Why has cricket failed to gain popularity in the USA and Canada?

Over the years, historians and cricketing experts have speculated on the reasons for the lack of enthusiasm for the sport in North America.

Cricket is a highly popular sport worldwide. Although it is predominantly followed in a few countries, it has a significant fan base among their populations. Approximately 2.5 billion people globally watch cricket, making it the second most viewed sport after football.

The British invented cricket, but unlike other sports they created, it remained limited to Commonwealth countries or former British colonies. Most countries where cricket is popular, such as India, Pakistan, and South Africa, were once ruled by the British. The sport was introduced to these countries by the British themselves.

However, there are exceptions to this pattern. Canada and the USA were also British colonies in the past, and Canada is still part of the British Commonwealth. However, unlike other colonies, cricket never became popular in North America. This article discusses the cross-national cultural diffusion of cricket, focusing on its failure in the USA and Canada.

Basic concepts of diffusion in cricket

The British colonial policy deliberately introduced the sport of cricket to the colonies. According to Brian Stoddart, a cricket historian, cricket was the primary means of transferring the British moral code from the empire's messengers to the local populations. The International Cricket Conference (ICC), formerly known as the Imperial Cricket Conference, used to restrict participation in the sport to Commonwealth nations until 1965 when its name was changed.

Misconceptions about the failure of cricket in the USA and Canada

Over the years, historians and cricketing experts have speculated about the lack of enthusiasm for the sport in North America. Many theories have been proposed, but most fail to stand up to scrutiny. Some misconceptions include:

1. Climate
   One common misconception about the lack of popularity of cricket in Canada and the USA is that the cooler climate is the reason. However, this theory is inaccurate. Canadians enjoy warm-weather sports like baseball, hockey, football, and lacrosse despite living in a cold-weather country. Additionally, England, the progenitor of the sport, cannot be considered a warm-weather country.
2. Discrepancy with the cultural worldview
   Some argue that cricket is not popular in the USA because Americans see it as a slow and regimented sport, whereas they are always in a hurry and looking for results. This may have been true of Test cricket, but the presence of limited-overs cricket, including T20s, disproves this hypothesis.
3. The sport involves excessive submission
   Undoubtedly, cricket requires players to submit to the decisions of umpires. Swearing is not condoned on the field. While Americans may have a reputation for being rowdy and disrespectful of rules, this explanation is sociologically inaccurate. Americans enjoy many similar sports, such as tennis and golf, while still respecting the rules. On the other hand, Canadians have a reputation for being polite and mild-mannered, which is essential for the sport, but hockey has never taken off in Canada.
4. Anglophobia
   For much of their history, the British governed both Canada and the USA. This perspective suggests that Americans and Canadians hold a negative view of the British, which may explain their reluctance to recognize cricket as a legitimate sport.

There are many ways to counter this explanation. For instance, Australians have a troubled history with the British, as their ancestors were sent to the sea-locked country as part of the English Penal System. There is no reason to believe that Canadians would resent their former colonisers any more than those living in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Africa, where more atrocities are believed to have occurred. Finally, Americans and Canadians also enjoy other British-origin sports such as tennis and golf, which further disproves this theory.

The most logical reason for cricket's decline in USA and Canada

The most likely reason for cricket's lack of popularity in North America is the concurrent rise of baseball. This theory is supported by the temporal consistency between the rise of baseball's popularity and the decline of cricket's. Additionally, the 'clubby exclusiveness' of the British elite in Canada played a significant role in discouraging younger people from pursuing the sport.

It is safe to say that A.G Spalding, an American businessman and sports manufacturer, played a significant role in the decline of cricket in America. His efforts to popularise baseball led to a subsequent decrease in interest in cricket. On the one hand, by creating and managing a system of professional leagues and commercialising the sport, he promoted the highest level of baseball to the widest possible audience. On the other hand, he created a manufacturing and marketing empire to promote the game extensively and make it accessible to the masses.

Cricket was increasingly portrayed as a sport for women and a leisure activity for the elite, with no connection to the American masses. The phrase 'Cricket is a pastime, Baseball is War' gained popularity in the USA and Canada. The rise in popularity of baseball, along with the introduction of sports-based scholarships and professional leagues, dealt the final blow to cricket in both the USA and Canada.

The rise in popularity of baseball, along with the introduction of sports-based scholarships and professional leagues, dealt the final blow to cricket in both the USA and Canada. It can be postulated that the exclusionist practices of the British elite also played a role in cricket's failure in these countries.