Sports, in general, are popular for plenty of reasons and these reasons vary from person to person. Participating in sports is good for one’s health and they are also great for recreation and fun. If they are played in teams, they can also bring out mutual feelings of respect and comradery. But even if not played at all, sports have a huge following around the world because of the massive viewership of people. It is inspiring, fun, and motivational just to be a spectator.
The world’s most popular sport, according to WorldAtlas, an online geography resource, the most popular sport in the world is football (known in the United States and Canada as soccer). One can assume it is because of its massive presence in modern media, but it is also because of the simplicity of the game itself – football can be played by anyone anywhere as long as the people involved have a ball (or something resembling one) and a goal (or two). It is a game meant to be played by children at a school playground as well as a game that was meant to be played in front of thousands of people in a stadium.
It is popular in the entire world, both among amateurs as well as professionals. So, the question is: why are football leagues not popular in India?
A quick history of football in India
India could have developed a greater love for football and there is proof of that. After all, they did qualify for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, however, the Indian football association (AIFF) decided against participating due to travel costs and valuing the Olympics over the FIFA World Cup. Never have they qualified for a World Cup since or after this event.
Before that, in 1948, they played in the Olympics and were eliminated after a match against France where they also played barefoot. Later on, they did participate in the Olympics of 1952, 1956, and 1960 with various degrees of success. The most notable one would be reaching the semifinals in 1956. However, after the death of Syed Abdul Rahim, one of the greatest coaches in Indian football history, the success started to fade away.
Why football leagues are not popular in India?
What can be said about the world in regards to football can be said about India in regards to cricket – it is an essential sport and the most popular one by far in India. Cricket has unmatched popularity in India, no other sport comes close. And there are reasons behind that.
One of the main reasons is the promotion of the game itself – cricket is promoted more successfully than football with advertisements promoting cricket all year round. This is because the Indian cricket team has more success than the Indian football team. While the football team did win first place in the Asian Games once, that was all the way back in 1962. The Indian cricket team won 2 World Cups, and one as recent as 2011, and with their success came popularity. Regular television broadcasts of the sport also improved its popularity.
Introduction of sports betting could drive a lot of investment and popularity into football. Betting sites like Bet365, Betway, etc is already very popular in UK and are available in India now too. But there are very few people promoting them. A lot of betting sites in India are listing on casinofox.in but the people who actually know about sports betting are few. These bookmakers need to promote themselves as well, just the way they do it in UK.
The other main reason why football is not as popular as cricket is the lack of investment. Over the years, not many funds have been given to the development of football stadiums or equipment (hence the barefoot playing in 1948). While some regions in India like Goa, the Northeast, West Bengal, and Kerala have a great football following among their population, the rest of the country does not follow their passion so the investments into equipment and stadiums went to cricket. The lack of investments created a lack of interest when developing the proper environment for playing football. This has created a quality of football that was below par which also meant the people were not going to watch football as much as cricket.
A possible brighter future
Not all hope should be lost for football. The idea of professionalizing the sport has become increasingly more popular with time. In the 1990s, the National Football League was formed which has developed into the I-League in 2006. Several television channels started to broadcast the sport, giving it more time in the spotlight in the entire country. This, along with a rise in popularity of the English Premier League and National League among the people initially helped the sport get more recognition.
The introduction of the Indian Super League, the rise in sponsorships, and the influx of foreign football stars such as Paolo Cannavaro and Hernan Crespo have also cemented football as a powerhouse sport that is here to stay. Money was not spared in this development and the interests have never been higher. India even had the chance to organize the Under 17 World Cup in 2017 which further boosted the interest in the sport.
The rise of numbers in viewership shows that India is ready to take on the next chapter in this story and bring the popularity of football to the next level. With the right mindset and equipment, it looks like there is a brighter future on the horizon.
