Where success is the name of the game

Usha Albuquerque

The Rio Olympics are over and we have something to cheer about!  India’s sports women redeemed our position with the bronze and silver medals and their sterling performances in the gymnastics, badminton, wrestling, athletics and several other events.

But more than that, the Rio Olympics also revealed the glaring fact that sports achievements do not depend solely on the sportsmen themselves, but on the many other professionals and specialists that ensure that our sportsmen perform their best. There were sports managers, coaches, medical specialists, sports physiotherapists as well as sports commentators and journalists who made a big difference to the final results, indicating the space and requirement for such professionals. 

So for many hankering along the periphery of sporting successes, here are some alternative options in sports

Sports  management 

Sports managers manage sporting talent, and sporting events, in a professional manner, bringing in sponsorship, handling sports promotion, media coverage, delving into sports research and data, and the strategic decision-making required to protect and promote the interests of players and the sports itself. 

Promoting a sport is one of the prime responsibilities of sports management organisations as only proper marketing can rope in large sponsors, which are essential for funding major sporting events. Building public interest is important not only to throw up latent talent, but also to bring the crowds into the stadiums.

Handling the interests of sportspersons and celebrity management includes procuring endorsements of products or services, entertainment events, product advertising and so on. This is a major task which requires huge funds, and some financial expertise to manage and take care of the implications of such big deals.  Sports managers also require to have a  knowledge of taxation and be able to handle financial analysis, feasibility studies and economic impact studies as for any other business activity. There is an increase  in jobs with sports management companies, sports channels and sports divisions of advertising and media buying firms.

Today hi-technology research is used to make intensive studies with detailed statistical updates and video coverage on each sportspersons’s technique, as well as their competitors’ performance. This involves extensive use of information technology  for collating numerical data and technical details, and extensive video editing, so that  coaches, physiotherapists and the managers can study all facets of the sportsperson’s game and chart out the right course of action. 

Eligibility & training

You don’t need to be a sportsman to make a mark in this career, although knowledge and interest in sports is certainly an important pre-requisite. Although no formal training is required, a passion for sports, an ability to generate business, a sharp mathematical mind, and a basic graduation can help you get into this profession.  While an MBA can certainly help it is also possible to take up a specialisation in sports management, currently being offered by a few institutes in India. 

The Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), in Kolkata offers a year-long course in the field.

The Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education & Sports Sciences (IGIPESS) (affiliated to University of Delhi), Vikaspuri, New Delhi has also introduced this programme. 

Sports Medicine

Athletes and sportspersons  are prone to injuries all the time. Saina Nehwal missed out on an opportunity to win a medal at the Rio Olympics due to an injury. This is where the field of sports medicine plays a part – focusing on preventing and treating sports-related injuries and improving movement and performance in athletes and sports persons. The purpose of injury prevention and treatment is to enable the sportspersons to maintain optimal health and maximize peak performance.

Sports medicine is provided by an interdisciplinary team of professionals including physicians (medical doctors), physician assistants, physical therapists or kinesiotherapist, nurses, and others. Medical doctors specialising in sports medicine diagnose and treat patients, prescribe medications and perform surgery. Osteopathic doctors also diagnose and treat patients, but they take a more holistic approach to medicine and focus on the body’s musculoskeletal system. Kinesthetic Science or Exercise Science is the study of movement and the associated functional responses and adaptations, and ranging from the study of how organ systems work at the cellular level when confronted with disease to improving the biomechanical efficiency of  the sportsperson. 

Traditionally, sports medicine was the sole domain of the team doctor, who worked mostly with athletes. Today, however, the sports medicine team represents many disciplines including, exercise physiology and nutrition. They work together as a team in order to understand and ultimately improve the health and performance of the whole individual.

Eligibility & Training

Sports medicine is a regular medical qualification which requires the MBBS degree followed by a PG qualification in sports medicine or orthopedic / osteopathic medicine.

There are separate degree programmes for kinesthetic science, and physiotherapy as noted earlier. 

As one can note, there are many opportunities for those with a passion for sports, even for those who are not at the level of playing it competitively. You also have the option of studying sports rather than just playing it. Many universities and colleges offer degrees in sports which gives you the freedom to opt for a career on the field as well as off field. Such options include sports psychologist, sports nutritionist, sports journalist, sports commentator, sports researcher, event and leisure management, and many others. 

As a sports psychologist, you will be required to look after a wide range of activities related to sports education and performance. If you work for an athlete, you will have to motivate him or her and bring out the best in the player. 

Other options include athletic consulting, client counseling and scientific research. Those with good communication skills like Boria Majumdar  and Harsha Bogle, can take on sports commentating, or sports journalism, working with television, newspapers or magazines that have a sports column or programme. 

Sports goods manufacturers often require sportspersons for marketing, or developing sports goods. Sports photographers are also much in demand, particularly when major sports events are held.

