Sports Leagues in India – Pros & Cons A study of the positive and negative outcomes of the Sports leagues in India

Abstract

Professional sports leagues have become the dominant form of sports in most of the developed sports markets. However, sports leagues are appearing for the first time in emerging sports markets like India. India is going through a sporting revolution right now. The amount of leagues that have started after success of IPL (Indian Premier League) have paved the way for most of them. Addition of entertainment and monetary value to the sport has not just generated the stir amongst the youth but also allowed them to take sports as a career option. But, with a number of new sports leagues being formed in the recent past, there are highlights of interesting set of differences. Some of these leagues are in infancy, a few others are already defunct, and there are a few which seem to have attained some degree of maturity. With the rise of major sporting leagues in India, it is essential to determine how these leagues have been effecting the Indian society positively and negatively .Have they been boon or bane?

This paper adds to current literature on sports management by identifying a number of outcomes that have been resulted due to these league and can further be studied to help improve the acceptability of leagues. It was found that some of the crucial outcomes include development in quality of players, recognition of talent, equal importance of sports, involvement of celebrities, involvement of top class players (National, International and Regional), and initiatives by the league and the teams to improve fan experience. Lastly, collaboration with federation and complying with the ethical standards and adhering to the ethical committees of the national federations to which the leagues are affiliated to can also play a crucial role in the outcomes of the leagues.

This research is exploratory in nature and is aimed at identifying the outcomes of the professional sports leagues in India. Qualitative method of approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews. Data was collected from sports experts and fans. The findings from this research have theoretical and managerial implications for developing sports industry and research in emerging sports markets.

Keywords: Sports Leagues, Factors, Positive, Negative, Outcomes