Stop pouring money into development of cricket in America

[Desi]

A lot of talk about trying to increase cricket's popularity in the states which has only resulted in a lot of wasted money and time. As someone who was born and raised in the states, I'm telling you the sport will never catch on here. Americans are too prideful to let it come in the way of basketball, baseball, football, etc.

These resources need to be invested in the various European countries who are genuinely seeking to improve their status in world cricket. They are the future, along with the desi countries whose passion for it is unsurpassed.

Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland (who were once promising), Afghanistan, these guys need to be nurtured and helped.

 

[Snow]

I agree, teams those are composed of Immigrants shouldn't get much of money.

 

[Silly Point]

The reason they're desperate to get US involved in T20 is that the return on profit could be huge if it works.

 

[AJK]

Cricket has no chance in USA where even soccer struggles; even fans rather watch foreign leagues than MLS. Can't image there would ever be a US test team. T20 was the only realistic hope if their was decent administration but I believe the board is run by desi's (read corrupt) and it would have direct competition from baseball.

 

[eradicator]

You forgot Nepal.

 

[menace2society]

Too many competing sports that are more popular.

Even if it did succeed it would pull in revenues comparative to New Zealand.

Its all about air time. Do you know how much a prime time slot of 6pm to 9pm would cost on an American channel?

Dream on.

Pakistan needs the investment, that's where the ROI is.

 

[Mamoon]

USA are rubbish at international team sports anyway.

 

[zulfiqar]

I agree that cricket will never catch on here. Even soccer only very recently gained a few fans (by a few I mean very few).

Football, basketball and baseball are king here. I really don't think they try to 'suppress' other sports. Truth is that the average American is already watching too many sports, so absorbing another one is hard. Most of my desi friends I know follow like 4-5 sports all at once (since cricket is in our blood and most of us love soccer as well). And yes, when it's football season, no other sport matters.

Agree about investing in the European/Asian countries

 

[EarthBoltX]

USA are rubbish at international team sports anyway.

Spot on.

 

[Dragon]

They only care about NFL

 

[LA Guy]

Cricket will never fly in USA. It is too slow and boring for an average American, only immigrants from South East Asia still have interest in it, children of Pakistani/Indian immigrants have no clue about the game nor do they care.
Test and one day games forget it even the T20 format is painful for Americans and here is how an American friend explained it.
To start with captains of both teams come out toss a coin and decide which team is going to do what, they leave and now there is a down time of about 10 minutes, fielding team finally appears slowly and lazily and it takes them few more minutes to take their positions, few more minutes later two batsmen start walking towards wickets, no rush, no pep just a walk in the park few minutes they settle down and the batsman is now ready to face the bowler but wait he found something on the pitch and hitting god knows what on the pitch around him with his bat. Finally the bowler start his mile long walk slowly for the first delivery, as he is ready to deliver he is stopped some time by the umpire because the batsman on the other hand has got some issues with his shoelaces, gloves or pads.
15 minutes or so has gone by without any excitement, this is too much for public to take it here, in this time basket ball already in full swing and have 10 to 15 points on the board, even baseball which is slow game for Americans have few outs and may be a score.
Yes stop wasting money and hoping this game has no chance in America

 

[Fire Bird]

Great post. USA is never going to be a cricketing nation. I can understand why the ICC wants to promote cricket in the USA. USA is a big market and the revenue can be a big plyus for global cricket. But what the ICC doesnt understand is USA is not big on international sports.

They like franchise based sports and that too only American sports like American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey. Even the MLS soccer is not that populat there. Within the four major american sports, baseball takes a backseat to NFL and basketball. It may also be behind ice hockey but im not sure.

If baseball itself is not favored there, Im pretty sure cricket is not going to take off. Americans are notoruios for being impatient. They find 3 hours of baseball boring because there is a lot of non-playing time in that sport. Batters milling around, managers arguing with the umpires while chewing their tobacco and stuff like that LOL. They will go to sleep if they see how much time is wasted in cricekt especially these days with the extended drinks breaks and players taking their sweet time setting their fields and problems with the sight screen etc.

ICC needs to get out of there and invest in countries that are actually interested such as Ireland, Netehrlands, Afghanistan, Nepal, etc.

 

[liaqat]

That money should be sent to the likes of Holland and Ireland Scotland, and other associates.

