<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/27181760.cms" style="" /> Come 2014 and former <keyword id="989" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-tennis-player">Indian tennis player</keyword> <keyword id="6394569" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mahesh-Bhupathi">Mahesh Bhupathi</keyword> will reveal something very exciting for both <keyword id="6356028" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sports">sports</keyword> and <keyword id="6355515" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Business">business</keyword>. A proposed marriage between <keyword id="6355013" type="SPORT" weightage="100" keywordseo="tennis">tennis</keyword> and the world of business, International Premier Tennis League (<keyword id="1685851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPTL">IPTL</keyword>) aims to model itself after the grandiosity and market intelligence of other <keyword id="879680" type="SPORT" weightage="100" keywordseo="international-league">international league</keyword> sports. Businesswise, too, it makes sense. After all these years of hardcore sports that we have seen, the world has started looking at sports in a way that’s beyond the actual <keyword id="17101" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports-events">sports events</keyword>. 
 In a global village, we are well aware of the fact that sports events are no longer limited to <keyword id="756385" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sporting-activities">sporting activities</keyword> alone. For a player, it is definitely about winning (if possible) some coveted events and competitions that are pitted to receive some hyped up <keyword id="36914" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Media-coverage">media coverage</keyword>. Then things move onto a different league, literally. <keyword id="65389" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sponsorship">Sponsorship</keyword> is part of a sportsperson’s life, if he dreams of making it big, nationally or internationally. Therefore, when business houses support <keyword id="1969519" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Budding-sportspersons">budding sportspersons</keyword>, the underlying message is never just encouragement or philanthropy. 
 With the grand success of the <keyword id="6354831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League">Indian Premier League</keyword> (IPL) where cricket reached a new height and stirred up the kind of frenzy we had never seen before, other sports are just waiting to join the big league. Tennis and <keyword id="1226" type="SPORT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Golf">golf</keyword> are glamorous games as well, with a plethora of international events providing the much-needed exposure to sportspersons. And when a champion like <keyword id="39497" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Andy-Murray">Andy Murray</keyword> decides to entrust Bhupathi (one of his chief business managers) with the entire <keyword id="1969521" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Branding-exercise">branding exercise</keyword>, it won’t be wrong to surmise that tennis is just waiting to be ‘discovered as a brand’ in countries that are yet to witness its full potential from every aspect. 
 Bhupathi is a heady mix of sports and sheer business acumen – a rather uncommon and prized combination in the arena. As a winner of multiple <keyword id="6410539" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="doubles">doubles</keyword> and mixed double Grand Slam titles during the days when the media didn’t pay much attention to tennis, he had seen the world slowly take note of the business sense that sports made. The winners are already basking in <keyword id="1969522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Media-limelight">media limelight</keyword> for their achievements and this means instant familiarity with the viewers. 
 At his swanky office on Linking Road in upmarket Mumbai, Bhupathi sits to unravel the equation between <keyword id="1969517" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tennis-and-business">tennis and business</keyword>. Here, the sport will be packaged as entertainment and sold to the excitement-hungry crowds. An ideal content for the mass media would be up for grabs, sooner than later. 
 
What would it pack apart from excitement? The joy of watching the tennis stars live as they sweat it out on the courts. Right now, we don’t get to see too many of them. Players will be soon chosen through an auction, which is scheduled to take place before the Australian Open in January. And bidders, depending on their choice and capacity, can pick up the players across five price categories. 
 Players at the IPTL will be categorised based on their <keyword id="41681" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ranking">ranking</keyword>, popularity and potential. Not a single element that makes for the market would be left out while considering the categorisation! So who all will be there on whom you can feast your eyes? Of course some big names – both men and women – would be roped in to add zing to this project. Former tennis stars might be seen here too, whipping up some action on-court and bringing back the good old days of pure sport. 
 But what about the <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> behind this? For starters, Bhupathi says that there will be five-set matches lasting for three hours in all and teams of 6-10 players. He has also worked out a ballpark figure for a sports event of this stature and it is going to be around $4-10 million in franchise alone, including salaries of the players across the table. 
 Viewed as an elite <keyword id="5189" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="competition">competition</keyword> that will feature the world’s best through six franchisees across the nations, IPTL has surely raised high expectations and excitement among the tennis fraternity. 
 The potential of this project is immense. Going by world No. 1 <keyword id="55696" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Novak-Djokovic">Novak Djokovic</keyword>’s response, this plan is ‘revolutionary’ and Bhupathi is not among those who would want to see the excitement wane. Now that expectations are running high, he knows that he should get cracking with the plans at the earliest; else this can fall flat on the face. 
 
