Vol. 5, Issue 2, Part A (2023)

India is a country where sports play a vital role in one's life. Sports tourism and adventure sports have become major economic contributors to India, because of financially rising middle class, and the quest for gaining newer travel experiences. The country is serving as a promising destination for emerging adventure sports. Although India has been the center of Sporting activities for over the past two decades and due to globalization of sports, there has been a significant shift in India regarding the commercialization of sports. This is the result of economic liberalization and media expansion along with corporate funding and the beginning of professional leagues. This Research paper aims to analyze the role of media, sponsorships, and private investments by various houses on the sports of India and why sports is being commercialized. Trends concerning revenue generation, viewership, market growth, and other factors are analyzed and interpretated. Apart from this, the research also focuses on the impact of sports commercialization on the sports ecosystem as a whole. These financial shifts and enhancements to varying degrees of competition and ethics indicate that there is a rising financial and ethical concern in sports. Even though commercialization appears to be beneficial to some domains within the sports structure. The study estimates that this dual-sector supports almost 1 million jobs and contributes over ₹8,500 crore to GDP, using a mixed-method approach that combines government data, industry reports, and stakeholder interviews. It highlights important contributors like marathons, cricket leagues, and adventure sports like scuba diving, paragliding, and trekking. India's diversity in topography is an added attraction for the tourist from across the country and the world, the international visitors have boosted the tourism; the market is expected to reach around US$ 11000 million by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1%. With about a million workers and a major role in rural economic growth in states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan contributing the sector significantly boosts India's GDP. Adventure sports in India have also become an emerging part of the tourism and recreation sector, fueled by the diversity of India's geography and the growing middle-class desire for novel experiences. To come out of these serious problems, the study suggests policy intervention, integration of technology, and foreign cooperation to harmonize safety standards, encourage private investment, and enhance regional tourist destinations., India has the potential and truly can establish itself as a worldwide destination for adventure and sports tourism, supporting economic growth, creating jobs, and fostering regional growth by resolving all these important issues. The Paper shows the imperative for developing a strategic framework to realize the sector's socio-economic potential and make India a Universal principal terminus for sport and adventure tourism.