Career watch: Become India’s Jerry Maguire

You may not be as good a player as MS Dhoni or Christiano Ronaldo, but now you can still be a part of major sporting events. India has always been a sporty nation, but more recently, popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the upcoming Commonwealth Games have opened up many career opportunities in sports. These careers, which don’t require you to be  a trained sportsperson, are not only opening avenues in India, but also across the globe.   

“Though it always existed, sports management is starting to pick up pace in India since it has become professional now. With events like the IPL, sports management has suddenly become the flavour of the season. It is best to choose a sports management course at the Masters level,” said Prof RSS Mani, a HRM education counsellor.

For most sports management courses available in India, graduation is a must and after completing the course, students can seek jobs in sports academies, clubs and fitness centres. There are also opportunities to become sports event managers, sports administrators in clubs, and agents managing a sportsman’s career.

The recognised schools offering courses in sports management in India are the Alagappa University in Tamil Nadu and the Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Science in New Delhi. Both offer a post graduate diploma in sports management.
“Many kids go to Essex or Yorkshire for a degree. So, Mumbai University was going to start Bachelors in Sports Science some years back, but even though the curriculum is ready, it has not begun yet,” said VV Jadhav, sports co-ordinator, Mumbai University.

Ashish Kumar, 19, a student, who aspires to be the Jerry Maguire of India, said: “After my graduation, I am planning to do sports management and turn into a Jerry Maguire.”

Also, for those who do not want to be on the management or administrative side of things, but want a career in sports, there are plenty of other options available.

Sports medicine
In today’s highly competitive sports atmosphere, where players at the highest level play throughout the year, they need to be injury free and fit. Here’s where the team doctor, a physiotherapist, a fitness instructor, of an orthopedist come in to the picture. All these are branches of sports medicine, which can be career options for many aspirants.

“With evolution of cricket leagues, the cricket season has turned hectic. Players are expected to play more matches and fitness is critical. So, there is an increasing demand for sports medicine practitioners in India,” said Mani.

In India, there are undergraduate and post-graduate diploma courses in sports medicine offered by Pune University, Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences in Mangalore and National Institute of Sports in Patiala.

Sports broadcasting
The likes of Harsha Bhogle and Navjot Singh Sidhu have brought sports broadcasting into the limelight. “With the popularity of sports and entry of private channels, sports’ broadcasting is a thriving career option. To be a sports broadcaster, you need to have in depth knowledge of sports, command over the language and excellent writing skills. These skills have more value than a degree acquired from a journalism college,” said Mani.

Many journalism institutes like the Xavier’s Institute of Communication, Harkisan Mehta Foundation Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication offer advanced courses in sports journalism, sports commentary and broadcasting.