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Badminton star Pullela Gopichand earlier said that the parents should be careful before allowing their children to pursue sports as a career unless they are rich.
Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath (Photo: X/@Nithin0dha)
Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath responded to national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand’s remark that children should pursue sports only if they come from wealthy backgrounds. In a social media post on X, Kamath highlighted that today’s sports enthusiasts have more career opportunities than before.
Kamath compared the challenge faced by young people entering a world where many feel trapped in a single career despite having skills suited for other fields to the growing uncertainty surrounding job security.
Nithin Kamath’s Arguments Against Gopichand’s Views
“While I understand Pullela Gopichand’s concern that ‘Unless you are rich, don’t make your child a sportsperson,’ I have a different view,” Kamath said on X.
“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 emphasized that this perspective extends to the sports industry as well. He noted that even if someone does not succeed as a professional athlete, there are now various alternative career paths, such as becoming 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,” Kamath 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… pic.twitter.com/u205g2Jifd
— Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) February 21, 2025
What Did Pullela Gopichand Say?
Pullela Gopichand, the 2001 All-India Open Badminton Championship winner, told The Times of India that parents should carefully reconsider before allowing their children to 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 was quoted as saying by the TOI.
Gopichand pointed out that only a select few achieve significant success in the sports industry. He noted that those who fail to reach the elite level often struggle to build a career beyond sports, as they typically retire around the age of 30 without the necessary skills to transition into other fields, according to the report.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Pullela Gopichand clarified his remarks, stating that India lacks the infrastructure to support a large number of athletes who do not achieve top-tier success in alternative careers.
“Numbers of those pursuing sport over the last ten years are big, while the opportunities to succeed at the elite levels are very limited,” Gopichand told the news portal.