Only country that i would like to see come up in cricket is China,

Would be nice seeing them play, so Icc should pushing and investing there at grass root's level,

Kenya and Zimbabwe should be supported,
Lets not loose the countries that are playing to begin with

 

[liaqat]

Also why is South America been totally been ignored,

 

[Mamoon]

Also why is South America been totally been ignored,

They are obsessed with football. Cricket will never be credible sport in those countries.

 

[FreakCricket]

Cricket will never fly in USA. It is too slow and boring for an average American, only immigrants from South East Asia still have interest in it, children of Pakistani/Indian immigrants have no clue about the game nor do they care.
Test and one day games forget it even the T20 format is painful for Americans and here is how an American friend explained it.
To start with captains of both teams come out toss a coin and decide which team is going to do what, they leave and now there is a down time of about 10 minutes, fielding team finally appears slowly and lazily and it takes them few more minutes to take their positions, few more minutes later two batsmen start walking towards wickets, no rush, no pep just a walk in the park few minutes they settle down and the batsman is now ready to face the bowler but wait he found something on the pitch and hitting god knows what on the pitch around him with his bat. Finally the bowler start his mile long walk slowly for the first delivery, as he is ready to deliver he is stopped some time by the umpire because the batsman on the other hand has got some issues with his shoelaces, gloves or pads.
15 minutes or so has gone by without any excitement, this is too much for public to take it here, in this time basket ball already in full swing and have 10 to 15 points on the board, even baseball which is slow game for Americans have few outs and may be a score.
Yes stop wasting money and hoping this game has no chance in America

How much time is wasted in NFL match? Your argument is flawed

 

[FreakCricket]

Cricket has a culture, and let it be the way it is. Yankees don't want English sports anyways and expats are useless when it comes to growth of a sports. I say ban expats playing for international teams

 

[doggy2020]

Perhaps add some bikni clad girl umpires(hired from Russia) in the mix it will take off like a rocket in USA.

lol

 

[LA Guy]

How much time is wasted in NFL match? Your argument is flawed

Not even close, NFL is on a clock, every move and action has a time limit and it is seconds not minutes, it is a very fast action packed game that keeps the spectators on the edge all the time

 

[Fire Bird]

How much time is wasted in NFL match? Your argument is flawed

In the NFL, you are allowed 35 seconds from the finish of a play until the next play starts (snapping the football). You need time to align all your teammates in position before the ball is snapped and that requires time. Most of the times you will see teams snap before the 35 secs to hurry the opponent defense and make them tired. NFL is more strategy oriented than cricket and is also more up tempo than you think. Cricket doesnt have the same intensity.

 

[eradicator]

Is NFL more exciting and action packed than soccer ? Could the presence of NFL be blamed for Americans not getting in a comparatively less action sport of Soccer ?

 

[Fire Bird]

^ Yes. IMO definitely NFL is more exciting than Soccer. It has kept me glued to the TV more than soccer ever could. But then again Europeans and South Americans will disagree.

 

[LA Guy]

In the NFL, you are allowed 35 seconds from the finish of a play until the next play starts (snapping the football). You need time to align all your teammates in position before the ball is snapped and that requires time. Most of the times you will see teams snap before the 35 secs to hurry the opponent defense and make them tired. NFL is more strategy oriented than cricket and is also more up tempo than you think. Cricket doesnt have the same intensity.

Exactly, American Football is a very strategized game, from the time the ball get snapped and the plying teammates trying to keep opponents from getting to the quarterback to the opposite team trying to cover every player while they are running and anticipating quarterback's next move is very difficult and at the same time very exciting for the spectators to watch and appreciate every move, as you said it is a high tempo game and if you understand it completely then you really enjoy it

 

[basitmian]

Hello!
America is a melting pot of Cultures!
There is so much underground cricket happening America.... its not even funny!
There are proper (3 tiered) leagues happening in a state like Minnesota (60 percent Caucasian population and 7 months of snow). I cant imagine whats happening down south.
Every Cricket playing nation has population representation here.

I wish I could provide a statistic with Minority by Countries in US but I dont know how to get it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States


It is just lack of leadership, potential is there and growing every year!

 

[LA Guy]

Is NFL more exciting and action packed than soccer ? Could the presence of NFL be blamed for Americans not getting in a comparatively less action sport of Soccer ?

