Why India & Its Youth Needs to Take Sports Seriously

India is a global behemoth when it comes to cricket – there is no question about that – and Vishwanathan Anand has given the nation many a proud moment throughout his chess career and his long stints as the world number 1. Saina Nehwal has had some good performances in badminton and is touted as a prodigy in the sport. However, what about other sports? Or how about other sportspeople in these same sports? How are they doing? Why do we only have a couple of top players while there is no upward movement in the rankings for others? Why do we languish in the Olympics? Why are we incapable of producing footballers able to play at the highest level and not only give a hard fight, but win against the world’s best?

Ask anyone what they are expected to do after high school, and they will answer with either doctor, engineer, CA or MBA. Rare are the people who take the path less taken.

This is because India does not take sports seriously.

And we should. We really should.

Not only would it be the right way to garner national pride, it would also give an impetus to people to take part in sports, which would in turn help the economy by creating more opportunities in that arena as a whole.

If India has a number of sport stars in a variety of fields, it will serve as an inspiration to the next generation and lead to a boom in that field as well. Take the case of the 1983 Cricket World Cup as a case in point. That was the turning point for the sport in India, and since then, we have become a global superpower in the gentleman’s game.

There are many other reasons beyond economics and pride for India and its youth to take sport seriously. For one, it gives people another avenue to succeed in life, beyond academics. One where they can fully follow their passions without worrying about fall-back options or the fear of failure. It will lead to a surge in amateur leagues and practitioners as well, which will lead to better health and fitness among the masses who are often found hooked to their phones and computers, to the detriment of everything else. It will lead to greater performances by our sportspeople in competitions such as the Olympics, and be a feather in their caps.

For a country with a population of over 1 billion, it is a matter of disgrace that we are not performing at the level we should be. After the recent Olympics, the winners stated that most of the brunt of the expenses of training had been taken by them and their family, with very little help from the government and the sports ministry. This trend cannot continue, after all, not everyone is affluent enough to afford adequate training and equipment, which is one of the major reasons people interested in sports, who have the talent to back it up, end up giving up their dreams and are forgotten, their potential remaining untapped.

For those who are lost, for those who are fighting, and for those to come, India should start taking sports seriously.