WHY POPULARITY OF OTHER SPORTS IS INCREASING IN INDIA

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India has always been a sports-loving country. In ancient times the people were enthusiastic about hunting, archery, wrestling, chess, etc. The Britishers brought cricket to India in the 18th century. Though there were other sports as well, but the way cricket influenced India is incomparable. Cricket is a sport that unites our country. People of India not only love to watch cricket but they also love to play it. Over the years cricket has established itself in India through T20’s, one day, IPL, etc. People were devoted to cricket but, in recent years other sports were able to draw attention towards them as well.
With the introduction of cheaper internet and smartphone facilities, other sports gained further popularity among the masses. People can now easily know what’s going on around the world. With the availability of the internet, we can now discover new sports even the ones that are not popular in our region. Further the facility of the internet has also helped fans to connect with each other. Fans are now able to connect globally and spread awareness about their favourite sports. The Government of India has also done the needful to popularise other sports in the country. The government has started to invest more in other sports like kabaddi, hockey, soccer, badminton, etc. Not only more funds are provided for betterment of sports but tournaments are promoted on a larger scale so that they can draw the attention of the people. The increase in the number of the television channels with sports broadcasts has also increased. These channels are available in multiple languages so that the people from every part of India can enjoy various sports. These channels broadcast varieties of sports. There are even international sports channels which further lead to the popularity of foreign sports. Esports have become so popular in India that now they got official recognition from the government. In the pandemic esports gained further popularity. In the lockdown phase people used esports to divert their attention from the difficult situation. People enjoy these sports because they can play whichever sports they want to play, be it cricket, football, basketball, battlegrounds, etc. With the increase in the number of professional players, the number of tournaments has increased. The viewership of esports tournaments is also increasing as more and more people are joining the fandom. Health conscious people have also helped other sports like swimming, skiing, yoga, etc. gain popularity. People are getting conscious towards their health and prefer to play sports to stay healthy. People of India are now connecting more with the outside world. They are becoming more open minded and accepting towards other cultures. Now people are learning more about their interests with the help of the internet. Regional and international sports which were not able to gain an audience because of low popularity, are now being recognised and promoted by people who enjoy those sports so that their favourite sports gets more popularity. People of India have been sports enthusiasts from ancient times and they happily accept and learn new sports.