Curtain will go up on the IPTL in November 2014 or latest by December that year. Till then, Bhupathi and his team hope to keep up the excitement, starting with the bidders and holding events relating to the inauguration. 
 Interestingly, the event will be held at the hot seat of fashion and arts. <keyword id="106" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paris">Paris</keyword> has been chosen to play host to IPTL’s inaugural event. Now all ye tennis lovers, you know where you are going to be when the event takes place. Book your tickets, Now! 
 
Image: Indiatimes

International
Premier Tennis League: Will It Be An Ace Or Love?

Inside India's budding drone racing community

Tributes have been pouring across the globe as legendary Indian athlete <keyword id="6386353" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="milkha-singh">Milkha Singh</keyword>, 91, whose 400 metres Indian national record stood for 38 years and the 400 metres Asian record for 26 years, died at the age of 91 after a long battle with COVID-19 on Friday night. Singh is survived by international golfer son Jeev Milkha Singh and daughters <keyword id="2226" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mona-Singh">Mona Singh</keyword>, Sonia Singh and Aleeza Grover. According to government officials, his cremation will be held in his hometown Chandigarh at 5 p.m. on Saturday with state honours. Since he was tested Covid negative later, his mortal remains are currently kept at his residence in in Sector 8. The security has been beefed up at his residence with prominent personalities expected to visit there to pay obeisance. Five days back Milkha's wife, Nirmal Kaur, a former India volleyball captain, had lost her battle to the virus at a private hospital in Mohali near here. Condoling the demise of Milkha Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country has lost a colossal sportsperson. "In the passing away of Shri Milkha Singh Ji, we have lost a colossal sportsperson, who captured the nation's imagination and had a special place in the hearts of countless Indians. His inspiring personality endeared himself to millions. Anguished by his passing away," Modi informed in a tweet. In another tweet, Modi said he had spoken to Milkha Singh just a few days ago. "Little did I know that it would be our last conversation. Several budding athletes will derive strength from his life journey. My condolences to his family and many admirers all over the world." Union Home Minister Amit Shah said: "India mourns the sad demise of legendary sprinter Shri Milkha Singh Ji, the Flying Sikh. He has left an indelible mark on world athletics. Nation will always remember him as one of the brightest stars of Indian sports. My deepest condolences to his family and countless followers." Milkha Singh passed away in a local hospital here at 11.30 p.m. on Friday, said a statement from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education &amp; Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, where he was being treated for Covid-related complications. Milkha Singh was admitted to the ICU of Covid Hospital of PGIMER on June 3 and was treated for Covid there till June 13 when after putting up a battle with Covid Milkha Singh tested negative. However, due to post-Covid complications, he was shifted out of Covid Hospital to medical ICU. But despite best of the efforts by the medical team, Milkha Singh could not be retrieved from his critical condition, said Ashok Kumar, official spokesperson for the PGIMER. Mourning his demise, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said it was the end of an era and India and Punjab "are poorer". His Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar said that the country has lost a star. "Upset and saddened to hear of Milkha Singh Ji's demise. It marks the end of an era and India &amp; Punjab are poorer today. My condolences to the bereaved family &amp; millions of fans. The legend of the Flying Sikh will reverberate for generations to come. Rest in peace Sir!" Amarinder Singh said in a tweet. "Milkha Singh has left us but he will always inspire every Indian to shine for the country," Khattar added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/milkha-singhs-daughter-fights-covid-19-pandemic-from-frontline-in-ny-hospital/articleshow/75251285.cms">Milkha Singh's daughter fights COVID-19 pandemic from frontline in NY hospital</a>

Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh to be cremated with state honours in Chandigarh

