Cricket, a bat-and-ball sport dating back to the 18th century, lacks the American appeal of some of the other new Olympic sports set to debut in 2028, such as lacrosse or baseball.
More than a century after its only previous Olympic debut at the 1900 Summer Games in Paris, the sport is officially back on the schedule for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, with six men’s and six women’s teams set to compete. It’s an exciting step that feels long overdue for passionate cricket fans in cricket-crazed countries like India and Pakistan. And it may be motivation for newcomers to finally dip a toe into the intimidating world of wickets and bowling.
Why did cricket become an Olympic sport?
The International Olympic Committee’s president, Thomas Bach, described it as a “win-win situation.” Cricket is the world’s second most popular sport, after soccer, with an estimated fanbase of about 2.5 billion people. However, the vast majority of those supporters are concentrated in a few cricket-loving countries, most notably on the Indian subcontinent.
It will be able to broaden its reach through the Olympics, while the IOC will be able to tap into a loyal fanbase that would not have otherwise watched the Games. “We have seen the growing international importance of cricket,” Bach stated during a press briefing. “The Olympic Games want to represent and incorporate the most popular sports worldwide.”
Why now?
Cricket is unlikely to have returned to the Games without the development of a new format known as Twenty20, which is a condensed, jam-packed version of sport in which matches often last three or four hours rather than a full day or more.
The format debuted in 2003 and gained popularity in 2007 with the formation of the Indian Premier League, which has since grown into one of the world’s most lucrative sports leagues; a group of broadcasters paid $6.2 billion for a five-year TV rights deal in 2022, and each of the league’s ten teams is worth at least $1 billion.
More overseas competitions have followed in the footsteps of the IPL. Major competition Cricket, a professional T20 competition in the United States, just finished its inaugural season earlier this year. “A sport that is played over a day or over five days is probably not viable in this day and age for any sport coming into the United States.” But the T20 format has really captivated the attention of people all around the world,” Major League Cricket co-founder Vijay Srinivasan told USA TODAY Sports over the phone.
“Think of baseball, but instead of home runs and outs, think of T20 cricket, which has all of that but in multiples of what you would see in a baseball game.” As a result, it’s a really action-packed format.” However, there is also an obvious financial angle for Olympic organizers that probably played a role in the timing of cricket’s inclusion in the Games. This goes beyond the development of T20.
India has long been the center of cricket, and no one has yet purchased the nation’s TV rights for the 2028 Olympics. It is anticipated to contribute at least $100 million to the value of those rights. According to Srinivasan, who also launched Willow TV, which broadcasts cricket in the United States, “the Olympics have not traditionally derived a significant amount of value from that part of the world in terms of media values.” “So adding a sport that’s far and away the most popular one in that region … (it) makes perfect sense.”
How popular is cricket in the U.S.?
Approximately 200,000 players compete in more than 400 local leagues in the United States, according to USA Cricket, the sport’s national governing organization. However, another 10 to 20 million Americans are thought to watch and follow the sport. The sport is becoming more popular in the United States, according to Eraj Abidi, president of the 22 Yards Cricket Club in the Washington, D.C., region, in part because of migratory patterns.
“There’s a lot of cricket out there, because a lot of immigrants came from (the Indian) subcontinent, as well as from England and Australia,” Abidi stated. “(They) participated in the sport and have so much passion about it.” Abidi listed the D.C. metro area, along with swaths of Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, and California, as one of the nation’s cricket hotspots.
One of the problems, according to Srinivasan, that has hampered the growth of cricket in the United States is the dearth of premier cricket-specific facilities. Six-team Major League Cricket played its matches at two of these locations, one in Grand Prairie, Texas, and the other in Morrisville, North Carolina. Along with stadiums in Lauderhill, Florida, and New York, the former will host the T20 World Cup when it visits the United States next summer.
Is the U.S. national team competitive in cricket?
The American men are now ranked No. 22 in the world in T20, while the American women are placed No. 23, according to the most recent world rankings issued by the ICC, the federation in charge of governing the sport. In their most recent world cups, which were played in a one-day international format distinct from T20, neither team made it. The world cup for men is still going on.
Of course, the aim is that the possibility of competing at the Olympics will inspire. The USA Cricket board chair, Venu Pisike, referred to the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics as “a game-changer.” “This marks an exciting chapter in our journey to inspire and unite the cricketing community in the USA,” he stated in a press release. “We have a lot of work to do as the National Governing Body and a community to ensure we position ourselves to march thru this incredible journey (from the T20 World Cup next summer) to LA28.”
It is customary for the host nation to enter a squad in each team sport at the Olympics, but given the competitiveness of the competition, it’s uncertain if the United States will be guaranteed a slot. Cricket’s qualification procedure for the Olympics won’t be made public until 2025.
How will Olympic inclusion impact cricket?
The leaders fought for the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic program for several years. The ICC’s chairman, Greg Barclay, referred to it as “a priority” for the group. “The fact that the IOC confirmation of our selection occurred here in Mumbai, during the ICC Men’s World Cup, is truly icing on the cake,” Barclay stated. “The innings has just begun, and we can’t wait to see where this incredible journey leads.”
The addition of a women’s team tournament has some in the cricket community especially enthused about what it could do to advance women’s cricket (India’s Women’s Premier League debuted in March). Others are interested in seeing what kind of an influence the Games might have on the long-term development of a sport that has been around for hundreds of years and is already among the most well-liked worldwide.
Srinivasan remarked, “I think the Olympics are kind of a shot in the arm.” “It has the potential to enable cricket to grow beyond the handful of nations that genuinely love the game, both domestically and internationally. Simply by doing that, I believe there are countless opportunities for both the men’s and women’s sides of the game.
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