Photo by Venkat Srinivasan
One of the best feelings I have been experiencing lately has been in hearing/seeing/reading the reaction of people to the theory and concept behind Crossover.
One supporter from DC said “This sounds like a terrific organization – and one that has real potential to create change.” Obviously, you’re here reading our blog and that means that your curiosity is piqued. People see the benefits in the concept of basketball education for children in India, that the theory behind it makes sense, and that it could have a profound long term effect.
Basketball is now more popular than cricket in Chennai. In my own travels there – my parents are originally from Chennai – I have seen the roots of interest as far back as nine years ago when I found outdoor pick-up games (let’s just say it was good for the ego). This author, writing in Indian sports blog Sportskeeda, agrees with me: “Tamil Nadu – Where Basketball is more than a game.”
And that interest in basketball all starts with the youth. Did everyone hear me? Time for someone to actually connect the dots. If basketball has jumped to being the most popular sport in Chennai, then we’re going to the right place. We won’t need to convince players or the city of the validity of the sport. And the beauty is that while other brands simply felt like it was necessary that they had to tap into the Indian market place and simply go to the cities that people in the US automatically may have heard of (but not too many – let’s be honest), Crossover is going over not only with a mission to use basketball beyond the lines on the court but also taken a strategic plan towards choosing the best location and overall interest to build our program.
For every person that has also shared with me that basketball is not going to be popular in India or that Indian kids won’t even recognize a basketball, I say: do your homework. And when you’re looking for talent, why wouldn’t you go to the hot spot of the sport? In the basketball world (I know that not all of you love a rotating defense after a hedged double team on a screen and roll) talent grows from competition and passion. Just look at the most competitive high school leagues in the US (both the DC and NYC Catholic School Conferences). The time is now my friends.
“Look, Mr. Zen Master, you may be in tune with the ice universe, but when it comes to my kid, “I just know” doesn’t cut it!” – The Mighty Ducks
Ideas don’t work just because you market the heck out of them with a ton of money, just look at New Coke, and the same is true in developing a basketball culture that fits within the framework of India. So let’s all find our inner peace and put on a full court press.