in India today. You may be thinking that I am just another individual trying to justify this development; However, I am not here to justify the increased television coverage that hockey or football is now receiving in India. I am not here to explain the shifting emphasis from cricket to other sports, or the positives and negatives of this shift. This article does not deal with the superficial implications of this change. I am solely here to discuss the future of sports management in India.

Sports management, very broadly, envelopes all of the business aspects of sport. This includes, but is not restricted to, sports marketing and sponsorship, sports media, pro-fessional sports management and even sports finance. Although the sports industry in India is nowhere near the size of the sports industry in the United States, this field is developing and is reaching new heights every day. The sports industry is no longer lim-ited to selling tickets or writing reports for the local paper and with the popularization of Hockey, Football, Tennis and other sports, opportunities in the field of sports man-agement are expanding. According to a report by GroupM ESP, the ground sponsorship for cricket, between the years 2013 -2014 fell by Rs 43.6 crores, while the same for foot-ball and tennis increased by significant amounts. As the popularity of the Pro Kabaddi league, Hockey India League and Indian Super League increases, an attraction to these fields is evolving,, arguably proportional to the fame factor that is associated with the sport. Consequently, individuals with a background in sports management are now motivated to work with these sports, and as the sports gains popularity and momen-tum, expansion will occur and opportunities will arise in areas such as advertising, legal department, managing sports stars, equipment, fashion and retailing, marketing and promotion.

Mission Sports Management

Daksh Bhatia examines the need to set up sports management institutions in india

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An athlete’s performance is now considered to be hand in hand with management. Ac-cordingly, the need for exemplar education programs in Sports management and intern-ship opportunities is monumental. It also must be kept in mind that not all individuals can afford the costs that accompany the great sports education programs in the USA. India’s first institute dedicated to Sports Management was founded in 2008. Despite a late start, undergraduate programs for sports management are spreading and will accelerate the development of sports management and the sports industry in India. Relying on univer-sity systems may not be the way forward in the short term as introducing new courses to universities takes time. Sports Education programs should be introduced as certificate programs and gradually developed into degree courses.

The shifting limelight to other sports and the intertwinement of education and the sports industry is imperative in ensuring that sports management in India thrives and develops in the future. Sports management requires innovation and creativity in every aspect and the lack of Sports management education programs may leave the field at a standstill. It is only through long term strategizing and intense deliberation that education and the sports industry can be connected, which may be the only way forward for sports man-agement in India.

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Editor-in-ChiefRohan Chaudhuri

Chief-of-ProductionShashwat Arya

EditorsVivan SharmaTushaar Sharma

Associate EditorsDaksh BhatiaHarshit BansalRishab Goel

Head of DesignUdai Nath Behl

CorrespondentsAbhyudaye Gupta

Ishan Roy

Special Thanks to:Atrey Bhargav

Dhruv PuriZohravar Bhati

Master-in-ChargeMr. Philip Burrett

EDITORIAL BOARD

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