Maybe it’s all the weird terms like bowling a maiden over or being out for a golden duck that puts them off, or maybe it’s because the game can admittedly be a bit slow and go on for as long as five days, but Americans have never been much interested in cricket.
Until now?
New York, a city famously addicted to the baseball rivalry between fans of the Yankees and the Mets, this spring became the first U.S. school district to introduce cricket as a sport in public high schools.
For now, most of the players in the New York City cricket league come from cricketing nations like the West Indies, Pakistan or India but there are signs of more American teenagers taking an interest.
Will it — could it — ever catch on in America? Or is there something basically alien about the game to Americans? (Oh, and here are the rules)
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10 comments so far
God I hope not.
- Posted by Ben JeffriesApart from the miniscule amount of Pakistani, Indian, or West Indian fans residing in the US, the future of this “sport” in the U.S. is doomed before it starts.
- Posted by Cuban PeteIt’ll take a while. These are the key reasons:
- Posted by graham mellorso much depends on the state of the cricket square and wicket condition - Americans do not generally do manicured surfaces other than astro turf; there will be lobbying (maybe litigation!) about the dangers of the cricket ball that is much harder and goes faster than a baseball and, apart from the wicket keeper, has to be caught by players with bare hands; the game, even one-day / limited overs is indeed slow compared with other sports -it will take Americans a while to appreciate the skill and concentration involved caused by a hard, deliberately proud seamed ball being bowled (’pitched’) onto the pitch in front of the batter and in, for example facing spin bowling / playing a spin bowler on a dry pitch, late in an innings.
Cricket needs to be sold as a higher intellect, minimal body contact sport for seriously athletic folk who maybe like a touch of danger and risks somewhat like those faced by a professional gun slinger! As opposed to a game of golf that takes as long if not longer and is very tame and pointless.
What an appalling prospect!
- Posted by MatthewVery little or no chances
1. Attitude of people involved in US cricket
2. Attitude of Americans.
Americans will question a 5-day cricket but will go and watch Golf for 4 days. Americans will watch 2 NFL games or 3 college football or basket ball games but will not watch a one-day cricket game that will last for about 6 hours. Americans will watch a baseball game but will they watch a Twenty20 game that will last close to 3 hours? No they will not. You will only hear some age-old excuses on why someone cannot watch Cricket.
There is a remote chance that T20 Cricket may become popular in the US. It all depends on marketing…how well the marketing can break the mindset of Americans. In comparison with baseball, T20 Cricket has got more actions, more runs, more music, more dance and guaranteed finishing in 3 hours or lesser (excuse – you see it is not baseball).
- Posted by TimAmericans will probably never fall in love with the longer format cricket matches, BUT the 20/20 cricket format has potential. The faster paced action and high scoring may actually appeal to US sports fans. It’s basically baseball on steroids. Oh wait…baseball’s already on steroids.
- Posted by GWI think it will be good for this country if we find some ons like Alan Stanford to promote the game amoung the older cricket playing nations in the us like a 20-20 series and take it from there in NY, CT and MA you have over 200 teams that could promote the game in these area but we need help in doing so and also because of the lenght of the game it will help to keep our kids off the streets and out of trouble.
- Posted by MarkFunny~ Right now I\’m walking distance from where that photo was taken! (Edgewater Park in the Bronx.. On Friday evenings you can see a sea of yellow taxis in the parking lot as many south asians gather en mass to play~)
It\’s true. Most of the people who are in to cricket in the NY area are from former british overseas nations like the indies of east and west..
- Posted by AndrewThough there is a chance that it will catch on amongst a sporting subculture, as many sports do here.
The factor most overlooked is that a \”sporting subculture\” in a nation of 300million with buying power, is more signicant than the population of many nations in their entirety.
It won\’t catch up to baseball, ever. Though I would not be suprised if a market does emerge, however small in comparison to the major sports of the US.
Whatever that is worth, it\’s a fun game while bbq\’ing on sundays in the park!
Some of the comments above are reminiscent of the derogatory ones made in the past in the States about soccer. But if kids are introduced to a non-US sport at a young age then the soccer experience shows that Americans can be made to both understand and enjoy sports that do not have “made in America” stamped all over them. Cricket is a great game that encourages teamwork, patience (admittedly not one of the perceived strengths of American society)and an appreciation of tactics. I wish the New York schools project success.
- Posted by LachlanI doubt it. Don´t they already have sports fatigue with all the different options they have, what with “soccer” being pushed on them as well now?
They could grow to love T20 because it is a fantastic game and does not need the patience or endurance of a 5-day test. As has been said, it is all about the marketing.
- Posted by Tom Morgan