Soccer is also fast and furious but all that running around back and forth does not guarantee a goal or result and sometime this hard work and running produce no result at all and you go into free kicks, Americans wants to see a result and in Football you get close to getting a touch down or field goal every time you move forward and this anticipation makes it more exciting

 

[NA]

Exactly, American Football is a very strategized game, from the time the ball get snapped and the plying teammates trying to keep opponents from getting to the quarterback to the opposite team trying to cover every player while they are running and anticipating quarterback's next move is very difficult and at the same time very exciting for the spectators to watch and appreciate every move, as you said it is a high tempo game and if you understand it completely then you really enjoy it

I won't call Football a very strategic game. It's however incredibly tactical, perhaps the most tactical of all professional sports. The game often plays like chess or a board-game/computer-game where you set up certain pieces and then in a flurry of action, one "turn" is taken, and you get to set up the pieces again. The basic problem however is the length of time it takes to have the one-hour of official play time. The games normally take around three hours to complete. And this game-time to play-time ratio is perfect for showing advertisements.

Now, ODI has absolutely no chance in US, let alone test-cricket, but T20 leagues can succeed in theory. T20 game takes about a little more time than a football game and somewhat less than what is usual for a baseball game in MLS. There are enough opportunities to show TV advertisements too. It can work.

 

[Khaseer]

The most popular sport on earth, Soccer/football is way down the list in american sports. Cricket has no chance whatsoever in the US. No point trying.

 

[Khaseer]

The most popular sport on earth, Soccer/football is way down the list in american sports. Cricket has no chance whatsoever in the US. No point trying.

 

[Gujra]

Cricket would never prevail in U.S.A simple reason it is a not invented in America.

 

[Stewie]

Hello!
America is a melting pot of Cultures!
There is so much underground cricket happening America.... its not even funny!
There are proper (3 tiered) leagues happening in a state like Minnesota (60 percent Caucasian population and 7 months of snow). I cant imagine whats happening down south.
Every Cricket playing nation has population representation here.

I wish I could provide a statistic with Minority by Countries in US but I dont know how to get it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States


It is just lack of leadership, potential is there and growing every year!

I am down south and an old veteran of the local cricket league. In nearly 16 years, I have yet to see an "American" show any interest in the sport, let alone play it.


Like some others have already said, Americans will never play cricket. Out of the question.

The only hope is immigrants like us and as long as there is a steady stream of immigrants, the game will continue to be played but never have any grass roots structure, development or long term commitment. There may be times when you get a few really good immigrant players but when they retire and the replacements are not good enough, you are looking at abject failure. A

 

[iHammad]

No need to put extra money in promoting it, best way is to just broadcast it - those that want to watch it will

 

[Fire Bird]

Exactly, American Football is a very strategized game, from the time the ball get snapped and the plying teammates trying to keep opponents from getting to the quarterback to the opposite team trying to cover every player while they are running and anticipating quarterback's next move is very difficult and at the same time very exciting for the spectators to watch and appreciate every move, as you said it is a high tempo game and if you understand it completely then you really enjoy it

Yeah totally forgot about the coordination part of it. The whole need to be organized as a unit to be in sync with one another. The linemen need to block for enough time to get the quarterback set to throw, the quarterback needs to get set and wait until one or more of their receivers get separation from their coverage, receivers need to run their routes and improvise to get that separation, running backs need to follow the blocks and think on the run literally. Great sport. Its a shame most people outside the USA think its a dumb sport when in fact a lot of thinking and strategising goes on prior and during the game.

Now, ODI has absolutely no chance in US, let alone test-cricket, but T20 leagues can succeed in theory. T20 game takes about a little more time than a football game and somewhat less than what is usual for a baseball game in MLS. There are enough opportunities to show TV advertisements too. It can work.

Yup in theory alright Soccer is a much more global and popular sport but it still has not gained a foothold in the USA even after trying for a long time. Cricket just doesnt stand a chance.

The most popular sport on earth, Soccer/football is way down the list in american sports. Cricket has no chance whatsoever in the US. No point trying.

Cricket would never prevail in U.S.A simple reason it is a not invented in America.

Spot on.

 

[Gigii]

American sports are based on set plays which is why cricket should be more to their liking than football. Theoretically speaking. But Americans don't like draws.

The USA actually have a decent national football side, they should make it to the next round, even the quarters of the World Cup.

