Online brokerage platform Zerodha’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nithin Kamath said that there are more career alternatives today for people who are passionate about sports, reacting to national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand’s view of not letting children pursue sports unless someone is “rich”, according to a social media post on X.
“While I understand Pullela Gopichand’s concern that ‘Unless you are rich, don’t make your child a sportsperson,’ I have a different view,” said the Zerodha Chief in his post on platform X.
Kamath drew a parallel between how it is a significant challenge for the youth entering a world where people feel stuck in a career field when their skills are relevant elsewhere and how job security is on low expectations.
“Imagine studying something you don’t like or being stuck in a field when you know that your skills are useful elsewhere. Odds are, you may end up being less than average compared to people who are more suited to the field you hate. In this case, how can you expect job security? This is all more problematic in the AI-first world we are entering,” said Kamath in his post.
Nithin Kamath also highlighted that this view applies to the sports industry as well, and if someone fails to become a professional player nowadays, there are more alternatives for people to enter like to become a coach or a personal trainer.
“This applies to sports as well. If someone is passionate about sports, takes a shot at being a professional and fails, there are more alternatives today than ever. You can become a coach or a personal trainer. There’s more demand for such folks today than at any point,” said Kamath in his post.
According to Rainmatter data, Kamath said that the company is witnessing that people are willing to pay for personal training and coaching.
Pullela Gopichand on youth in sports
The All-India Open Badminton Championship winner of 2001, Pullela Gopichand, told the news portal, Times of India about how he thinks parents must think twice before agreeing to let their children pursue a career in professional sports.
“I advise parents not to put their children in sports. We are not in a position to offer sports as a career. Unless the children are from rich backgrounds or have a family business, it is not advisable for children to take up sports,” Gopichand told the news portal.
Gopichand also highlighted how very few people make it big in the industry and said that people who do not break into the circle of elite players are the ones who lack the skills required to survive without sports after they retire around the age of 30 years, according to the report.