WHY THE SPORTS CULTURE IN INDIA IS BEING INFLUENCED BY SCHOOLS ?

When it comes to sports in India, it is unfortunate that it remains a very niche topic to discuss with  majority of Indians. Coming from a well-educated family, it was easy for me to express my desire to pursue sports as a career because I am fortunate to have a family that is well-versed in the sports industry.

However, this is not the case for the majority of Indians. Most athletes are either scared or brainwashed by their family, friends, or relatives into thinking about taking up sports professionally. This is when a thought occurs to me: Has the sports culture in India evolved?

If we look at the time-line, the culture has definitely evolved from 10 years ago in terms of facilities, coaching, and awareness. If you look at other countries, we're a long way from where we should be. The rate at which India's sports culture, in particular, is evolving is comparable to that of a turtle. We are making progress, but it is extremely slow.

When we talk about the ground level, one of the major causes of such slow progress in terms of sports culture is schools. Luv Kapoor, a young footballer who began playing at the age of nine, concurs. "There isn't enough emphasis at the school level in India to encourage and inspire young people to pursue careers in sports professionally."

The preceding statement demonstrates India's lack of school sports. Sports should be given the same weightage in terms of marks as academics. Similarly, if a student fails math or science, they must repeat a year, and if they fail physical education, they must also repeat a year. Sports must be given the same importance as academics, as well as the same respect as a career such as becoming a doctor or engineer, and this all begins in school. This has to be one of the major reasons for the sports culture's slow progress.

When it comes to high school sports, With such a large sports environment in schools and thus such a good sports culture in the United States, nearly 8 million students compete in high school sports there competitively.

There will not be change overnight, but there will be progress over time. Here are a few things schools can do to support and help India's sports culture.

• Make one sport mandatory for all students.

• Grade sports in the same way that you would grade academics.

• Encourage athletes among students and provide them with submission and training flexibility.

• Physical education teachers should raise awareness about the benefits of pursuing a career in sports.

These are just a few of the initiatives that schools can implement to promote sports culture in India.

CONCLUSION

To summarize all of the points, I believe that schools are a major factor that influences not only students but also parents and is contributing to the country's lack of sports culture. "Character cannot be built in  classroom, but it can be built on field," says one powerful quote about the importance of sports.