 

[basitmian]

I am down south and an old veteran of the local cricket league. In nearly 16 years, I have yet to see an "American" show any interest in the sport, let alone play it.


Like some others have already said, Americans will never play cricket. Out of the question.

The only hope is immigrants like us and as long as there is a steady stream of immigrants, the game will continue to be played but never have any grass roots structure, development or long term commitment. There may be times when you get a few really good immigrant players but when they retire and the replacements are not good enough, you are looking at abject failure. A

While I agree on player talent but I believe the immigrant talent will show up once a proper infrastructure is there. Even american born of Immigrants play cricket.

I still believe its lack of leadership, why cant the leadership create a state team competitions and televise it on youtube/ u-stream and publicize/market on Facebook twitter. Create a healthy competition! Sponsors will come once the events get more popularity,
Problem is that greedy people got hold of the board and instead of eating an elephant 1 bite at a time they want to implement a whole system without trial and error at a smaller level.
I am still hopeful.

 

[Fire Bird]

While I agree on player talent but I believe the immigrant talent will show up once a proper infrastructure is there. Even american born of Immigrants play cricket.

I still believe its lack of leadership, why cant the leadership create a state team competitions and televise it on youtube/ u-stream and publicize/market on Facebook twitter. Create a healthy competition! Sponsors will come once the events get more popularity,
Problem is that greedy people got hold of the board and instead of eating an elephant 1 bite at a time they want to implement a whole system without trial and error at a smaller level.
I am still hopeful.

I doubt it. The only 2nd gen people who play it may be of Pak origin that too not a lot of them. I know quite a few Ind origin 2nd genners who dont understand how one could like the sport. They could be just pulling my leg but they are not interested in cricket. They are mildly interested in T20 but not enough to watch it.

 

[basitmian]

Yeah totally forgot about the coordination part of it. The whole need to be organized as a unit to be in sync with one another. The linemen need to block for enough time to get the quarterback set to throw, the quarterback needs to get set and wait until one or more of their receivers get separation from their coverage, receivers need to run their routes and improvise to get that separation, running backs need to follow the blocks and think on the run literally. Great sport. Its a shame most people outside the USA think its a dumb sport when in fact a lot of thinking and strategising goes on prior and during the game.



Yup in theory alright Soccer is a much more global and popular sport but it still has not gained a foothold in the USA even after trying for a long time. Cricket just doesnt stand a chance.





Spot on.

Who says Soccer is a failure in US? It may not be the top most sports but take a look at revenue and ratings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_in_the_United_States

23mil viewers and $320 mil contracts

Can cricket do atleast 5% of that? I think so... provided we have proper infrastructure with proper leaders.

 

[LA Guy]

I won't call Football a very strategic game. It's however incredibly tactical, perhaps the most tactical of all professional sports. The game often plays like chess or a board-game/computer-game where you set up certain pieces and then in a flurry of action, one "turn" is taken, and you get to set up the pieces again. The basic problem however is the length of time it takes to have the one-hour of official play time. The games normally take around three hours to complete. And this game-time to play-time ratio is perfect for showing advertisements.

Now, ODI has absolutely no chance in US, let alone test-cricket, but T20 leagues can succeed in theory. T20 game takes about a little more time than a football game and somewhat less than what is usual for a baseball game in MLS. There are enough opportunities to show TV advertisements too. It can work.

I don't think it is the time factor, the way cricket is played in a lazy gentlemen way manner will be hard for Americans to swallow

 

[basitmian]

I doubt it. The only 2nd gen people who play it may be of Pak origin that too not a lot of them. I know quite a few Ind origin 2nd genners who dont understand how one could like the sport. They could be just pulling my leg but they are not interested in cricket. They are mildly interested in T20 but not enough to watch it.

Have you been to or played in Chicago?
That is relative to your perspective.

 

[Stewie]

While I agree on player talent but I believe the immigrant talent will show up once a proper infrastructure is there. Even american born of Immigrants play cricket.

I still believe its lack of leadership, why cant the leadership create a state team competitions and televise it on youtube/ u-stream and publicize/market on Facebook twitter. Create a healthy competition! Sponsors will come once the events get more popularity,
Problem is that greedy people got hold of the board and instead of eating an elephant 1 bite at a time they want to implement a whole system without trial and error at a smaller level.
I am still hopeful.

I have seen a handful of first generation guys born to immigrants play cricket here.

