Why are there so few asian (indian) people in sports apart from cricket?

Question

Do they have any other interests other than opening shops and playing cricket? I'm not asian by the way

Answer 1

Cricket is a high profile sport in India. Indeed it is almost revered as much as a religion. India does play other sports - hockey, weightlifting,soccer, tennis, badminton, boxing, and polo are some of the sports.

Of these cricket and hockey have the highest international profile. Weightlifting and boxing are prominent in Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

Accessibility to facilities, finances and individual opportunity limit the ability of many Indians to play sport in the international and national arenas. Most do not have the simple luxury of leisure to pursue sport.

Answer 2

I think you are misinformed. Indians play all sorts of sports but on the international seen they are not so visible because of the tough competition in every sport these days. Due to the government apathy the standards of sports are very low. No adequate resources, the coaching, or the playing facilities of the international standers all contribute to this situation. When I see Australian cricketers batting with the kookaburra bats I wonder how many players can effort to buy a bat like that. Still in india sports are for the rich people to pass their time but they don't have what it takes to be competitive internationally. When jobs are rare even after graduation, it's a big success to have a cigarette stole by the street corner. My friend go to india and see the condition like Mother Teresa saw in the streets of Calcutta. Maybe you will know more than anyone of us can tell you on this platform.

Answer 3

When you say asians, in particular Indian - the reason is that Education is seen as the only way out of the poverty trap in Indian. Therefore parents of Indian children have always traditionally influenced their children to focus more on education that say other cultures might. This theroy has also immigrated with the "older" genertaion to places such as Canada, USA, UK & other areas of mass migration for Indians.

However, with my generation ( aged 38 ) my children will have my 100% if they wish to pursue a career in sport. I myself represented my schools & college at Football, Badminton, Cricket & Cross Country, as well as playing snooker socially - I am extremely gifted at pool. I am very confident that had I had my parents' backing I would turned profesional in one of the above. However, I have a Business & Management Degree.

I would like to add that the fact you have suggested that " Do they have any other interests other than opening shops and playing cricket? " borders on a bigotted opinion as society is now booming with lawyers, doctors, accountants, millionaires that are of Indian parentage - a status I very much doubt would have been achievable purely welcoming the natives to a 7 - 11 corner shop. Spend £5.00 get free carry-bag... no more.

I will stick my neck out & say give it another 3 years & we will see the first Indian origin footballer in top flight football in England.

Answer 4

There are plenty ... just not in many sports we see in the UK. Kabaddi for example, and as mentioned elsewhere squash, hockey and polo. You might get the very occasional top quality player in an international sport from a country that isn't very good, look at George Weah from Liberia (World Footballer of the Year about 1996) but as a rule if the country as a whole isn't into a sport it won't have much in the way of infrastructure ... there's nothing to stop India having a team at the World Cup come about 2018 except that they can't be bothered with footie :)

Answer 5

It's more to do with physical structure of "South Asian" people. Majority games that West plays are biased towards bigger physique and height. “South Asians” are good at games that require brain as well as skills but less of physique. The environment in this region also doesn’t augur well with large body structure due to high temperatures and humidity. Indians in particular are very good at Chess, Billiards, and Snooker etc. Cricket is a game in which any one can excel irrespective of height, weight, build, skin color etc. I would say that Cricket is not a biased game like other games like Soccer, Running, and Swimming. If discrimination on the basis of color is not good, then it is equally incorrect to tell people to compete in a sport that is “genetically biased” towards certain races on the earth. If any of you have learned biology, there is something called as “Adaptation”. That should help you understand why only certain races of humanity excel in “genetically biased” games.

Answer 6

It's something to do with their body structure i think.

Like an asian is better at gymnastics than a white person, they have more flextibility and elegance

You never see a black person swim in the olympics, only a few

And you never really see a white man in a boxing ring (Excluding WWE, thats just acting crap in my opinion)

Answer 7

Maybe thats because they are very passionate about cricket. They cant help it really as the British spread it in the subcontinent long ago. Thats why its continuing still.

Answer 8

cos they don't play with the same attitude.
Indians jus focus on more real jobs, few indians play football semi-pro, but are doing medical school and are more encouraged to do so...
(thats just an example, as alot of my old school mates are doin law..)

Answer 9

there are a lot of indian squash players

Answer 10

asian people suck at sports, its not there preofession, they are better at being doctors or what ever