For decades, broadcasters have been viewed primarily as amplifiers of elite sport, bringing live games into living rooms, aggregating audiences, and monetising reach. But the more farsighted broadcasters, particularly in a market like India, have long recognised a deeper responsibility: sport can survive as entertainment only if it thrives as culture. And culture, by definition, must be built from the grassroots upward.
Nearly a decade ago, during a consumer research exercise commissioned by Star Sports, a revealing insight emerged. Parents were asked what would motivate them to actively encourage their children to play sport and even consider a career in it. When the motivation was framed aspirationally…’your child could one day become Virat Kohli or Harmanpreet Kaur’…the response was cautious, even sceptical. Parents instinctively understood the odds. With fewer than 0.1 per cent of the population reaching elite sporting recognition, sport as a career pathway felt like a high-risk bet.
However, when the framing shifted…’sports build discipline, resilience, teamwork, leadership, and life skills that help children succeed in whatever they choose to pursue’ – the response changed dramatically. That argument resonated. Sport was no longer a gamble; it became an education.
As one senior broadcaster official involved in the study put it at the time: “Parents don’t reject sport; they reject uncertainty. The moment sport was positioned as a life-skills platform rather than a stardom lottery, acceptance was immediate. That insight reshaped how we thought about our role beyond broadcasting.”
This distinction is critical to understanding India’s current sports challenge – particularly the glaring gap between physical education in schools and organised sport at the university level. While PE exists in most schools, albeit inconsistently and often under-resourced, sport virtually disappears once students enter higher education unless they are already elite performers. This missing bridge is where India is losing its sporting future.
The issue is not talent scarcity. India has millions of young people who play sport recreationally. What it lacks is a credible, visible, and socially validated pathway that allows sport to coexist with education beyond school. When parents see sport as an either-or choice – academics or athletics – the safer option almost always wins. The Star Sports research made it clear why: parents need predictability of outcomes, not faith in rare exceptions.
A structured university-level sports programme fundamentally changes this equation. It reframes sport as a continuum of education rather than a detour from it. Universities can, and must become ecosystems where competitive sport coexists with sports science, coaching, management, analytics, physiotherapy, nutrition, media, and governance. Only a small fraction of students need to become professional athletes; many more can build meaningful careers within the sports economy.
This is where broadcasters have a purpose that extends far beyond the live feed. By consistently telling stories of athletes who transition into coaching, administrators who emerge from university systems, sports managers who blend business with performance, and creators who shape fandom, media platforms help normalise sport as a serious profession. Not every success story needs a podium finish; some are built in boardrooms, classrooms, and control rooms. The broadcaster research revealed a simple but powerful truth: Indians believe in sport when it is positioned as education, not exception. The task now is to build university sports programmes that honour this belief – offering structured competition, academic integration, career optionality, and dignity of choice.
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