In our series “Sports as a career“ we discussed majorly regarding the career opportunities and the threats that the Indian sports industry faces. India as a diverse nation faces the utmost problem of unemployment, where sports as a career option lit a ray of hope and uplifted the spirit of making one’s passion as a career option. Sports globally is one of the largest industries in terms of employment and revenue generation. The Indian Sports Industry currently contributes to 0.01-0.05% of its GDP. Some interesting stats show that we are not too far behind the European sports market in terms of investments and money flow. The Indian sports market grew leaps and bounds as it crossed the US $1 Billion marks back in 2017 in sponsorships, as reported by the Hindu Business Line.
Through an upsurge in investments and foreign interests, sports as a domain is one of the most happening careers in India. The Indian Premier League as a property currently generates employment for 15000 people. The Sports Goods market is set to reach Rs 30400 Crores by the end of 2018. It is also expected that the Indian Sports Industry is set to reach $10 Billion marks within the next 5-7 years, as reported by Mr Sanjay Gupta, MD Star India at the CII Scorecard Forum, 2018. Some conventional careers in Sports Management include the likes of Sports Marketing which rose by 14% from last year, Sports Events, Sports Journalism, Sports Sponsorship, Sports Technology, Sports Merchandising, Sports Medicine and Sports Entrepreneurship to name some of them. Not only are we doing well in cricket, but it is intriguing to understand how the Indian sports market has developed in non-cricketing sports like football as an example, whose participation and viewership grew by an amusing margin of 64% since India hosted the U17 World Cup. India currently hosts 15 domestic leagues out of which some of the budding leagues like Pro Badminton League, Hockey India League, Ultimate Table Tennis and the very new Pro Volleyball League, which is scheduled to start from the next month, appear to be a blank canvas for the MNC’s to ply their CSR activities.
The business of sport is a multi-billion-dollar industry which has never ending consumer demand and an important market to cater is increasing globally- Fan Engagement. Fan Engagement is nothing but enhancing the viewer experience through Social Media, OTT platforms, TV, Radios etc. Thus, it opens a tremendous opportunity for content creators and designers as the new era is driven by creative content and data whereas when sports are talked about, it is the most sellable product a marketer can adhere to. Thus, it opens a wide range of opportunities for content writers, graphic designers and animators in the field of sports. Some interesting insights from the industry reveal that in 2016 the viewership of IPL rose to 110 million from 40 million in 2017 as Star bought the digital rights of IPL. Cricbuzz, an online platform owned by the Times Group recorded a 40% jump in viewership where the website had 30 Billion page views and 24 Billion minutes spent by the readers.
Looking forward, with the introduction of new technology, we have seen the rise of OTT platforms like Hotstar in recent years which fetched huge profits for the parent companies through Sports. Also, we have seen the likes of Artificial Intelligence introduced in sports which is used to analyze player performance, team patterns, strengths, weakness and various marketing activities. Not to forget, this field opens a lot of opportunities for tech buffs to innovate their ideas as it has many unique opportunities in the field of Sports Analytics. An AI software named DeepStack defeated 10 out of 11 world’s best poker players by using AI’s new human-like ability-intuition.
Just like a car needs petrol to run, sports needs management to operate. So, instead of running the rat race and thinking conventionally, people have started understanding that the market is evolving in sports and has opened up a plethora of opportunities to look forward to. Albeit in this scenario, many aspirants who wish to have a career in sports get confused where to start from. Hence, in this blog, to clear the doubts of the dreamers who believe to follow their passion, we are covering the top institutes in India providing a degree in Sports Management which shall assist in kickstarting their career in this ever-growing industry:
1) International Institute of Sports Management, Mumbai
File Photo: Foundation Week IISM
The International Institute of Sports Management was started by Mr Nilesh Kulkarni, former Indian Cricketer, back in 2010, with the plan of creating industry-ready professionals for the demanding sports industry. The college received the honours of “Excellence In Innovation In Management Studies!” by India Today. Being one of the oldest sports management institutes in the country, the curriculum is divided uniquely keeping in mind the industry demands. The college is associated with the Mumbai University and offers three unique courses in Bachelor of Sports Management (3 years), Masters of Sports Management (2 years), and Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management (1 year). The institute is in Church gate, Mumbai.
Website Link: IISM
2) MBA ESG, Bengaluru
MBA ESG is known to be one of the premier institutes in Europe which have opened its branch in Bengaluru, India. The students travel to Paris, France after the 2-year course completion for an exposure trip where they have the opportunity to get placed. The institute is in Sheshadri Road, Bangalore.
Website Link: MBA ESG
3) Global Institute of Sports Business, Mumbai
The Global Institute of Sports Business was set up by an industry stalwart, Gaurav Modwel, CEO Pune City, which focuses on the business of sport. Starting from this year, GISB received a good response from all over the country as they have commendable connections with the biggest names of the industry. The course spans for a year in which the students get an opportunity to visit England on an exposure trip. The college is located in Kurla, Mumbai.
Website Link: GISB India
4) Symbiosis School of Sports Science, Pune
The Symbiosis School of Sports Science offers an MBA in Sports Management spanning for 2 years. Being a reputed institute in India, the degree is well valued and the course offers various interesting opportunities to the young aspirants. The college falls under the Symbiosis University and has their unique course structure designed for the sports enthusiasts.
Website Link: Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences
5) National Sports University, Manipur
The year 2018 marked a huge step taken by the government in the field of Sports. Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the National Sports University which is the first University in India completely dedicated to sports. Its eligibility criteria are heavily dependent on individual sports achievements and they have unique courses related to sports science, sports management and coaching. The campus covers a huge area of 168 acres and has the best facilities for its students.
Website Link: National Sports University
Cricket has proved the love for sports in India. Cricket Tix and a lot of other cricket websites are successfully doing the fan engagements for cricket. As per the reports before pandemic, It is expected that the sports industry will grow with a rate 35-40% in the coming years, so, when proper management meets sports and passion meets perseverance, it is well comprehended that the future is bright for Indians in Sports.