<ul><li>With one Gold, two silver and four bronze, India recorded its best-ever medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics this year, which ended on Sunday.</li><li>As the Tokyo Olympics came to an end, we talk to experts to find out who will land the most <keyword id="6359405" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="brand">brand</keyword> endorsement deals, and whether the new players will become as attractive to brands as someone like <keyword id="501707" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="PV-Sindhu">PV Sindhu</keyword>.</li></ul>This year at the Tokyo Olympics, Mirabai Chanu, Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, Bajrang Punia brought joy to a billion hearts by bringing home one gold, two silver and three bronze medals. India’s hockey team also clinched a bronze after 41 years. This was the first time that India has managed to secure seven medals across varied sporting events. India also had the largest contingent ever of 127 athletes travelling to Tokyo who participated in 69 cumulative events across, the highest ever for the country. With this historic win, underrepresented athletes and sports are back in the limelight in the endorsement world. Indian brands also made sure that they leave no stone unturned in celebrating our athletes and their glorious win. The first athlete to bring back a medal for India this year was 26-year-old weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu. Shortly after her win, she was also offered free pizza for life by <a href="https://twitter.com/dominos_india/status/1418934590950027269">Domino's </a>and the brand garnered a lot of attention from the press and the internet for this gesture. Hospitality brand <a href="https://twitter.com/rohitisb/status/1424620158929162243">OYO </a>also offered women’s hockey team a chance to stay at any of their hotels in India. Apart from that, small start-ups to masters like Amul, brands made the most of our gold-winning moment at the global stage to congratulate Neeraj Chopra, who became independent India’s first Olympian to win a medal in athletics/track and field. According to Facebook, Neeraj Chopra was the second most mentioned athlete on its platform across the globe, whereas on Instagram, he was the most mentioned athlete globally. Over the years, we have seen brands spend the most on players from popular sports like cricket. While athletes get some screentime in ads closer to tournaments like Olympics, very few brands have long-term deals with most of these athletes, unless it is someone like a PV Sindhu, who has been around for a while now and has won many accolades and tournaments for the country. So with the curtains falling on Tokyo Olympics and the next Olympics games still being three years away, will brands bring the newer winners or even players who came really close to bringing medals home? This year, however, many of the athletes have received a lot of attention from brands. It was not just Sindhu or Neeraj Chopra, who aren’t new to the endorsement world; other new medalists Mirabai Chanu, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain and Bajrang Punia have also received an overwhelming response. Slowly and steadily, brands in India are branching out from cricket and looking to associate with budding sports stars to connect with the youth. We spoke to experts to find out who will land the most brand endorsement deals among the six medalists and hockey team. Aviral Jain- Managing Director, Duff &amp; Phelps - A Kroll Business said, “We think it will be a combination of both, though PV Sindhu now carries the tag of “She did it again,” which is unique and privileged. Other non-cricketing sports celebrities such as Hima Das, T. Gopi, Manika Batra, and Deepika Kumari have recently done well in terms of brand endorsements, driven by their splendid individual achievements on the field. Major brands like PepsiCo (PV Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das), Tanishq (Manika Batra and Deepika Kumari), and ASICS (Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, etc.) have successfully associated with various non-cricketing celebrities, and with these non-cricketing wins at the Tokyo Olympics, we can surely expect a greater share of athletes in the advertisement campaigns going ahead.” Anjan Ghosh - Executive Vice President- Hansa Research also echoes these views. He said, “In all probability, more brands will sign up PV Sindhu; her brand standing has gone up substantially, having won medals in multiple Olympics. Brands that want to stand for consistency, fidelity, and grit will find Sindhu a compelling endorser. Also, those who wish to appeal to the young, aspiring women eager to achieve will try to harness Sindhu’s determination and intent and infuse these into their brand personality. The best part is that her success is not a flash in the pan; longevity is something that many brands aspire.” Sahil Chopra, Founder &amp; CEO- iCubesWire said that apart from Sindhu, India’s national sport might also gain more attention this year. “I guess it will be a mix of both known faces and new faces, but yes, the likes of PV Sindhu who have refreshed the memories, will have an edge over the new ones. Only exception to this could be hockey, being the national sport and the way it has captured people’s hearts in the past.” According to media reports, Sindhu currently has 10 deals with Bank of Baroda, Bridgestone Tyres, Visa India, Google, real estate firm Pooja Developers, Chinese sports brand Li Ning, Stayfree, PNB Metlife, Sharechat and Vizag Steel. Experts said that her brand value is likely to double after her incredible performance. But Sindhu is just getting