His fingers arent taped or palms powdered as he settles down for a chat, sporting a bright red tee and a hint of a smile. It doesnt take much to get Rio-bound shot putter Inderjeet Singh, towering at 6 5, talking, his little faith in the countrys sports administrators recurring through the length of the conversation, much like a bad dream.With a throw of 20.65 m, Inderjeet achieved the Olympic qualification mark at the Federation Cup in Mangalore in May last year, becoming the first Indian track and field athlete to do so. Now with the Rio Games less than a month away, he doesnt want to go on a training overdrive and wear out his body. I was adamant about qualifying early since I had no funds or support for training. I realized that this would be the best way to make people sit up and take notice, he says.In July last year, he became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the World University Games in Gwanju, South Korea. In fact he won Indias first-ever medal, a silver, in the sport in the 2013 edition of the event. Interestingly, he competed wearing borrowed shoes, two inches smaller than his feet size as his luggage got misplaced.Though its his maiden Olympic experience, 28-year-old Inderjeet, originally hailing from Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab, chooses not to obsess over it. I just want to go out there and give my best shot. I should have no regrets. The learning that I gain from the experience will be invaluable. This will not be my last Olympics.A five-month training at the Aphelion Athletics Club, Pennsylvania from November last year with coaches Pritam Singh and Shakti Singh, Inderjeet acknowledges, widened his understanding of the sport and helped introspect on his own performance. It was a new experience for me. Jab hum apne area se bahar nikalte hai tab humme pata lagta hai ki kya reh gaya aur kya karna hai (Only with exposure do you understand your failings and what needs to be done to address them). Also, I feel I was overtraining in US. Now Ive recovered, Im ready. Im looking to participate in a few competitions before Rio. The Grand Prix to be conducted by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on July 10-11 figures high on his checklist.Usually tall and powerfully built, shot putters are required to throw a metal ball, tucked between the neck and shoulder, weighing around 7.2 kg (women compete with a lighter ball weighing no more than 4 kg) from the throwing circle set around 1 inch below the ground level into the landing sector. Making one and a half revolutions across the circle to add power to the throw, the athlete has three shots to attempt to land the ball farthest into the landing area.Despite being named in the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme, it took Inderjeet close to four months to receive clearance to train in US under his coaches. Processes should be simpler. Also administrators shouldnt impose things on athletes, our opinion should be solicited.The Sports Authority of India (SAI) had rejected his request to take his personal coaches along with him to US. It was only after he threatened to quit the TOP scheme that it was accepted.Inderjeets story is one that finds resonance among a large cross-section of Indian athletes. With his father, the sole breadwinner of the family, passing away early, they were left with little option but to sell off most of their property to fund his training and dietary needs. Humare ghar mein agar ek paisa bhi milta tha na, corner mein pada, toh saara mere pe lagaya gaya - isko banana hai (Even if there was a single paisa?found lying in any corner of the house, it was spent on furthering my dreams). It took me 15 years and a lot of struggles to find myself where Im today. There were times when I thought of quitting the sport. My struggles continue. Athletes should speak up. If we dont, administrators will continue to impose their will on us. The onus is on us to pave an easier path for the next generation of athletes.Inderjeets coach and friends would turn on their motorcycle headlights so he could train at the Bhim stadium in Bhiwani, which had no lights, in the evenings.Much hasnt changed even today, he rues. Humare desh mein toh khiladi galti se bante hain?(In India, athletes are made by accident). Larry Johnson Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. 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People are reportedly watching less football on TV this season. Theyre betting less on it, too.According to Nevada Gaming Control numbers released last week, $308.5 million was wagered on football, both pro and college, in September at the states regulated sportsbooks. Thats a year-over-year decrease of nearly $6 million, despite a similar number of games.Overall, the amount bet with Nevadas 190 sportsbooks was down 3.9 percent on all sports in September, year-over-year.Its a slight decrease -- but notable after several years of overall growth. For six consecutive years, Nevadas books have enjoyed record handle -- the amount bet -- on all sports. In 2015, $4.2 billion was bet on sports in the states 190 regulated sportsbooks, which are consolidated among roughly a dozen companies. Thats nearly double the amount bet in 2005.Last year, record amounts were bet on both basketball ($1.2 billion) and baseball ($897.3 million). Football, however, saw a small decrease. In 2015, $1.6 billion was bet on NFL and college football, down from $1.7 billion in 2014. That trend appears to be continuing this football season, on top of questions about TV ratings.?It has been a little bit of an off year, MGM vice president of race and sports Jay Rood said. Not bad, but not double-digit growth like weve been used to the last few years.Football remains king, though. An hour before Game 5 of the World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians began, more bets had been placed on just the Dallas Cowboys in their night game against the Philadelphia Eagles than had been placed on both teams in the World Series at Caesars sportsbooks.Nevada Gaming Control does not track the betting on the NFL and NCAA football separately, but Rood said the action on the NFL has seen a much sharper decrease than on college football.dddddddddddd As of last week, Rood said his NFL handle was down around 8 percent year over year, compared to just a 2 percent on college football. The MGM is one of the largest sportsbook operators in Nevada. Caesars said its handle was down nearly 5 percent in September.[I] attribute a small portion of that to the quality of the prime-time matchups, especially Thursday and Sunday night games, said Bill Sattler, director of specialty games at Caesars Entertainment.The dip in handle has not impacted the books success rate, though. They won $36.9 million on football in September, making it the fourth-most profitable football month ever for the house. The books held a whopping 11.94 percent of the money wagered on football in September. Over the past five years, the hold percentage on football has ranged from 3.3 percent to 6.50 percent. September, the first full month of the regular season, normally has a higher-than-normal hold percentage, but this September was exceptionally high.In fact, the books may have done a little too well in September, leading to the decrease in handle.The books really did well this September, which really affects the rollover, said Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports at the Westgate SuperBook. Youre always going to have less handle.Kornegay added that football handle is up at the SuperBook, noting this is the first football season theyve offered mobile sports betting. ' ' '