It runs in the blood, as they say. When Sir Dorabji Tata, the first chairman of Tata Steel, decided to sponsor the first Indian contingent to the Paris Olympiad in 1924, he might probably have had a foresight that this gesture would sow the seeds for a flourishing company committed to sporting activities, eight decades down the line. 

Today, not only are they talking about setting up a Sir Dorab Tata Corporate Sports Award, which is likely to be initiated within 2-3 months, Tata Steel is also keen on developing native Indian games. The company already has academies for hockey and chess and has emphasised the need to promote archery too. 

Ever since the industrial revolution, corporates have been calling the shots in wealth creation. But as Tisco managing director B Muthuraman puts it: “Corporates need to spend their wealth for good activities like boosting their bottomlines. But without social commitment, the same would gradually get eroded”. 

Sports anchor Charu Sharma is more poetic when he says that sports need the heart, and not the mind which keeps thinking about value for money! Mr Sharma was recently the moderator of a panel discussion, sans his illustrious partner, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to deliberate the role of corporates in promoting sports. 

Association with sports has inflated the sales of many companies and playing is also supposed to boost employee morale. On this front, the Tatas are, perhaps, the leaders. 

This is so as Ganguli and Agarkar, both are from Tisco. The company spends Rs 50-60 crore annually on the community, including sports. Tisco has also taken charge of Indian boxer Diwaker Prasad for the upcoming Olympics. 

And, as they say, the essence of good activities spreads like fragrance. MRF, Hero Honda and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) are other corporates that are ‘sporting’ enough. M&M has been operating a sports club since 1962. M&M executive director and president Alan Durante believes that sports is an effective marketing tool that builds goodwill. M&M also goes to schools to address budding sportsmen. Mr Durante adds that the tractor and farm equipment sector of the company takes active interest in the development of kabaddi. 

Further, the CII-western region plans to organise at least two sporting events this year. 

When it comes to promoting sporting events in India, the ball is clearly in corporate India’s court. While they keep a keen eye on their bottomlines, their blessings are always there for sports. Then be it a googly or an ace, it is advantage corporate India!