And they have tried televising that stuff but who are you marketing it to? Average Americans are getting more than their fill with Basketball, Football and baseball. Last thing they want is a sport with links to their colonial era.

Even a global sport like soccer has had a bad time establishing itself to where it is today over the years. There is no way I see it happening with cricket. Even T20 takes about as long as a baseball game which is now dying here because it takes too long and is "boring"

When you want to look at prospects of an overall appeal of something of this sort you have to look at a macro level and not micro level. Dont just look at the metropolitan areas or big cities or where you are. Consider small town USA as well. We are at least 50 years behind associates such as Ireland, Afghanistan, Netherlands, etc where there is still decent infrastructure or massive cricket following.

We have scattered local leagues in the USA and the leadership is abysmal at the zonal or national level.

I stand by my opinion. Cricket is a lost cause in the US. It is only for immigrants to enjoy as a past time and thats about it.

 

[srh]

Football
Basketball
Baseball
Ice Hockey

These will always be 4 major sports in USA

 

[basitmian]

I have seen a handful of first generation guys born to immigrants play cricket here.

And they have tried televising that stuff but who are you marketing it to? Average Americans are getting more than their fill with Basketball, Football and baseball. Last thing they want is a sport with links to their colonial era.

Even a global sport like soccer has had a bad time establishing itself to where it is today over the years. There is no way I see it happening with cricket. Even T20 takes about as long as a baseball game which is now dying here because it takes too long and is "boring"

When you want to look at prospects of an overall appeal of something of this sort you have to look at a macro level and not micro level. Dont just look at the metropolitan areas or big cities or where you are. Consider small town USA as well. We are at least 50 years behind associates such as Ireland, Afghanistan, Netherlands, etc where there is still decent infrastructure or massive cricket following.

We have scattered local leagues in the USA and the leadership is abysmal at the zonal or national level.

I stand by my opinion. Cricket is a lost cause in the US. It is only for immigrants to enjoy as a past time and thats about it.

Where I differ in the view is that, there is no point for marketing Cricket to regular Caucasian joe. Why not market it to the 10 mil Immigrants, if Hong Kong can have a cricket team full of immigrants then why not America. Focus on Immigrants so there is atleast a team in minnows.
Why are we thinking US will be a power house in Cricket, it will never be but once we start small, it will grow with proper leadership. First leadership then Infrastructure.

 

[Bickers]

ICC are only interested in countries with large TV markets. They don't actually care about cricket itself.

 

[world cup captain]

ICC are only interested in countries with large TV markets. They don't actually care about cricket itself.

Spot on!

 

[yadunoe]

we should try developing it in European and arab countries

 

[siqbal00]

A lot of talk about trying to increase cricket's popularity in the states which has only resulted in a lot of wasted money and time. As someone who was born and raised in the states, I'm telling you the sport will never catch on here. Americans are too prideful to let it come in the way of basketball, baseball, football, etc.

These resources need to be invested in the various European countries who are genuinely seeking to improve their status in world cricket. They are the future, along with the desi countries whose passion for it is unsurpassed.

Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland (who were once promising), Afghanistan, these guys need to be nurtured and helped.

We got fantastic cricket programs going on in USA, none sponsored by ICC. There are 14000 registered player alone in NJ. Quite few schools have started offering cricket as sports option. In NJ there are more than 8 or so indoor academies busy all year around. Everything takes time, I am hopeful in 5 to 10 year you will see good talent emerging from USA.
BTW, keep ur money ... probably stinking #big3 need more than us.

 

[choclate]

^ Yes. IMO definitely NFL is more exciting than Soccer. It has kept me glued to the TV more than soccer ever could. But then again Europeans and South Americans will disagree.

Been in US for 18 years, yet to watch a super bowl game even half way through- never got into it.
NBA/Basketball is the only local sports that i followed for a couple of years during college years until cricinfo IRC commentary came online and back to living and breathing cricket. My 8.5 year old son woke up at 4:30am to watch the Pakistan-Bangla game from first to the last ball and am damn proud of it and ofcourse his favorite player is

 

[choclate]

Who says Soccer is a failure in US? It may not be the top most sports but take a look at revenue and ratings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_in_the_United_States

23mil viewers and $320 mil contracts

Can cricket do atleast 5% of that? I think so... provided we have proper infrastructure with proper leaders.

