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Ancient sport of kabaddi gets a modern twist

By WTOP Staff

C.RAJSHEKHAR RAO
AP Sports Writer

NEW DELHI (AP) — For centuries, shirtless and shoeless young warriors gathered and grappled on patches of muddy ground near the foot of the Himalayas, practicing the ancient contact sport of Kabaddi.

For the most part it was unchanged, and uncomplicated. Like other popular sports in India, though, the modern transformation has been rapid, driven by commercial opportunities and with the intention of going global.

Now there’s two professional leagues — one in India and another which recently kicked off in London.

Backers of the pro leagues are marketing slick new versions of kabaddi that they hope will compete with the mushrooming franchise-based sports leagues in India — particularly cricket, the runaway success story of them all.

So far, they’re following the formula. Bollywood film stars have been roped in as owners or promoters, elaborate marketing plans have been rolled out and live broadcasting deals done.

“We’re only trying to capitalize on the popularity of the sport among South Asians and expatriates,” World Kabaddi League chief executive Raman Raheja explains. “We got to know of the potential of this game during the organization of World Cups in Punjab over the past few years featuring teams from around the world.”

Raheja says it was also the success of smaller leagues across the world that inspired his group to take the tournament to abroad.

“There are some 200 kabaddi clubs … and only half of them are in India,” he said. “They’re all surviving on ticket sales — without government support or sponsorship. That got us thinking and we decided to integrate the fragmented world of kabaddi.”

The race to franchise-based competitions was sparked by the instant success of the seemingly made-for-television Twenty20 cricket in India, when competing leagues battled for billions in potential revenue.

The now defunct Indian Cricket League tried vainly to stay a step ahead of the Indian Premier League, which was backed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, but lacked recognition from the sport’s governing bodies.

There’s no all-embracing world governing body for the physical, tag-like game of Kabaddi, and the World Kabaddi League and Pro Kabaddi League have slightly different formats.

The seven-a-side version that is popular in south Asia and has been a regular medal sport in the Asian Games since 1990. One team sends a raider into the rival half of the field to gain points by tackling, wrestling, grabbing or tagging opponents while chanting ‘kabaddi’ in a single breath. In the meantime, he tries to touch opposing players and then return to his own half to earn points. If he makes it back, the players he touched are out of the game.

Teams take turns to send raiders, with the aim of the defending team to either evade the raider or tackle him in such a way that he can’t return to his side before running out of breath.

It became popular, particularly in northwestern India, because it requires little more than a square piece of land about half the size of a basketball court for matches, and can be played indoors or out, on the beach, on grass, dirt or mud.

But the newer versions are played on synthetic mats and chants of kabaddi have been replaced by a 30-second time limit for each raid. The players also wear shirts — providing space for sponsors’ logos, naturally — while electronic scoreboards lend a contemporary look to venues.

While the Pro Kabaddi League is affiliated with the International Kabaddi Federation and follows the format used at the Asian Games, the World Kabaddi League allows only one person per team to wrestle with the raider.

The World Kabaddi League, which started Aug. 10 in London, will be played in 14 cities across three continents and five countries over five months.

Teams such as the California Eagles, Punjab Thunder, Lahore Lions, Royal Kings USA, United Singhs and Vancouver Lions are among eight teams competing for the top prize of $570,000. The players’ salaries range from $10,000-20,000 per season.

The July 26-Aug. 31 Pro Kabaddi League competition, involving eight city-based franchises in India, is backed by a prominent TV channel.

“We strongly believe in the potential of kabaddi,” Star India chief executive Uday Shankar said. “We’re working hard to build it.”

The sport was mired in controversy in 2011 when doping authorities caught 53 players who either tested positive or refused to cooperate with during testers during the Kabaddi world championships, a competition for national teams held in the Punjab.

The head of India’s National Anti-Doping Agency said at the time he was surprised by the high number of doping cases, which resulted in bans for athletes from Britain, the United States, Italy, Spain, Australia, Norway, Germany, Argentina, Pakistan and India.

The Indian team won the tournament, and gradually the sport has restored its image.

Now, the two pro leagues are generating plenty of interest.

“Sponsors will adopt a wait-and-watch approach for now,” sports marketing professional Indranil Das Blah said. “It’s easy to launch successfully since expectations are negligible, but sustaining success is the hard part and that’s what sponsors need — sustainability.”

But Blah, the Chief Operating Officer of Kwan Entertainment, doesn’t think having more than one league is a problem.

“While ideally, two leagues of the same sport are never good, the two leagues currently seem to have very different positioning,” Blah said. “While one sees itself as an Indian league, the other clearly aspires to be a global league.”

While nobody can predict the long-term viability of the leagues, the players are certainly hoping it lasts.

“Who’d have thought a few years ago that we would be playing this game as paid professionals?” said Royal Kings USA player Balram Singh, who comes from a farming family in the Punjab. “This kabaddi is totally different from what we used to play in our villages and the players are happy to be playing in front of large crowds — and earning money from the sport.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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