Cricket in the USA: A Journey from Tradition to Potential

On a warm afternoon in the Baltimore suburbs, the Waltemeyers and their extended family gather under the hazy sun for a classic cookout. The barbecue sizzles with burgers and the tantalising aroma of Maryland’s signature crab cakes fills the air. Nearby, the American flag flutters gently on a neighbour's flagpole.

The family chats animatedly about various topics, including politics, housing prices, Washington DC's traffic, and their daily lives. A casual game of whiffle ball, a backyard adaptation of baseball, springs to life.

During this gathering, Greg, my American father-in-law’s brother, casually mentions, "Didn't the USA beat Pakistan in the World Cup cricket?" While the Waltemeyers, like many American families, are enthusiastic about sports, their conversation swiftly shifts from cricket to more familiar topics like the Orioles in Major League Baseball, the NFL’s Ravens, and the US Open golf tournament.

Despite the USA's qualification for the T20 World Cup Super 8s, there's a noticeable lack of excitement about their upcoming match against England. This reveals the core challenge cricket faces in gaining traction in the United States. Although the T20 World Cup’s American leg was logistically successful, with the remainder of the tournament now continuing in the Caribbean, cricket remains on the fringes of American sports consciousness.

Brett Jones, CEO of the T20 World Cup USA organising committee, remarked to BBC Sport that the USA's advancement to the Super 8s couldn’t have been scripted better for cricket in the country. He acknowledged the challenges faced but affirmed the visible enthusiasm for cricket among US fans, suggesting future growth opportunities.

However, this enthusiasm hasn’t significantly penetrated mainstream American awareness. Observations from both inside and outside the stadiums suggest that cricket’s presence hasn’t registered broadly with the American public. The marketing strategies, although creative, seemed targeted more at existing cricket enthusiasts rather than drawing in a new audience. Examples include a full-page New York Times ad showing the Statue of Liberty with a cricket bat, and cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar taking swings in a baseball batting cage. Yet, there was little outreach to engage first-time spectators or budding young cricketers within the stadiums.

Despite the increased digital engagement from US fans, with the ICC noting a rise in new users from the US from 21% in the previous tournament to 61% in the current one, visibility challenges persist. Cricket-specific subscription channels limited the broader visibility of matches in the US. The USA’s surprising win over Pakistan didn’t even crack the top 30 most-watched sports programs of the day, according to Sports Media Watch. Discussions with major broadcasters like CBS and NBC in previous years did not yield any broadcast deals, leaving cricket without a significant media platform in the US.

The temporary 34,000-seat stadium in Eisenhower Park, a standout venue for the tournament, is being dismantled. This leaves uncertainty about the maintenance of the cricket field, and with 151,566 fans attending the eight matches in New York, the venue's legacy is in question. Only the India-Pakistan match achieved a sellout, and organisers privately admitted that more affordable ticket pricing could have drawn larger crowds for other games.

For now, cricket fans in New York will have to content themselves with recreational games in public parks, as the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium’s $32 million investment seems to have been a missed opportunity for lasting impact.

Reflecting on the potential changes in cricket's image in the US, the tournament may have helped shed some of the sport's traditionally stuffy perception. Historically, cricket struggled to gain a foothold in the US, partly due to the sport's insistence on maintaining its English identity, a sentiment common across the British Empire. The St George's Cricket Club, which hosted the first international cricket match between the USA and Canada in 1844, had previously excluded American players after changing its name from New York Cricket Club in 1839.

Today, the US cricket team represents a different mix of players. Four members of the squad were born in the US, while the rest chose to become Americans, a trait that resonates with the country’s diverse populace. Players like Saurabh Netravalkar, a fast-bowling software engineer, have eagerly participated in media opportunities, while vice-captain Aaron Jones has spoken eloquently about promoting the sport.

Off the field, stories continue to capture the imagination. American cricket journalist Peter Della Penna recounted meeting Chuck from Boynton Beach, Florida, who, dressed in Stars and Stripes overalls, was determined to support the US team during a rain-interrupted match in Lauderhill. Chuck had never seen cricket before but felt compelled to attend after hearing about the USA’s victory over Pakistan and their upcoming games in Florida.

Elsewhere, the enthusiasm of the South Asian community in the US, which plays and supports cricket with fervour, remains a crucial factor for the sport's immediate sustainability in the country. However, some stakeholders recognise the need for cricket to extend beyond its current fanbase to truly flourish. Soma Somasegar, an investor in the newly launched Major League Cricket, stated that cricket needs to attract a broader audience to thrive in the US.

"If cricket remains a sport for the diaspora alone, it won’t flourish in the USA," Somasegar pointed out. "To spark interest across a wider population, it needs to capture the media’s attention and, by extension, reach a broader audience over time."

Thus, cricket in the US stands at a crossroads, with significant potential waiting to be tapped.