The Sports Authority of India conducts a variety of courses and training schemes  for the promotion of a range of different sports. One can begin career at the amateur level and start participating in the state level, regional level and finally graduate to the National level. There are also degree and diploma courses in physical education and in different sports at the SAI institutes around the country. Most of the SAI programmes also provide scholarships and financial assistance.

Other than SAI, there are many state level and private organisations that support sports enthusiasts. 

 So if you are talented in any sport, or keenly interested and  motivated enough to make a career of it, this is the time to go for the high jump.

Physical Trainers or Coaches

It is admitted today even by Silver medallist PV Sindhu that without the coaching and support of her coach Pullela Gopichand, she may not have reached this pinnacle of success. The same holds good for Dipa Karmarkar, Sakshi Malik  and the many other sportsmen. 

There are coaches for each game and athletic event. Generally, the role of a coach is to select potential players, work with  them, develop a well designed training programme that will help sportspersons reach their full potential. Often this requires an evaluation to determine the potential player’s physical and mental abilities, and through skill work and training techniques on and off the field to raise the athlete’s ability  to the maximum. 

Coaching requires mind and body training and relies heavily on the coach’s experience and knowledge of the sport and the athlete concerned. Often coaches are professional or national level sports persons themselves who understand the psychology of sports and by encouraging players and helping them cope with increased stress of competitions and to react both physically and mentally in such a way that can positively affect their performance. Coaches are also expected to accompany players during tournaments, provide the necessary guidance as well as boost up their player’s morale. This would involve observing and studying the opponent players and developing strategies to counter an opponent’s game 

Trained coaches, physical fitness instructors, referees are in demand for all sports and at all the training centres, whether those set up by SAI and by state and central sports bodies, as well as private coaching academies. Coaches can also find openings in sports clubs, schools and colleges and as in-house coaches for corporate sports teams. Sports persons on retiring from active play can also look forward to satisfying jobs in assignments such as umpires and referees. For this, appointments or certification by recognised state or national bodies is required. 

Physical education instructors can also conduct physical training classes and coach students in games and athletics.

Eligibility & training

You can become a sports coach directly after Class XII with Physical Education as one of your subjects. There is also the Diploma in Coaching in different sports disciplines for graduates proficient in some sports at national or international level, and the Bachelor in Physical Education, a three-year course for school leavers. 

SAI is conducting one year ‘Diploma in Sports Coaching’ for the academic session 2016-17 starting from July 1, 2016 at its all academic centres i.e. Patiala, Bangalore, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram.

Other Institutes.

• The National Institute of Sports, Patiala 
• Laxmibai National College of Physical Education at Gwalior and Thiruvanthapuram, 
• Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Delhi 

Sports Physiotherapists

Sports Physiotherapy plays a significant role in training sportsmen and in the management of sports injuries. For a sports event like gymnastics, a sports physiotherapist is critical. It’s not surprising, therefore, that Dipa Karmarkar was so keen to have the sports physiotherapist with her when competing in the Rio Games. By designing or supervising individualised conditioning programmes, physiotherapy promotes optimal physical performance and enables sports persons to increase their overall fitness levels and muscular strength and endurance. In fact practically every major sportsperson has his/her personal physiotherapist.

A sports physiotherapist also treats cases such as fracture, dislocation, nerve injuries using a variety of treatments. This involves treatment of patients through exercise therapy and other therapeutic agents, including heat radiations, electricity, sound, water and massage, used to cure weak muscles, limitations of movements of shoulder and knee joints, and other such disorders which may have been inflicted during exercise or play..

 Most sports associations and institutions employ physiotherapists for helping athletes and sports persons. Many top level sports persons appoint their own individual physiotherapists to advise and help them maintain optimum physical fitness. With health consciousness on the rise, there is also a great demand for physiotherapists in a health club or fitness centre, who can help in terms of posture and exercise methods.

Eligibility & training

You require  to have completed Plus II examination with science subjects (physics, chemistry and biology) and English to be eligible for course in physiotherapy. There are:

• Diploma in Physiotherapy(DPT) of two-and-a-half years, 
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy(BPT) of four-and-a-half years, 
• Master of Physiotherapy(MPT) of two/three years 

Admissions to most of these courses are based on a joint entrance examination conducted by the Rehabilitation Council of India in New Delhi.

Some institutes offering courses in Physiotherapy are –

• The National Institute for the Orthopaedically Handicapped in Calcutta offers a three-year diploma course. 
• Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of the Physically Handicapped (New Delhi) also offers a three-year diploma course. 
• Amar Jyoti Institute of Physiotherapy, New Delhi, 
• Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine & Allied Science, Guru Gobind Indraprastha University offer courses in physiotherapy.  
• Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi 
• Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 
• PGMER, Chandigarh also offer a BSc in Physiotherapy.