In this episode of The Average Not Average Podcast, CK Yew and Viktor Axelsen sit down with Ramakrishnan R (Ram) and Rakesh Haridas from Baseline Ventures - the agency behind some of the biggest deals in Indian badminton, representing athletes across 13 sports including PV Sindhu, Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and HS Prannoy. We dig into their journey to the top of athlete representation and sports commercialisation in India, plus what athletes should look for in an agent and what a real sponsorship deal looks like.
We also get into Baseline's ownership of the Prime Volleyball League, the challenges of running a league and team, and how brand partnerships fit into the bigger picture. If you've ever wondered how athletes get signed, sponsored, and built into brands, this one's for you!
Chapter Timestamps:
00:37 Introduction To Ram, Rakesh & Baseline Ventures
03:38 What Sports Agents Do
05:50 Commercial Deals As A Young Athlete
07:33 Adapting Commercial Strategies Throughout A Career
10:43 What Athlete Managers Do At Sporting Events
12:58 How Badminton Compares To Other Sports In India
15:55 How Sponsorship Deals Are Structured
20:24 Sponsorship Challenges During Covid
21:48 Importance Of Social Media & Digital Content
25:29 Evolution Of P. V. Sindhu’s Commercial Partnerships
28:48 Global Value Of Digital Athlete Partnerships
32:29 Opportunities To Professionalise Badminton
34:25 Building India’s Next Generation
38:34 Most Important Tournaments For Athlete Brand Value
41:18 Baseline Ventures’ Business Model & Owning The Prime Volleyball League
45:27 How Prime Volleyball League Partnered With YouTube
48:05 Managing A Professional Volleyball Team
53:51 Lessons From Building A Professional Sports League
55:52 How Baseline Ventures Was Founded
58:59 Baseline Studios & Producing Athlete Content
01:03:17 Favourite Baseline Ventures Moments
01:07:22 Advice For Aspiring Sports Agents
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