5% of this will be $15 million not a big deal in terms of investment that will be required but i am all for it

 

[OZGOD]

A lot of talk about trying to increase cricket's popularity in the states which has only resulted in a lot of wasted money and time. As someone who was born and raised in the states, I'm telling you the sport will never catch on here. Americans are too prideful to let it come in the way of basketball, baseball, football, etc.

These resources need to be invested in the various European countries who are genuinely seeking to improve their status in world cricket. They are the future, along with the desi countries whose passion for it is unsurpassed.

Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland (who were once promising), Afghanistan, these guys need to be nurtured and helped.

It's not really anything to do with being prideful and more about 2 things: 1) having a grassroots culture in the sport; and 2) having a pathway to professionalism through the high school and college system.

The biggest issue is in creating the grassroots. You have to have kids know about the game and want to play the game at a reasonably mass level. When you talk about the major sports in the US, they are all played by kids at a young age, from the under-7s onward. Even lower profile sports like field hockey and lacrosse are offered in school. That's where you have to generate the interest. Even rugby is offered in some colleges, particularly in the East Coast.

But the grassroots isn't enough - to hit the big time there has to be a path to professionalism. That's what soccer struggled with for so long - it was, and is, the most popular junior team sport in the US, ahead of baseball, football and basketball, but for aspiring athletes there really wasn't a viable career to be made of it, unless you wanted to play for some dinky bush league in the US or move to Europe. It was only when MLS was formed after the 1994 WC that it started to earn column inches in newspapers, got its own hyperlink on ESPN and Fox Sports websites and started to be telecast on cable TV. Despite all that it's still a distant 5th professionally behind the Big Four of the MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL.

I just can't see cricket being anything other than a niche ethnic sport, something that people would go to as a one off out of curiosity. If you think about it Canada should have a stronger cricket tradition as they are a Commonwealth country but if they can't make it work there there's no way they will make it work in the US.

 

[OZGOD]

No need to put extra money in promoting it, best way is to just broadcast it - those that want to watch it will

It's being broadcast on Willow HD on Comcast. Channel 1007. Aimed at the expat India crowd since all the ads are Indian.

 

[Convict]

These are the areas we should try and develop cricket in

Zimbabwe
Ireland
Scotland
Afghanistan
Nepal
Papua New Guinea
Kenya

They are or have actually produced domestic players.

 

[Random Aussie]

Should replace the ball with a gun and then it'll catch on.

 

[Extreme Pace]

Agreed with OP, Cricket is too hard for USA anyways. They likes simple easy sports.

 

[Gujra]

Should replace the ball with a gun and then it'll catch on.

lol forgot to add big mac to it

 

[Friend786]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v4cMLsDoaU

Can France adopt Cricket?

 

[yasir]

USA are rubbish at international team sports anyway.

US has one of the best athletes in the world. US top tier athletes never play international sports. They will never be good at soccer. Basket ball is a different story, they are miles ahead of everybody else, which is a popular sports here...

 

[yasir]

It's being broadcast on Willow HD on Comcast. Channel 1007. Aimed at the expat India crowd since all the ads are Indian.

This is true, no local plays cricket in USA. I have not seen a local on ground in 15 years.

The reality is cricket is Desi sports only. Even in England and AUS desi players can be seen more frequently. Only Desies are really passionate about cricket. In their culture cricket is the only sports. Where as else where it is second or third choice... This is also part of the problem, Desies are not good athletes - Cricket is not a very active sports

 

[Strike!]

I've come to realise that there's only room for one bat/ball sport in a country. And if we look at the countries where cricket has gained popularity recently they have been in the vicinity of already established cricketing nations. Nepal, Afghanistan and Ireland are all examples of this.

In the same way Japan took up baseball in the south east Asia and spread it to Taiwan, Korea, Singapore etc. with their regional influence.

 

[96NotOut]

Agreed. Cricket can't compete with the likes of baseball, football, basketball and hockey.

I'd be surprised of anyone who's not desi or has been born there even knows about it. I only found out cricket was quite a well known sport during the WC11. Before that, the only cricket I knew was the insect.

 

[96NotOut]

Have you been to or played in Chicago?
That is relative to your perspective.

Cricket in Chicago?

