Should we look to the U.S.A. to save cricket?

Read the link: BBC: Could America take to cricket?

American cricket boasts a strong history dating back to the 18th century. Past American popular cricket clubs include Germantown, Merion, Belmont, Tioga and Moorestown.  Also involved in cricket were prominent educational institutions such as Harvard and University of Pennsylvania.

While outposts of the Empire continued to participate in this cultural import called cricket, the U.S.A broke ties with the game, instead creating its own nationalistic sport known as baseball.

Fast forward centuries later, cricket is being played nationwide. I know for a fact, there are leagues in Atlanta, Stone Mountain, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Interestingly enough, while cricket participants  tend to be West Indian, African, Indian and Pakistan immigrants, there are American men who have taken a liking to the sport as well.  To my surprise, an American classmate mentioned her brother being on a university cricket team on the west coast. I was further astonished to see a number of U.S .cricket groups on Facebook.

It seems to me as if the U.S.A is increasingly exploring opportunities in cricket.  Here are questions that immediately come to mind:

• Is the U.S.A — the epicenter of  advertising, broadcast rights, corporate sponsorship, consumerism and the likes — what the International Cricket Council needs to save the sport?
• Will the U.S.A  play its dominant role as the bully on the international field no one wants to play with?
• Will U.S. involvement take away from the aesthetics of the game?
• A Guyanese as the U.S. cricket team captain? How many immigrants will they have on their cricket team?
• Will we see a rise in cricket scholarships for international students? Its like track & field all over again! Windies needs a Usain Bolt!
• Is it time to break from the past and allow the game to globally evolve, enjoying cricket for what it is and not what it represented and/or represents?
• Is this new found interest a plot to  increase sports tourism in America since the country has lost so many bids on hosting international games, namely The Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup? Afterall, cricket is the third largest international sport. Hmmmm….. makes you wonder…
• Can we really separate sports from politics?
• Will we encounter a new hegemonic phase?

Those are my questions. You have answers?

~ by dilion on January 21, 2010.