How is Sports Management a Crucial Part of Today’s Sports Industry?

“Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd. India lifts the World Cup after 28 Years…….” Ravi Shastri’s baritone, and now iconic words, still reverberate in our ears as we recollect some of the finest moments of Sporting glory in India.

Some say that it was Dhoni’s captaincy that worked – some say it was teamwork at its finest – yet others say it was a combination of experience, available resources, great coaching, blend of youth and talent that converged together on that memorable occasion that brought accolades to India.

I believe that the real winner was SPORT itself. Many such events globally are choreographed to perfection blending in the clockwork of countless agencies, managing Sports persons, sponsors, events, the celebrities, the media and news agencies covering the event – the venues and schedules – and many other aspects that sometimes go unnoticed. I believe that Management of Sports can assist in setting up the foundation for evolving future generations of Sporting Accolades in India.

Managing Sports – Future of India’s Glory

India is fast evolving as a sporting nation beyond the ones that it is known for over the years. Our forays into track and field, archery, tennis, golf and many other lesser-known sports is quite commendable. And fast-growing alongside this – is Sports Management!

I believe that the next decade or so – is going to be path-breaking in every aspect. Right from the need to improve Sports Infrastructure to creating a sustainable model of athlete management – the evolution for India in the days to come is to shift from its current early-stage process to evolve into an agile and dynamic model which can be adopted easily in any sport – more like a ‘Plug-and-play model’ for any sport. The students from IISM published an insightful report on the Sports Infrastructure in India. Download the report from here and be ready to be completely blown out of your mind.

A Report on Sports Infrastructure in India

1. Talent Scout
2. Training Infrastructure Management
3. Event & Hospitality Management
4. Coach/ Support Staff / Sponsor Management
5. Diet and Nutrition/ Fitness Management

Let me take you through each area, a bit more in detail.

1. Talent Scout: India is a big country; rather a very big country. In an Ideal world – We should be able to have a lot of talent and talent potential available to us to choose from. Right? Mathematically Yes – in reality – No. This is where the bulk of the effort needs to be done! How do we reach out to the interiors of India and spot talent for the future? Maybe schools need to be incentivised to provide avenues for students to explore their potential – dabble in multiple disciplines of the sport. A nationwide talent search – every 2 years or so – would further encourage to identify the right talent early on. This would entail multiple agencies to work in tandem to support talent scout teams.
2. Training Infrastructure Management: Infrastructure needs to move closer to the talent – or provide talent with viable access to state-of-the-art facilities to build the talent portfolio. This would require teams that study international facilities and localise these to sustain and support Local Nuances while continuing to provide holistic development avenues for athletes.
3. Event & Hospitality Management: Building the competitive edge requires creating avenues and events around the sport –and create greater awareness among spectators of the sport. This would also open up avenues for sports hospitality management. This in turn would lead to promoting of not-so-traditional sports across the country. Some sports might also garner League-formats of events, and this would be highly encouraged for such sports.
4. Coach/ Support Staff/ Sponsor Management: Some sports such as Badminton, Cricket, Hockey, chess, etc have been well entrenched in India. It is the lesser-known sports that would need greater attention as the potential and performance Gap among athletes would help prepare a pipeline for the years ahead. This further gives scope for the Government to encourage sponsorship from Corporate India to step in and support athletes all-around development.
5. Diet and Nutrition/ Fitness Management: Traditionally – The traditional Indian Diet, availability of the right nutrition supplements, and access to advanced Physiotherapy for quick recovery and fitness improvement must necessarily blend in with Sports Management across all levels – i.e. From beginner to professional levels. This in turn will ensure talent is encouraged to build on their potential.

Check Out:-

Ideas that can change the lives of Sports Management Students

Sports Management – like any other requires intricate planning from the top, structured organization across all agencies, support staff and coach management, localised controls on budgets and sponsorships, and most importantly – creating wider awareness and support at rural levels to ensure collective development and success. This is a journey – a journey that may be a decade long – but needs to start early, with the intent to ensure that India Becomes a Sporting Nation across disciplines rather than just a few.

A Blog by Ms. Avanti Desai
Incharge- Academic Outreach at IISM