Demonstrating true sportsman’s spirit and enthusiasm, Shah Rukh Khan backs sports as a profession. He says it should be considered a good job opportunity and that parents must be educated about how sports can be a viable career option for their children.
“Parents will always be wary of sports as a profession and I don’t see why they should not be ... Parents will have to see that there is a job opportunity here,” he said at the launch of the Toyota university cricket championship in Mumbai on Thursday.
The owner of Kolkata Knight Riders Indian Premier League he added: “I am a big supporter of sports as a commercial success. Parents should know that it can be a high paying job. Your kids will be proud of you.”
The 47-year-old says is willing to support every sport in the country.
“My movies have given me the position of a brand ambassador of a certain calibre. I would like to utilize that in whatever way possible for sports,” he said.
“I actually would be willing to be the brand ambassador of any sport in the country. I am good at sports. I love sports. I like cricket. Hockey is the best game in the world,” he added.
However, what bothers him is that even today children can’t confidently say that “they want to be a professional sportsman”.
“In the last 25 years, because of the advent of technology, story writers and all, a lot of people want to be in media and films. The age of conventional jobs is over. But I think we have not reached that stage in our country where children can come up and say I want to make sports my job and be a professional sportsperson,” he added.
Other than cricket, Khan also wants to encourage football in India.
“We are the only nation who are on the threshold of development and we don’t have a good football team,” he said and added the most of the developing nations have it “as it is the cheapest sport”.
The actor, whose hit sports-themed movie Chak De! India put women’s hockey in the spotlight, feels the condition of women sports hasn’t changed much.
“I haven’t seen a change. Films reflect society and show the condition of women’s sports. It is sad that the situation is like this. I really think it is more important for women to come up. We keep talking about rights and protection, but I feel one of the biggest things for women is to divert their energies and attention to promote women’s sport,” he said.
Talking about his IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, Khan said: “My team has only one plan, go win the match and win the IPL championship.”
