Don’t push kids into sports if you are not rich, says Pullela Gopichand; social media reacts

According to Gopichand, middle-class families need to recognise that not every young athlete will become a Sachin Tendulkar or a PV Sindhu

Hyderabad: Indian head coach and badminton legend Pullela Gopichand’s advice to middle-class families not to push their children into sports if they don’t have money has sent social media into a frenzy.

“If you are middle-class and earning, say, two lakhs a month, you would want your child to earn more. But if there’s so much uncertainty in sports, why would a parent push their child into it? If you are very rich, no problem. But for the others, it’s an issue,” Gopichand said in an interview on Wednesday, February 19.

According to Gopichand, middle-class families need to recognise that not every young athlete will become a Sachin Tendulkar or a PV Sindhu.

“If it happens, God’s grace, fantastic. But 99 out of 100 times, it will not happen. You have to remember that before jumping in,” he said.

This statement from the former world champion came in for widespread criticism from not only from netizens, but also from well-known businessman Nithin Kamath.

Reacting sharply to Gopichand’s comments, the Zerodha CEO said there are many more career options for a sports enthusiast if s/he fails in the domain.

In a post on X, he said “While I understand Pullela Gopichand’s concern that ‘Unless you are rich, don’t make your child a sportsperson,’ I have a different view.”

“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,” he added.

Kamath emphasised that failing in a particular game doesn’t mean that they cannot pursue the career further.

But, Gopichand’s student Parupalli Kashyap swiftly came out in his support and said Gopichand’s statement emphasises the gaps in the country’s sporting ecosystem and it is high time those gaps were filled.

“Gopi sir’s recent remarks about the challenges middle-class families face in pursuing sports as a career resonate deeply with the realities of India’s sporting ecosystem. He’s absolutely right to highlight the lack of a safety net for athletes who don’t reach the top. In a country where success in sports — outside of cricket — rarely guarantees financial security or societal respect, his call for caution is pragmatic, not pessimistic,” Kashyap wrote in a post on X.