Cricket is an international sport, defined as bat and ball
game, played between two teams of 11 players each on a grassy field. The sport
is the second most popular sport behind soccer in the world but most people are
not aware of this. Cricket is very well developed in many countries and these
countries are categorized as Full Members, Associate Members and Affiliate
Members. Each country is governed by its own Cricket Association and the
International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body of
cricket.

 

The emerging version of the game is the T20 match. These
matches are played with each team batting for 20 overs. It is a rapid fire
match and an incredibly accelerated version of cricket compared to the other
formats. A typical match lasts for a duration of three hours. Many
people in the United States who are much aware of baseball are fascinated to
learn that cricket looks similar when watched.

 

The purpose of the study was to investigate and research the
sport of cricket and the current impact it has in the United States. There are
many sports that play a predominant role within the USA, is there a gap in the
market for Cricket? In theory, is there a presence of the sport which would
lead to a successful sporting event in the USA.  In conclusion of research, data produced would
determine whether a cricket event in Los Angeles would be beneficial from a
business and spectator standpoint.

 

 

–      
Research was focused on

 

Research was focused on the levels of participation of the
sport. Finding out whether there is a fan base for cricket in USA? Researching
the decline of other sports which can possibly lead to a rise of attraction for
a new entertaining sport like Cricket.

 

–      
Data supports the need to

 

With sufficient and accurate data, this will support the
need that there is a gap in the market for Cricket. Data will show whether
Cricket is a sport that can establish itself here in the USA and attract the
high number of fans to a sporting event. In theory, is this sport appealing and
attractive for the American market?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on research, there is little/ a lot of evidence…

 

Research shows that Cricket does have a substantial
following in the USA. There are currently 49 leagues across the United
States with 1,100 registered clubs and around 35,000 active participants, all
under the country’s governing body for the sport, the United States of America
Cricket Association (USACA).  This is not
surprising as there are 12 million Asian immigrants in the
U.S who now are trying to promote the game by playing at recreational league
levels.

 

History of Cricket in USA

 

Cricket has been played in the United States since
the 18th century; the first formal clubs were formed in the 1820s. During the
1850s and 1860s, the popularity of cricket rivaled that of baseball. Later in
the 19th century, American teams sometimes competed against British and
Canadian teams. The first International match was played between the United
States and Canada. Nonetheless, interest in the game waned and, by the early
20th century, organized cricket almost vanished in the United States. The game
is still played, although primarily by informal clubs composed of immigrant
members, foreign students visiting the United States for study. This slow
resurgence did not have a great impact on the American population.

 

Cricket Today in USA

 

A Columbia University survey
estimated there are 15 million cricket fans nationwide in 2009. In 2016, ESPN
estimated there to be as many as 30 million fans in the US.

 

Many immigrants and foreign students who came to
the United States to study from the South Asia and West Indies which are strong
holds on cricket helped the growth of the game during the second half of the
20th century and gained its popularity in the United States. Cricket received a
boost when President Dwight D. Eisenhower attended a cricket match and also
helped to establish the United States of America Cricket Association (USACS)
REFERENCE. A series of matches that had been dropped off were re-established
and thus cricket gained ground in the United States.

 

Wikipedia.

History of United States Cricket, 2018
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_cricket, accessed Jan
2018

 

Later the United States of America Cricket
Association gained its position as an Associate Member of the International
Cricket Council. It participated in the ICC trophy and played many matches and
continued to improve. But unfortunately, due to the poor administration of the
USACA, it was suspended from the ICC in 2005 and the team was out of the
competition. It gained its position again later in 2007 but due to the same
administration reasons it was suspended again in 2008 and later in 2010 it was
recognized again.

 

Although the United States is yet to appear in an
ICC Cricket World Cup, the sport’s elite global tournament, it holds the
distinction of being one of only five countries — along with Bermuda, Canada,
the Netherlands and Papua New Guinea — to participate in every qualifying
tournament until 2014, for which it failed to qualify. It played in another
elite event, the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004, where it lost to New Zealand and
Australia, two of the sport’s major powers.

 

Cricket has had its moments in America. In 2015, the Cricket All
Stars series took place in the USA. For its inaugural series, a group of
retired cricket legends was divided into two teams. The two teams played a
series throughout the United States. The first match was in New York City, the
second match was in Houston and the last match was in Los Angeles. According to
many of the players, the reception for the players was amazing, and the
atmosphere was electric. After a crowd of 36,000 in New York and 27,000 in
Houston, the official attendance in the 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium was 20,900.

Just like the first two games, the crowd in LA was largely expatriates from the
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, not the large contingent of curious Americans (
Reference Cricket Australia).

In 2016, India and the West Indies played two T20 matches in
Florida, where the atmosphere was also amazing for many.

 

The majority of the
cricket market in USA is Asian Indians – the richest ethnic group in the US,
earning a median income of over $100,000 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Where else in the world will cricket fans pay
$40 to $100 USD for tickets to cricket matches? When comparing to the average
cost of a pair of MLB tickets is $41.41. That’s $20 for a single ticket.

 

Recently NBC Sports Network signed a deal with
Australia’s Big Bash League to broadcast 10 games of the season. With NBCSN being part
of most basic cable packages in the US, it means the BBL will be available in
almost 85 million US households. This evidently increases awareness of the
sport nationwide.

 

Willow TV is an television channel based only in the USA. In the year of
2016, the channel reached over 1.4 million U.S household during the Cricket
world cup tournament. Willow, which is part of Times Internet Limited
(India’s largest diversified digital group), is one of the fastest growing
sports networks in the U.S, and the only channel that is dedicated solely to
cricket.  The channel, along with its “TV Everywhere” service,
is distributed by the largest satellite, cable, IPTV and OTT platforms in a
variety of subscription packages.  (Reference WILLOW TV)

Further research- given lit review/data, there would be a
need for…

 

Further research involving a literature review would provide
significantly more information on this research topic. It would show more
information based on the need for cricket and that it is a sport that does have
a place here in the Unites States sports market.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, there is an opportunity for cricket to
succeed in the USA. Given the facts and figures, it shows that there is an
appeal and that there are enough fans in the USA who support and follow
cricket. This evidence suggests the All Stars Cricket event will be a success
in the year of 2018. As of now it will be highly difficult to increasing levels
of participation of the sport with a market who is currently not aware of the
sport. But an event such as a cricket match between professional and well followed
teams will be highly appealing for the large migration market such as the Asian
Indians. This will hopefully lead to the fans not knowledgeable of Cricket to
be aware and create a buzz for the event.