The public statement issued by Sahara read, “In the interest of the national hockey players, Sahara India Pariwar has decided to pay immediately, Rs.10 million in suspense account to Hockey India, only for distribution to the players so that they can return to practice and play for the country.” This action only saw more skeltons tumble out of the closet. A week later, the Indian Women’s Hockey team also raised its voice demanding payment of similar dues. This time however, it was Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, who stood up for the rights of the Women’s Hockey team and donated a sum of Rs.10 million.
Whether it be the case with Hockey India or the controversy surrounding the National Rifle Association of India (which had initially left out India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra from the core group for the Commonwealth Games 2010), it is obvious that even the organisers of sporting events, the companies and the marketing agencies, are least interested in sponsoring sporting events other than cricket. Supporting these views are the sports marketing people, who believe that the marketers are simply obsessed with cricket, and cricket only, and thus refuse to look out for other options. The reason for the step-motherly treatment to other communities in the sports society is simply that marketing companies, generally, find few takers for events like chess, volleyball, basket-ball, and even games like football, tennis and table tennis, generate low interests. And for games like kabaddi and kho-kho, there are only a few local brands found flashing their banners in the dusty skies. Justifying the lack of interest on the part of India Inc., Nandan Piramal, of the Piramal Group and founder of Pune Football Club, says that the returns on investments associated with sponsoring sports prevents the corporates from throwing away money without purpose. There are more people like him in the industry, who want to do much more, but are looking out for economic viability. Doubling up on the alibis, a source close to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on conditions of anonymity that, “In the absence of any proper encouraging factors like tax incentives or any other kind of subsidy, the corporates find it useless to invest in sports.”
Whether it be the case with Hockey India or the controversy surrounding the National Rifle Association of India (which had initially left out India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra from the core group for the Commonwealth Games 2010), it is obvious that even the organisers of sporting events, the companies and the marketing agencies, are least interested in sponsoring sporting events other than cricket. Supporting these views are the sports marketing people, who believe that the marketers are simply obsessed with cricket, and cricket only, and thus refuse to look out for other options. The reason for the step-motherly treatment to other communities in the sports society is simply that marketing companies, generally, find few takers for events like chess, volleyball, basket-ball, and even games like football, tennis and table tennis, generate low interests. And for games like kabaddi and kho-kho, there are only a few local brands found flashing their banners in the dusty skies. Justifying the lack of interest on the part of India Inc., Nandan Piramal, of the Piramal Group and founder of Pune Football Club, says that the returns on investments associated with sponsoring sports prevents the corporates from throwing away money without purpose. There are more people like him in the industry, who want to do much more, but are looking out for economic viability. Doubling up on the alibis, a source close to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on conditions of anonymity that, “In the absence of any proper encouraging factors like tax incentives or any other kind of subsidy, the corporates find it useless to invest in sports.”
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