 

[FreeBird]

Moreover, we have the most corrupt boards in USA where there are fights malice and groupings every other day. Big time finance corruption is rampant. WI nepotism is predominant to point where Fouad Bacus (former WI player of 70's) captained the USA at 54 years of age. A Pakistani opener who scored 5 consecutive fifties in 5 trial matches was left alone, and had to contact ICC to intervene and finally got in.

 

[FreeBird]

Agreed. Cricket can't compete with the likes of baseball, football, basketball and hockey.

I'd be surprised of anyone who's not desi or has been born there even knows about it. I only found out cricket was quite a well known sport during the WC11. Before that, the only cricket I knew was the insect.

Let me surprise you then.
We had quite a few white Americans contacted us through Internet wishing to learn and play cricket. Many of them were baseball players/fans. We invited those folks and trained them with softball. They loved it.
We also have occaisinal local Americans visit the cricket ground to watch and learn the rules of cricket.
Cricket can boom in USA if govt some how introduces it at school or college level cuz all major sports start at college. T20 will be ideal to inject into Ameican colleges.

 

[96NotOut]

Let me surprise you then.
We had quite a few white Americans contacted us through Internet wishing to learn and play cricket. Many of them were baseball players/fans. We invited those folks and trained them with softball. They loved it.
We also have occaisinal local Americans visit the cricket ground to watch and learn the rules of cricket.
Cricket can boom in USA if govt some how introduces it at school or college level cuz all major sports start at college. T20 will be ideal to inject into Ameican colleges.

Where do you live?

Where I come from, the name of the sport cricket was very rarely uttered, if ever.

But if they were baseball fans, I can relate. I first watched cricket thinking it woukd be something like that.

But I still don't think cricket will ever "boom" in the US. The Americans won't like it. Even I, as a cricket fan, see the US as a country of other sports, not cricket, amd would think there's something wrong if this ever changed.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

I believe there is a chance for cricket to become a famous sport one day in the US. I believe that because I herd that popularity of baseball is falling. If they can introduce cricket during this time, I am sure the game will pick up.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

[Robert]

I think T20 could take off in the USA.

 

[Fastandfurious]

USA are rubbish at international team sports anyway.

They are the best in basketball and one of the best in baseball, ice hockey.

 

[King Cobra]

What is the biggest tournament in Baseball ? Like there is Cricket World Cup for cricket

Are there 8-9 strong baseball teams in the world like there are in Cricket ?

 

[Strike!]

^^There is a baseball world classic but no one cares. Many in the Us don't even know it exists.

 

[ahamedirshad123]

ESPN, the juggernaut sports network controlled by Disney, tried something completely different on Sunday.
+

It aired a cricket match, live, to millions of US viewers, at a time when excitement around the arrival of the new Major League Baseball season is at a fever pitch (pun intended).
+

OK, so the broadcast of the world T20 final between India and Sri Lanka was hardly in primetime (it started at 9am US ET, on Sunday morning) but it was still a watershed moment for the ancient sport, which is tremendously popular in parts of the British Commonwealth including India, Australia, and England but has had a negligible presence in North America for centuries.
+

Just how the broadcast fared on ESPN2, ratings wise, remains to be seen (audience figures won’t be out till Wednesday.) But it looks as though airing live cricket wasn’t just a one-off experiment for ESPN, whose channels are in 96 million American homes. “We think cricket has the chance to get out to a broader audience and be on a bigger platform,” Russell Wolff, ESPN International’s executive vice president told Reuters last week.
+

There are some 30 million self-identified cricket fans in America, Wolff said. They typically have above-average income and levels of education, making reaching them attractive to advertisers. Cricket has consistently been the most-watched sport on ESPN’s online channel, ESPN3.
1

ESPN has a long history of introducing and televising relatively obscure sports (like competitive fishing) and non-sports (like poker) to American audiences. The market for broadcast rights for traditional American sports continues to defy gravity, making international sports a cheap option to fill up vacant programming hours.
+

At the same time, there are signs that American audiences, historically insular when it comes to their games, are warming up to international sports. NBC Universal has been airing English Premier League soccer matches on its various channels (including the NBC network) each week this season and ratings have been healthy.
+

Cricket, which in various forms can last for three hours to five days, is never going to seriously challenge America’s native ballgame, baseball. But it might well attract niche audiences in the world’s largest economy and be a viable programming option for ESPN.

http://qz.com/196399/espn-wants-americans-to-watch-cricket/

 

[Executioner]

agree that cricket has no future is US

Why not invest more on Nepal and elsewhere?

