Author: Ashok Namboodiri

Indian football’s central challenge is not lack of interest, talent, or aspiration. It is the absence of a coherent, long-term policy that converts episodic attention into sustained engagement. Consumer data shows that Indian audiences respond predictably to sport when four conditions are met: home identity, meaningful stakes, recognisable heroes, and ease of access. Football in India currently satisfies these conditions only intermittently — most visibly during global events like the FIFA World Cup — leading to sharp spikes followed by long troughs in engagement .This policy paper proposes a football-first framework that aligns governance, competition design, media strategy and grassroots…

On the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s 162nd birth anniversary, it is tempting to remember him only as a monk, a philosopher, a global ambassador of Vedanta. But to do so is to miss one of the most radical, practical and modern aspects of his thinking: his belief that the regeneration of India had to begin with the body. Long before educationists spoke of physical literacy, long before neuroscience connected movement to cognition, Vivekananda understood a fundamental truth – a nation of weak bodies cannot produce strong minds, and weak minds cannot sustain moral courage. This was not rhetoric. It was…

“Elladaru iru, enthadaru iru, endendigoo nee Kannadavaagiru.” (Be wherever you are, be whatever you become, but always remain a Kannadiga.) Kuvempu’s words are not a slogan. They are a philosophy. They don’t ask for proclamation; they ask for anchoring. And if there is one modern public figure who has lived this line without ever reciting it aloud, it is Rahul Dravid. Dravid never performed Kannadiga pride. He embodied it. In a cricket culture that increasingly rewards theatre, Dravid represented something older, deeper and distinctly Kannada: dignity without display. Some reflections on the occasion of his birthday. Fans call him “The…

For all the talk around television ratings, digital reach and monetisation models, the Indian Premier League’s greatest achievement may lie elsewhere. Over nearly two decades, the IPL has quietly decoded the Indian sports fan – not as a passive viewer, but as an emotionally invested participant whose loyalty, habits and motivations follow a far more nuanced logic than wins and losses alone. The first myth the IPL shattered is that Indian fans are fickle. Data shows that fans demonstrate deep loyalty to their home teams, often watching three times more when their city franchise is involved compared to neutral matches.…

In India, conversations around children and sport often begin too late and aim too narrowly. We tend to ask whether a child can become the next Virat Kohli or Neeraj Chopra, rather than whether the child can run well, jump confidently, throw accurately, or simply enjoy moving their body. This is where the concept of physical literacy becomes not just relevant, but urgent. Physical literacy refers to the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding that enable individuals to value and take responsibility for engaging in physical activities throughout their lives. At its core, it is about learning to move…

Every IPL season throws up the same debate. Brands complain about escalating costs, CFOs question returns, and marketing teams are asked the inevitable question: What exactly are we getting for this money? Let’s break this down and simplify the understanding. Brands are not advertising on the IPL because it is cheap or efficient; they are doing it because opting out has become riskier than opting in. That framing is uncomfortable, but accurate. To understand why, let’s take a practical example: a brand spending ₹10 crore on advertising. What does the IPL uniquely deliver, and how does that compare to spending…

The recent intervention by the Union Government culminating in the announcement that the Indian Super League and the I-League will begin on February 14 is more than a scheduling update. It is a moment of economic and institutional reset for a sport that had drifted into uncertainty. The significance of the announcement lies not just in the start date, but in what it represents. With the top tier of Indian football delayed by legal disputes and commercial ambiguity, the absence of a clear pathway had created anxiety across the ecosystem – clubs, players, staff and fans alike. The Sports…

The INR 26,000-crore loss statement put out recently by Jio Star is not an aberration. It is the inevitable outcome of a sports-media model that has drifted far away from its operating fundamentals. For years, Indian cricket rights have been priced on optimism, leverage and strategic intent rather than on sober profit-and-loss arithmetic. The bill has now arrived. Start with the global crown jewel. The ICC media rights are valued at roughly USD 3.1 billion for four years. The revenues from these properties hover between USD 800 to 850 million. With rights fees payable equally every year, the arithmetic is…

It is less than 100 days since the finals of the Asia Cup 2025 and we are already witnessing drama unfolding in the sub continent where realpolitik is giving way to what we would well call Geocricket – a cauldron where cricket, politics and tension boils over. In the latest news, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) that their matches be relocated out of India due to “safety and security” concerns. BCCI has reportedly responded citing logistical challenges that make it an almost impossible task. Even as this drama unfolds, it is clear…

I met up with a sports league owner last evening and we spoke of all things sport. He said that the two sports that have the oldest history — chess and kabaddi — will always remain popular with or without innovation. And that prompted me to ask, if innovation in sport is a must-have for growing engagement? Is that why hockey, India’s national sport, saw a dramatic decline over decades? Innovation in sport is often misunderstood as tinkering with rules or shortening formats. In reality, the most successful innovations reshape how a sport is consumed, monetised, and culturally embedded, not…