The Hindu Business Line : It’s a wrestle for sports other than cricket

New Delhi/Chennai, Aug. 21 They are the men who came in from the cold. With Sushil Kumar bagging an unexpected bronze in the 66-kg freestyle wrestling category and boxer Vijender Kumar assured of a bronze in the middleweight class, if not more if he wins his next bout, the Olympics has changed the focus of sports in this cricket-obsessed country just a wee bit.

The Union Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, distributed laddoos to celebrate Sushil Kumar’s silver; he, after all, is a railway employee. Promoted to assistant commercial manager from a ticketing inspector and a cash award of Rs 55 lakh from the railways, Kumar can look forward to a bounty when he’s back. Boxer Kumar, already assured of a medal, will hopefully win a silver or gold and can also look forward to cash prize announcements.

While government plaudits will be quick to come, will corporates look to sign on successful sports people outside the sphere of cricket? Sports endorsement depends hugely on the television broadcast of the sports, says Mr Nandan Kamath, Director of GoSports. “Unless these sports are repackaged so that they are seen regularly, it will be difficult to convince sponsors to put in money,” he says.

Image sustainability

There will be opportunities for the young athletes, and he’s betting they are being flooded with calls from marketers, agents and others but it still boils down to the sustainability of their image. Except for a Sania Mirza, no other non-cricketer has given significant returns as a brand endorser. “With Bindra you had a name, and then a face. In the case of Sushil Kumar and Vijender Kumar we barely know them,” points out Mr Mahesh Ranka, General Manager of sports management firm, Relay Worldwide.

However, Mr Kuruvilla Abraham, of the Chennai-based sports marketing and celebrity management firm TNQ Sponsorship India Pvt Ltd, is convinced that the Olympic winners would be certainly marketable. “An Olympic medal right now is a rarity; maybe as we go on winning them it may lose commercial value.” It’s a matter of managing and marketing the talent well, he says.

But, media hype will be key for any endorsement prospects. Packaging of the sports does help; the next Olympic telecast which ESPN has won rights for might also package the games better, says Mr Ranka. Sustaining PR is also important for those managing these athletes; swimmer Virdhawal Khade, who is only 17 and finished first in his heat, should be in the news when back. The sport itself has to grow to sustain the heroes, and that, Mr Ranka believes, is likely to happen in about four years. “If not from the support of the government, from private foundations such as the kind of work the Tatas are doing for archery and football and the Army and from the exposure to other sports available to youngsters today,” he says.

Mr Ranka is guessing Bindra could be signed by a company that bets big on brand India, a Tata or a Birla brand that generally sings the India growth story will connect well for example.

Boxer Vijender Kumar, an inspector in the Haryana Police, now promoted to deputy superintendent, could make a convincing salesman for certain brands. But no one is betting on the sport. According to those in the business, most clients believe if it’s not cricket it’s not worth their money.

‘It’s all about returns’

“We have not really explored the other sports. I would love to say sports like wrestling and boxing have prospects, but it’s hard enough finding sponsorship for motor sports, football and tennis at the ground level,” says Ms Aashika Abraham, Sports Manager, Havas Sports India, the agency that helps companies work with sports.

Agrees brand consultant Harish Bijoor. “From an emotional standpoint it sounds good, but marketers look at return on investments and the largest number of eyeballs is for cricket.”

The Olympics is every four years whereas the opportunity to see cricket is every month. Somebody such as Bindra could bag endorsement deals for premium brands since he’s in an elitist sport, says Mr Bijoor, whereas other medal winners could reign for a while till Olympic memories are fresh and then it will be back to cricket.

Sushil Kumar hails from the same neighbourhood as that of Virender Sehwag, the crowned Nawab of Najafgarh. But his fame is hardly likely to cast a shadow on even the newest of IPL’s cricketers. The 25-year-old’s father, Diwan Singh, is a driver with MTNL; his inspiration has been a cousin who was forced to give up on his wrestling career for the lack of funds.

His list of cash prizes starting with the Delhi Government’s Rs 50 lakh, probably totals to less than the Rs 1.5 crore promised to Bindra from Mr Laxmi Mittal, Chairman of Arcelor-Mittal. Bindra’s dad is also gifting him a Rs 200-crore hotel. “The future sports heroes will come from the two extreme ends of society. The middle class will go to education,” predicts Mr Nandan Kamath.

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