In a country where cricket is religion and players are gods, it’s often difficult to curate a space for any other sport. People from all social backgrounds have a deep reverence for the game and closely associate the Indian identity with it. In such circumstances, young players interested in creating a niche in any other sport apart from cricket are not given enough support.
While there is a clear growing interest in the game of basketball across the country and massive potential for its parallel growth alongside cricket, only once we start rectifying the socio-economic issues faced by the players can the sport begin to attract traction at the national level. Deepak, a 36-year-old player has plans to rectify the existing condition of the sport in the country.
The man behind the page ‘Straight Out Of India’ travels across the country to map the presence of various up-and-coming basketball teams, sharing their stories and creating a space for the community across social media. What started off as a small project two and half years back, is now acting as the central platform for the sport with around 22.1K followers.
Sharing his views on the lack of viewership in the country, Deepak hopes to rectify the issue by reaching a younger audience through social media. He believes that basketball can only grow in the country by attracting more viewers, which will further aid resources and amenities for the players.
“There is a strong liking for the sport in the country. Improved marketing and better coverage for the games can help with the growth of basketball at a national level.”
— Deepak (SOI)
This is where pages like Straight Out Of India can help with viewer generation through content creation, using the tools of digital marketing to help create a lasting presence. Deepak also believes that these moves will lead to the creation of more basketball academies and grounds in the country, as investors will see potential growth in the sector.
While most viewers for international basketball games come from cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, the page aims to attract attention at a grassroots level. where Indian players can take the centre stage. With over 3000 views per video, Deepak hopes to considerably increase the chain of viewers and potential aspirants in the country in the next three to four years.
A step in the right direction, Straight Out Of India is a platform actively carving out a unique space for Indian Basketball players. The community seems to be growing every day with massive amounts of support pouring in for Deepak’s efforts. Little by little, he’s shining the light on the immense potential hidden in the small towns of India and further helping generate more viewership for the sport.
View the page here.
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