Perspective: The Journey of an English Game to Conquer America
Cricket might not be number one globally, but India-Pakistan matches certainly are among the most-watched sports events worldwide. However, there's more to cricket in America than solely the India-Pakistan rivalry.
The first time the US is co-hosting the World Cup is an important milestone for a neglected sport here. But will this stay for the long run, or is it just a brief moment in the spotlight? In essence, can cricket firmly root itself in mainstream America?
While the international cricket world wonders about its future, behind the shiny surface of this big tournament and officialdom, there's another America thriving with cricket. This one is sustained by South Asian and Caribbean immigrants.
When I moved to New York in 2012, I didn't think I'd find much cricket here. I used to play for Singapore at the Under-13 level, but my journey ended after a disappointing college stint.
However, I soon discovered that New York has its own unique ecosystem for cricket. I met teenage groups from brown and Black communities who'd been detached from the sport but managed to play it inventively: on rough fields, in public parks, or even in empty parking lots.
As I reflected on my experience, I realised that I shared many connections with these teens. Cricket helped me identify with my Indian heritage while growing up in Singapore, where it still doesn't rank as popular as soccer or rugby. In Singapore, cricket training was a hang-out spot for brown kids, where I explored the vast cricket tradition that came with its own legends, myths, rules, and language. Terms like silly mid-off and fine leg became part of my vocabulary.
Years later, I saw cricket instilling a similar sense of identity in these teens. Through their perspective, New York's cricket community continued to expand before my eyes. I learned about weekend leagues, a high school league, and the NYPD Youth Cricket League - the protagonist of my upcoming documentary.
Beyond the US Open tennis courts and Citi Field baseball stadium, in a secluded area of Corona Park, Queens, the NYPD has been running a youth summer cricket league since 2008. Initiated to rebuild trust with the Muslim community after 9/11, the league became immensely popular due to its high demand among immigrant teens eager to play their favourite sport in a country that rarely cared for it.
The American cricket scene experiences positive developments elsewhere, too. Last year, Grand Prairie in Texas and Morrisville in North Carolina held the inaugural Major League Cricket season. This year, the National Cricket League in Dallas, with its extensive South Asian community, is running a second competition.
At the same time, university cricket teams filled with international students have participated in the American College Cricket League since 2008. And Fort Lauderhill in Florida, home to a large Guyanese, Trinidadian and Jamaican diaspora, has hosted three India-West Indies series since 2016.
Yet, cricket remains an alien concept for most Americans. Enthusiasts often struggle to explain it. We regularly recount how cricket has existed longer than Americans think. Sports journalists have even backed us, mentioning that the first international cricket match took place in New York between the US and Canada in 1844. We lament how cricket was once a popular sport before being overshadowed by baseball, its own progeny.
To simplify the complexities of cricket for acceptance, invoking its historic presence in America has become a cliche. We go as far as saying cricket is baseball's more entertaining and older cousin, where the ball is hurled towards the ground before reaching the batter, who then racks up runs by running along straight lines instead of circling a diamond.
As an added enticement, we promote T20 cricket, the shortest version of the game specifically tailored for big shots and this June's World Cup format. "It lasts only 3 hours, not 5 days!" we stress.
But if cricket is, according to Indian historian and intellectual Ramchandra Guha, the "most subtle and sophisticated game known to humanity," what is the likelihood of it appealing to the masses in a nation of slam dunks and Super Bowls?
The World Cup organizers are aiming for a big impact, with the US being a significant market. As tournament director Fawwaz Baksh explained, "part of the objective is to grow the sport." They've attracted some high-profile individuals to their cause, including Usain Bolt as a tournament ambassador and Sean Paul singing the theme song. Local news outlets have been impressed with the temporary stadium that can hold up to 34,000 people in Eisenhower Park, Long Island, after protests forced it to move from its initial Bronx location.
In Manhattan, public screenings of World Cup matches are taking place next to One World Trade Center, where a fan zone has been established. Meanwhile, life-sized 400-pound, eight-foot tall replicas of the official T20 World Cup cricket ball can be found in Times Square, Dallas, and the Greater Fort Lauderdale area.
During the Bangladesh vs. India warm-up at the newly built Long Island stadium, the overwhelming majority of the crowd was South Asian. However, there were exceptions, such as two Bangladeshi brothers who had taken security jobs at the stadium so they could watch their country play on American soil for the first time for free. In a more surprising turn of events, a lone Yankees fan attended his first cricket match, hoping for a more thrilling encounter in the next game.
While it's not surprising that converting America en masse will be challenging, the demand for tickets has been overwhelming. The India-Pakistan match, for example, had more than 200 times the number of requests and over 6 million ticket requests in total for the tournament.
This June, the cricket diaspora will make a statement in the US. After years of confusion and raised eyebrows, the cricketing community in the US is striking back.
Stay tuned for updates on the World Cup's impact on American fans.
Read also:
Despite the growing interest in cricket within certain communities in America, many Americans still struggle to understand the complexities of the game. Consequently, opinions vary on whether cricket can truly become a mainstream sport in the nation known for slam dunks and Super Bowls.
Some argue that the historical presence of cricket in America, along with its revival among South Asian and Caribbean immigrant communities, presents a promising future. Others contend that the game's subtle and sophisticated nature might not appeal to the masses, and that explaining it as baseball's older and more entertaining cousin may only go so far.
