Kabaddi has been a popular sport in India and the surrounding countries for decades, if not centuries. It has spread across Asia, but will it be able to make the jump to a truly worldwide audience? Here are some essential steps that will need to be taken to help kabaddi make the transition to a global sporting phenomenon.
What is Kabaddi?
Kabaddi is a team sport that blends elements of tag, wrestling, rugby and martial arts. Play is divided into ‘raids’ where a single player from one team attempts to tag as many players as possible on the opposing team and return to his side without being tackled in under 30 seconds. Tagged players are sent to the bench and can only return to play when another player on their team scores a point. Since the raids are limited to 30 seconds, play is very fast. Tags can be made with hands or feet, adding to the unpredictable and exciting nature of the game.
The biggest potential hurdle to kabaddi gaining a wider fanbase is how complex and unusual some of the rules are. Sports fans in America and Europe aren’t used to a sport that requires you to hold your breath as one of the rules and they might be very confused by this. However, enough interest in the sport will overcome these sorts of superficial concerns.
Televised Matches
Access is essential to building interest — if someone has never heard of kabaddi, how can they be a fan? Sports broadcasting is a massive industry worth over $30bn and broadcasters are always looking for ways to expand and diversify their holdings. Now that digital broadcasting has taken over such a large share of the market, it is easier for international audiences to access sporting content. If the Pro Kabaddi League or the Super Kabaddi League were able to find a major international broadcasting partner, it would greatly increase new viewers’ ability to discover kabaddi.
Marketing
New sports on the international scene always require a bit of effective marketing to help them become mainstream. Esports are a great example. Initially, esports weren’t taken very seriously by mainstream audiences. However, through positive marketing and creative sponsorship deals, esports are now seen as legitimate sports with tournaments, national teams and a wide fanbase. It was not an overnight process, but the results are worth the effort.
Finding good international sponsorship deals to raise the sport’s profile will be an important step in kabaddi gaining a worldwide following. Since kabaddi is such a fast-paced sport that is instantly engaging even to viewers who don’t understand the rules, an energy drink company would be an ideal sponsor. It is easy to imagine how many new international fans the sport would gain if highlights from the Pro Kabaddi Tournaments were used in advertisements.
Betting
A great way to increase general interest in a sport is to open it to sports betting internationally. In recent years, betting on kabaddi has become incredibly popular in India, but it is not a popular betting sport in other countries. Once international audiences become more aware of the existence of the sport, encouraging them to place bets on the outcomes of matches is a great way to keep their interest growing. Being able to bet on sports also encourages new fans to learn more about the sport in order to place better bets, which in turn increases their interest and the likelihood that they will tell others about it.
Amateur Leagues
For many people outside of Brazil, their introduction to the art of capoeira occurred through local schools and events. This allowed the dance martial art to reach new audiences without any expectations. These schools sprang up all over the world, but they have flourished in cities and towns with a Brazilian presence that helped to give them a foothold. Small communities were able to develop around these schools until they were large enough to attract mainstream attention and spread to a massive audience.
Kabaddi could successfully create an international appeal by following the same pattern. Small clubs and amateur leagues would introduce the sport to new audiences. By focusing on amateur leagues and non-competitive play, curious newcomers are less likely to be intimidated and uncomfortable with trying something new. Kabaddi is likely to be attractive to amateur audiences because it does not require expensive equipment or a special playing field. This again makes it less intimidating to try because there isn’t a large investment that needs to be made before you can play.
