India has a population of 1.3 billion people and yet got only 2 medals in the 2016 Olympics and not even a single gold. India definitely has the potential to become one of the most medal earning countries in the world.
It is easy to say this, but a lot of work must be done to get to that level. One of the main aspects of making this happen would be to promote sports in schools and colleges. Keeping the same in mind, the Sports Industry of India Inc. is working to revolutionize University sports within the country.
The company has been organising some of the biggest sporting tournaments for universities in India for the past 5 years.
The main feature of these tournaments is that they are live streamed in TV so that people from across the country can watch them. In 2014, the basketball tournament by the name of the AIU Men's Interzonal Basketball Tournament was organised where commentators were flown in from the famous NBA league. The tournament was streamed on Ten Sports 8.
Since then, the company has successfully hosted a variety of competitions for different games. The AIU Men’s Interzonal Cricket Tournament in 2016 was filmed by NDTV itself. The Annual Men’s University Basketball Tournament has been held for the past 3 years in a row and it is telecast on Sony’s Ten Sports TV Network prime-time as well as TV Asia Network in America.
This concept of showcasing University games in television is one that this company can only boast of in India. Streaming college sports is really beneficial for the entire sporting scene as it not only brings in sponsors for the company but also for talented athletes to take their game forward. It also gives recognition to deserving athletes and the participating universities.
The company is now working to completely change the way university sports are played within the country. It is looking to implement the model of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) in the USA, which is an association of 1281 (one thousand two hundred eighty one) institutions, conferences and organizations. The NCAA tournaments bring in almost ₹36 Lakh Crore per annum in the USA.
The company has promised that 50% of its earnings will be distributed to the participating colleges. This will bring a huge change to the way university sports are played. Indian universities will now give a huge emphasis on the sporting capabilities of its students. Scholarships and admissions for just sports (which is very common in the USA) into the most reputed colleges and universities within the country will begin. This will divert the critics of the Indian education system who constantly blame the system for being "theoretical" and "doesn't promote anything but book-ish knowledge".
In light of the same, the company has now started signing with colleges and universities. It has so far signed with over 50 universities and this number will only be going up. It is striving to professionalize the following sports-
1. Aquatics
2. Athletics
3. Boxing
4. Soccer
5. Kabaddi
6. Field Hockey
7. Tackle Football
8. Basketball
9. Volleyball
10. E-Sports
11. Chess
12. Table Tennis
13. Badminton
14. Cricket
A revolution regarding how sports are played in the country is very important and the Sports Industry of India Inc. are all set to make it happen.
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