When the topic of cricket in the U.S. comes up, we often think of those foreign to the sport or migrants trying to establish it. This week's "Beyond the Boundary" aims to point out the challenges of another group, those cricket fans that grow up having never played or watched the sport in person.

by Saaib Uppal (3rd December 2012)

Cricket, that’s the sport where the ball rolls on the ground right?” For those of you living in countries where cricket isn’t as prevalent as other parts of the world, this question shouldn’t be foreign to you. Indeed while it’s often said that cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, it is largely unknown to the giant nations in North America, specifically the United States. To this day, the rules remain a mystery to a majority of the residents of these countries and any talk or play is usually by migrants from areas of the world such as South Asia or the West Indies.

This article isn’t about those that are strangers to the sport, however. Neither is it about those migrants that come for school or better opportunities. Rather, it is about those fans that are children of those migrants. I’m referring to those who were born and/or grew up in countries such as the U.S. What are some of the challenges that they face?

Let’s first talk as a fan of the sport. There are obviously some benefits that others in the world are able to take advantage of that aren’t available in the U.S. For starters, being able to attend an international cricket match. The roar of the crowd, watching the best players in the world up close, and experiencing the intensity of a tense moment are all aspects of the game that are foreign to this audience. And accessibility of the sport on television? Practically non-existent. Sure, you can purchase services other than your standard cable package, but is everybody able to install a satellite on their house and pay a separate amount just for cricket? That too for channels that may not even have broadcast rights to the series you want to watch?

As a player of cricket, you don’t really start to develop until far after you’ve been exposed to the other main sports. Your friends are all playing any one, if not more than one, of (American) football, (ice) hockey, basketball, baseball, or even soccer. Not only that, you then go through school and once you’ve reached middle school or high school, you’re being recruited to these sports to play for your school. Where does cricket come in? Often, it’s not until you reach college and you run into students that come from abroad and have started small clubs or joined inter-state leagues that you discover cricket for the first time. Needless to say, picking up a cricket bat for the first time at the age of 18 isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. With no coaching or advice being readily available, it’s the tutorials on YouTube that are the resource that many turn to.

So you can’t watch the sport in person, it’s not easily available on TV, most of your friends probably have never heard of it, let alone play it, and you have to go through self-teaching to get the gist of it. With these odds to go up against, it’s no wonder that cricket is as unknown as it is in the areas of the world mentioned earlier. But is there an interest that can be developed in the future? I believe there is.

In November 2007, an ICC-approved cricket ground opened in Lauderhill, Florida. Soon after, the first ever international match was held in the USA as New Zealand and Sri Lanka battled it out in a T20 series in 2010. This year, the West Indies joined the party and the crowd that came viewed brutal hitting from Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard as they scored 108 runs in their 43 ball partnership. Who knows how long it is until we see similar stadiums being built in other parts of the country. Another breakthrough was made when ESPN bought the US rights of all ICC events from 2012 – 2015. This included World Twenty20s, U-19 World Cups, and the 2015 World Cup. They were also able to sign the rights to the Champions League Twenty20. No longer are fans forced to pay a separate premium for these events and experience inconsistent streaming links, but instead they can now just download an app on their phone and view this action in high-definition for no additional cost. The 2012 World Twenty20 final even made its way onto the popular television channel, ESPN2. With talks of a Twenty20 league being formed in the US similar to others around the globe, perhaps it will be just that additional exposure that these fans need that will get them interested in the sport earlier on in their lives.

Will these recent changes get the cricket marketing men to match those found around the world? It would be ridiculous to say so. But what they can do is give those fans that are intrigued by the sport a few more resources to take advantage of. And for those for whom cricket is an unknown? Maybe they’ll be able to answer the question that we opened with and follow it up with even more.  

Discuss!