The Baseline Shift

A few weeks ago, just before the Champions Trophy, Amsterdam, the Indian hockey team was gifted suitpieces, and in an accurate analysis of the state of the national sport, they were also given sewing charges. An employee of the Sahara Pariwar who passes on this information ends with a line that possibly fetches him his salary—"all this, by the magnanimity of our managing worker, Subrata Roy".

Since the time of the Mughals and in parts the British, "by his magnanimity" is an expression India never heard until Roy decided to sponsor the Indian hockey team a few weeks ago, pledging Rs 8-10 crore for eight years. He also sponsors the Indian cricket team, but his sidekicks would never dare to say it is "by his magnanimity". Indian hockey players may deserve better than the benevolence of one man, but his is useful money. In a quaint season when several corporates have realised there are sports other than cricket, Indian hockey is an important beneficiary. Outside the ambit of Sahara's contract with the much-loathed Indian Hockey Federation, every national player gets Rs 25,000 a month. Today these men who play a sport that may have become the most popular in the world if only, in the words of a marketing type, "the ball was bigger", can actually afford to go to Tendulkar's restaurant in Mumbai.

To add to the good news, Ritu Beri may design the blue Indian hockey jersey. "If India wins the gold in Olympics next year," the Sahara employee finds it difficult to speak since he is overwhelmed by what his master's magnanimity may do, "I don't know what to say".

Dhanraj Pillay, perhaps the most beautiful man of our times as long as he holds a stick, has been signed on by the celebrity managers of Percept D'Mark who until now only recognised cricketers as famous people. They are searching for corporates who may want Dhanraj to smile and endorse their products. The market puts his earning potential at about Rs 25 lakh a year. "We are working on him. We are grooming him," says Sanjay Lal, CEO of Percept D'Mark which has also signed up the exciting youngsters Gagan Ajit Singh and Jugraj Singh.

When Jugraj met with a serious road accident after the Champions Trophy, it received as much media attention as the broken toe of a cricketer would, which is considerable if one understood the value of such a toe in this country. The sheer number of sms greetings that went to TV channels surprised even Percept. Apparently, Indians not only know the names of some of its hockey players but also wish them well. Sahara gave a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to Jugraj's family. He will be going to a first-world country to heal, a fortune normally reserved for cricketing bones.

Ten Sports' telecast of the Champions Trophy, publicised in full-page ads by Sahara, generated considerable content during male bondings. "We made money on Champions Trophy," says Peter Hutton, vice-president of the channel, who believes "India should ideally drive the economy of world hockey."

In the middle of all this, Baichung Bhutia is growing as one of the most popular sportsmen in the country. His appeal among school children, god-like status in northeastern states and somewhat international accomplishment have made him, in market estimates, bigger than a few middle-order Indian batsmen. This August he is said to have been offered a minimum guarantee of Rs 60 lakh a year by sports management company 9 Yards, which is more than just 13 yards away from cricket. "We believe there are other sports in India," says CEO Navneet Sharma, while explaining his management philosophy. Apart from Bhutia, 9 Yards also manages Ricky Ponting, Leander Paes and, on the plumper side, Manisha Koirala. "We realised cricket in this country is saturated," says 9 Yards founder Sanjay Jha."A lot of corporates who wanted to enter cricket but found it too crowded or overvalued are showing interest in other sports."

This year Bhutia will endorse a sports apparel company, a cola, possibly a television channel and strangely, a mattress that is very strong in the Northeast. He is also Kingfisher's best request to ask people in Goa and Bengal to take it easy. Vijay Mallya's United Breweries owns 50 per cent of Bhutia's club East Bengal. "In the last five years," says Shekhar Ramamurthy from the UB group, "we have invested about Rs 10 crore in East Bengal. We have been one of the first few companies to have recognised the potential of football."

The beautiful game, as it is called even in India, has for long had a theoretical probability of attaining cricket's status. "That can happen in say 10 years," says World Sport Nimbus chief Harish Thawani, "but only if India begins to play well at least at the Asian level." He has a grand idea of dividing hockey into four quarters like basketball in America, and making it a profitable television venture. But it's just an idea. He has to change the genes of Indian hockey administrators before he can hope to change the game's fortunes.

9 Yards' two-year deal with Paes signed in August, according to market sources, came with a minimum guarantee of Rs 80-100 lakh a year. Since contracts are tied to performance, Paes' ill health will decimate the figure this year. But he remains the most saleable non-cricketer in the country. His former doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi manages Wimbledon junior doubles champion, 16-year-old Sania Mirza. "There is good interest in her from corporates. I am in talks with them," says Bhupathi diplomatically while refusing to say what her earning potential might be. Meanwhile, Sania makes a few things very clear: "I don't mind endorsing products. But everything has to be decent. I don't want to be Anna Kournikova."

Anna's fans may gently point out to young Sania that there cannot be another Anna anyway, but the point is Sania is developing an unmistakable image of her own. Something Bhupathi badly wants. "Player management in India is not professional," he says, "I can speak from experience. A good manager must create an image of the player and then sell that image. It's no big deal managing a cricketer because he is always so visible. Other sports people need to be built carefully."

It's this "image" that former Mumbai cricketer Jatin Paranjpe is building around top shooter, Olympic medal prospect and good-skinned Anjali Bhagwat. "FMCGs," Jatin says ponderously as he talks about how he is positioning her. Fair and Lovely, which asks Indian women to cease being black and brown, is looking at her carefully. She may soon be part of the beauty paste's "women's empowerment" campaign. The movement will ask all girls, presumably even dark ones, to take up sports. While Jatin refuses to confirm that it's Fair and Lovely that is interested in the shooter, he says, "Anjali's image of a pretty, confident, strong and intelligent woman is a perfect brand fit for the FMCG's campaign."

B-town girls are very interested in sports, he says. "Anjali will be useful in luring them. And she will also appeal to modern city girls who wear small tight clothes but are not exactly fit." He believes that Anjali's market value can reach between Rs 25 and 30 lakh a year if she continues her form. Hyundai is considering giving her a Santro Xing without even a request to wear its T-shirt. Anjali is also one of the five athletes signed on by one of the Athens 2004 Olympics sponsors, Samsung, though for a modest Rs 7 lakh a year. The bounty of Adidas, a firm strong in Eastern Europe which Anjali frequents on competitions, has helped her turn out in "kits that do not embarrass the nation".The apparel firm's Rs 2 lakh worth contribution has saved Anjali the agony of having to knock at the government's door, which, as many athletes know, seldom opens.

Knocking was something the fastest Indian, Narain Karthikeyan, used to do a few years ago. He used to have trouble flying to venues to begin with. "It used to be difficult earlier. Racing is very, very expensive. Now I would say I am a bit comfortable." Tata, JK Tyres and Amaron together spend between Rs 3 and 4 crore a year on him. Tata, being the major sponsor, shells out 70 per cent of the amount. If he breaks into the Formula One category, things will get exorbitant. An average cost incurred by a team per race is about $8 million.

Will Tata stand by Karthikeyan if matters reach that stage? Tata doesn't commit but it does say, "Look, it's a long term deal that we have with Karthikeyan."

That must be a "yes".