started. The 26-year-old shuttler still has a long career ahead of her, and we expect to witness more iconic wins from her. TRA Research’s CEO, N. Chandramouli said, “PV Sindhu’s winning medals twice in succession is a phenomenal performance at the Olympics. Her value seems to have gone along with her second-time win, and would nearly double. She is young yet, and still has at least one more Olympic Games to look forward to, and so more years of sporting success ahead of her.” On whether Sindhu and Chopra will attract the most brand roles or will newer medalists also get a chance, he added, “All Olympic medal winners from India will gain, some a little more than others. The newer medalists are just starting off, so it's only natural that they will have to prove themselves consistently to see their brand value increase.” Jain also said that Sindhu’s fees and her popularity is likely to double. “Today, she is the undisputed queen of the Indian brand endorsement market (women sportspersons) with more than 10 endorsements and more than 7 million followers on social media. And we expect both the number of brand endorsements and the endorsement fee to increase significantly post her phenomenal success at the Tokyo Olympics, resulting in a significant increase in her brand value.” New-age brands are more likely to onboard the new medalists as their fees is substantially lesser than a seasoned athlete. Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain, who recently won Silver and Bronze medals, respectively, in the Tokyo Olympics seem to have caught the attention of many brands. While Mirabai Chanu is currently associated with brands like Adidas and Mobil, her endorsement portfolio is expected to rise post her success at the Olympics. “Not all brands will look for Lovlina and Mirabai given the lesser fan-following for these sports (as compared to say badminton or hockey) – however, those brands that want to epitomize empowerment for women, a burning desire to break into the mainstream from the fringes, or stand up against many adversities may try to build a narrative around personalities like Lovelina / Mirabai. Categories that are looking for evolution through innovation / competing against the conventional might want to weave a story around such personalities – say, solar panels, unconventional energy, electric bikes etc,” said Ghosh. Is the sports ecosystem really changing? With cricket matches being limited this year, brands are banking on Olympic stars to gain consumer attention and stay relevant. However, cricket still gets the bigger piece of the pie. Sahil Chopra is eager to see a sporting ecosystem where all sports get their due, equal recognition. He said, “I would personally love to see the change and this will be good for the ecosystem as well as the audience. The current ecosystem is so cricket-centric at times it isn’t good for the brand recall when you end up seeing the same faces all the time.” Ghosh said that while there is certainly going to be a change in the fortunes of other Indian athletes/sports stars, especially with the surge in enthusiasm over sports other than cricket, and many will see better brand endorsement contracts coming their way – however, a significant difference might take more time. He said, “Not sure whether the sports marketing ecosystem has changed in a radical way – the support / patronage is still lukewarm; the efforts are still guarded. Other sports stars are enjoying higher popularity and getting better visibility but the gap with cricket is still painfully wide.” Jain told us how a marketer evaluates new endorsement opportunities looking at the extent of media coverage given to the sport, the tournament’s share in the national media broadcast, and finally, the degree of relevance a player has for the audience. So, it is important for new medalists to stay in the news. He said, “While the Indian arena has a wide range of sports being followed by the masses, cricket continues to dominate and maintain a strong hold on the endorsement front. Lately, with the advent of professional leagues (on the lines of the IPL) for other sports like kabaddi, football, badminton, etc., brands and advertisers are favorably looking at these non-cricketing opportunities. However, brand endorsements by non-cricketing sporting stars in India are largely driven by individual visibility; this is in comparison to endorsements for cricketing stars that could be “across the board.” Brands typically feature athletes for their grit, patience and determination, and this helps in targeting millennials and Gen Z who are seeking new aspirational figures. With multiple Olympic achievements this year across non-cricketing sports (badminton, hockey, boxing, wrestling and weightlifting), these sports stars will definitely get more attention going ahead.” After a historic performance at the Olympics this year, experts are hopeful that non-cricketing sports stars will also bag more brand deals. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="85102342" title="As PV Sindhu takes 20 brands to court for using her name and image without permission, here's how agencies and brands can be careful with moment-marketing in the future" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

You Searched For "Budding sportspersons" and got 4 results

International Premier Tennis League: Will It Be An Ace Or Love?

Preetam Kaushik

Inside India's budding drone racing community

Prasid Banerjee

Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh to be cremated with state honours in Chandigarh

IANS

Will the brandverse give equal attention to all medalists of Tokyo Olympics or will PV Sindhu be the biggest gainer?

Karuna Sharma