 

[FreeBird]

agree that cricket has no future is US

Why not invest more on Nepal and elsewhere?

Cricket can surely take off in USA if the city govt and educational institutions are involved. It's almost impossible to inject cricket into Americans just by playing there. But it's extremely easy if cricket is introduced as a school or college sports.

 

[Robert]

What is the biggest tournament in Baseball ? Like there is Cricket World Cup for cricket

Are there 8-9 strong baseball teams in the world like there are in Cricket ?

There is the MLB World Series which is annual, like the FA Cup. There are about 26 teams IIRC, in two leagues with slightly different rules of play. Two teams are Canadian.

I love baseball. I enjoy it much more than LO cricket. There is a lovely symmetry to it and the odds shift perceptibly with every pitch.

 

[Gigii]

Maybe the way is to introduce in through the women's game?

Women's football is huge in America, get it into the schools and colleges. It's the opposite over here, American sports need to be shown to generate interest e.g. Super Bowl, I can only ever recall my university doing American Football, never at school.

 

[Executioner]

Cricket can surely take off in USA if the city govt and educational institutions are involved. It's almost impossible to inject cricket into Americans just by playing there. But it's extremely easy if cricket is introduced as a school or college sports.

Don't see that happening.

You want actual US citizens and not expats taking up the game. The reason why I couldn't bother looking at the UAE or HK team because these were no locals there.

 

[MenInG]

Toledoan Shaukat Rashid has watched over the past several years as cricket, a popular sport in his native Pakistan, has gained traction in the U.S.

That growing interest, as well as his personal love for the bat and ball sport, is why Dr. Rashid is overjoyed Toledo councilmen are considering adding a second cricket pitch — or field — to their public park offerings.

There has been one place to play cricket in Toledo since the late 1990s, a pitch at the Beatty Park off Central Avenue. Council on Tuesday will vote on whether to construct and install a new cricket pitch at Winterfield Park in South Toledo.

“There has been significant growth in terms of the community and diversity and immigrants,” said Dr. Rashid, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1993 and moved to Toledo in 2005 to practice medicine. “This will kind of promote the sport but also get the community involved more in terms of what we’re doing.”

Dr. Rashid is a member of the Greater Toledo Cricket Club, affectionately known as Cricket_Boyz Toledo. He said there are about half a dozen cricket leagues around Toledo, including the University of Toledo’s club, and teams from Michigan and Indiana come to Toledo to compete as well.

His club has pledged to split the $18,750 cost of excavating, construction, and installing the new field. He is hopeful that the new field can be fully up and running for next summer’s season, and he is looking forward to hosting mini-camps for adults and kids who want to learn more about the sport.

“It was not really very much used, Winterfield Park, and I think it will bring more positive activities to this area,” Dr. Rashid said. “We want to do an open house and then put camps there.”

Councilman Tyrone Riley said he supports the proposal in part because it will give the youth who live near Winterfield Park exposure to the sport and perhaps something new to get involved in.

“A lot of residents are not familiar with the sport except for when they see it on TV being played,” Mr. Riley said. “In this particular instance they’ll get an opportunity to see it first-hand and also be able to participate by maybe joining one of the clubs or organizations.”

He added that he would like to see other growing sports played at city-owned parks soon. He envisions lacrosse fields at Sleepy Hollow Park or Savage Park.

Councilman Rob Ludeman seconded his colleague’s thoughts. He said he would love to see lacrosse fields installed and also urged parks officials to consider adding more baseball and softball diamonds at parks throughout the city.

Karen Ranney Wolkins, commissioner of parks, recreation, and forestry, said she is open to offering more recreational activities at the public parks if there’s a demand for it.

She added that crews will be able to spruce up the Beatty Park cricket pitch once the work at Winterfield Park is complete, which means hopefully by next summer leagues will have more options for practice, camps, or competitions at the city’s parks.

Dr. Rashid said sports bring people together and he is hopeful a growing interest in cricket could encourage Toledoans to embrace their diverse community.

“Locals and immigrants can all interact in the sport,” he said. “Putting it out to the community and getting the kids involved... to me, it’s important to connect. This may be one avenue to connect.”

https://www.toledoblade.com/local/c...o-toledo-winterfield-park/stories/20190512032