Indian National Coach Badminton Pulllela Gopichand set on a debate with his remark that middle -class families should re -evaluate sports seriously. His statement caused mixed reactions – while some disagreed, others, including investor Dilip Kumar, supported his view.
In the X (formerly Twitter) post (formerly Twitter), Kumar emphasized the hard reality of professional sports. “Gopi is right.” The reality is brutal – less than 1% of ambitious athletes makes it a big, and even those who do it will remain with little security as soon as their career is over, ”he wrote. When comparing sports, the startups added: “Sports, as well as startups, have an energy law – 10% of players earn 90% of the money. Everyone else is statistics. ”
Kumar pointed out that the stories about the success of Underdog create a misleading story. “We like to read and watch the story of losers – a child out of nowhere to reach the top.” But this is the bias of survival. There are tens of thousands for each success, which were trained as hard, but did not get anything. The real question is: Why must sports be gambling? “He said.
He noted that outside the top 1%, most athletes are fighting. “You do not have sponsorship, you do not have financial security, and once your career ends – usually at the age of 20 or at the beginning of the age of 30 – you have tried to do what will happen next,” he added.
Kumar contrasted the Indian sports system with developed nations, where structured leagues, university scholarships and career opportunities provide stability. “If you are not becoming an Olympic champion, you can still earn a living as a coach, analyst, coach or player of a smaller league.” The system is not worse when you are not in top 1%, ”he said.
He compared it with other professional paths and claimed that a engineer who fails to start can still find a job, but an unsuccessful athlete often does not have a backup. “Therefore, in most countries without strong sports ecosystems, success in sport with wealth correlates. You can't afford to be an athlete if you can't afford to lose, ”he said.
Kumar said the problem lies in the system, not in athletes. “Right now, the poor child is to do sports until we change it, Gopi's words will remain true. And this is a failure – not athletes, but from the system.”
He stressed that a strong sports structure benefits society beyond mere production of champions. “The great sports system does not only create champions – it creates a nation of durable, disciplined and competing people. And that's the basis of real development, ”he wrote.
Kumar, who drew a comparison with the cricket, emphasized his established ecosystem. “He has an ecosystem with a full stack-academy, home league, sponsorship and career after retirement. The child does not have to be rich to start. They do not have to win the World Cup to earn a living. There is a pipe – district cricket, ranji, IPL, comment, coaching, confirmation. Even medium -level player can earn well, ”he said.
On the other hand, he pointed out the lack of similar structures in other sports. “Now look at every other sport.” Where is the structure? Where is the backup? If you do not get to the Olympics, you will disappear. Cricket accidentally did not become industry. Was built. The same must happen for all other sports, ”he wrote.
Kumar closed a challenge to system reform: “Not everyone must be a gold medalist – just like not every cricket plays for India. But they should still have a viable career. ”
