# Will cricket catch on in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** cricket\ **Created:** [July 14, 2023, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016 "2023-07-14T09:33:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2023, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/81 "2023-07-15T20:24:15Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Cricket has caught on in the US. There’s an amateur level and HS /prep coed teams around the country. If that’s the case, then it would seem to have “caught on” in the U.S., in the same way that other more niche sports, with either ethnic or regional appeals, have caught on. I’d suspect it’s on a par with sports like lacrosse, rugby, women’s fast-pitch softball, disc golf, etc.: there are certainly people who enjoy playing them, and watching them, and there are certainly professional as well as amateur and high school teams. If the OP’s question is, “can cricket catch on enough to have that sort of level of niche or regional appeal,” it sounds like it may already be there. If the question is, “can it be as popular as the big four sports in the U.S.,” then it is going to be a very long time, if ever, for it to do so – see soccer, which has had its proponents and fans predicting that it’ll be the next major U.S. sport for as long as I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/82 "2023-07-16T00:32:32Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Now you are saying that cricket also exports well, as if that’s what you meant all along. …nobody said anything about sports that “export well.” Again: we are talking about sports that “expanded beyond their borders.” And I haven’t changed my position on that. I do think that soccer is on its own here. However, if you think that “baseball and basketball” also are examples of sports that have expanded beyond their borders…then you _have_ to include cricket on that list as well. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/83 "2023-07-16T05:31:43Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > My immediate first thought would be the Netherlands, but I think a lot of those players are actually from Dutch Caribbean colonies. That’s not baseball. It’s honkbal. (Don’t mind me, I just wanted to write “honkbal”). 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/84 "2023-07-16T20:22:30Z")
Don’t take up cricket, America, you’ll only try to ruin it for the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/85 "2023-07-17T08:58:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Had Abbot and Costello know about this the future of cricket might have been forever changed. Not familiar with “the Bowler’s Holding, the Batsman’s Willey.”? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/86 "2023-07-17T15:24:45Z")
It doesn’t sound quite as catchy, nothing like the unlikelihood of a first baseman named Who. Still must be appealing to the global audience of Cricket enthusiasts. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/87 "2023-07-17T15:29:31Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It doesn’t sound quite as catchy, nothing like the unlikelihood of a first baseman named Who. A first baseman named Hugh, however… It’s worth noting that the cricket line involves actual players who did play each other, even if the line itself is apocryphal. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/88 "2023-07-17T16:53:07Z")
I’m sure Quinton de Kock and Hardik Pandya can make into a lot of these. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/89 "2023-07-17T17:17:46Z")
For those interested, here’s the Wiki page for the team in the OP: > **[Texas Super Kings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Super_Kings)** > > T20 kit > The Texas Super Kings are an American professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in Major League Cricket (MLC). The team is based in Dallas, Texas and was announced in 2023 as one of six inaugural teams to play in Major League Cricket. The team has a minor league affiliate – the Dallas Mustangs, which competes in Minor League Cricket alongside 25 other teams. The franchise is co-owned by the Chennai Super Kings, Ross Perot Jr., and Anurag Jain. > The team's home ground is Grand P... For what it’s worth regarding popularity in the US, looks like there are 3 members of the US national team there and the rest of the team are foreigners imported to play. Of the 3 US team members, one is South African (not clear if he holds US citizenship or some kind of permanent resident), one is Australian but holds dual citizenship through parents, and one is of South Asian descent. Looks like the league itself is the latest attempt to develop professional cricket in the US and the ownership of each team is predominantly South Asian and solely so for most of the teams. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/90 "2023-07-17T18:00:23Z")
For what it’s worth they seem to have sold out a 7000 seat stadium near Dallas for all six games over the last weekend and all the future games are sold out too. Though the games in the Raleigh NC area are in a much smaller stadium. I’m sure the audience was largely from the South Asian American and Caribbean American communities. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/91 "2023-07-17T19:43:38Z")
I’ve been impressed with number of headline players, many who feature in the top T20 leagues in the world. Sure, these rosters are not as deep as an IPL or Big Bash team, but the top 6 - 10 players are household names: > **[Major League Cricket squads 2023: Full MLC player list for all teams | The...](https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/globalgame/major_league_cricket_squads_2023_full_mlc_player_list_all_teams.html)** > > San Francisco Unicorns | Washington Freedom | MI New York | Seattle Orcas | Los Angeles Knight Riders | Texas Super Kings ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/92 "2023-07-17T19:55:25Z")
One of my nephews (born in the USA of South Asian immigrants) wanted me to teach him the basics of cricket. He’s a huge baseball fan and has played little league and “seniors” (whatever the heck that is). Anyway, after about an hour of instruction using a tennis ball and a cheap kit, he unfortunately concluded that he agreed with our Jas09 here that baseball is just a superior sport, and proceeded to go on and on about the complexity and subtleties of the game. Of course he has mastered cricket in about an hour, so his could you argue with him? I started the session pleased that the next generation was showing an interest. I ended it thinking cricket is never going to make it. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/93 "2023-07-17T20:09:39Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I’ve been impressed with number of headline players, many who feature in the top T20 leagues in the world. Sure, these rosters are not as deep as an IPL or Big Bash team, but the top 6 - 10 players are household names: There’s definitely plenty of talent in there to put on a show, it’ll be interesting to see how it is received. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/94 "2023-07-17T20:18:10Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It doesn’t sound quite as catchy, nothing like the unlikelihood of a first baseman named Who. If you take into account Chinese/Taiwanese, I don’t think it’s quite so unlikely, as with the surname Hu. There’s at least the shortstop Chin-lung Hu. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/95 "2023-07-17T20:27:24Z")
# [Will cricket catch on in the USA?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016) That’s a bit of a sticky wicket innit? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/96 "2023-07-17T21:03:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > It doesn’t sound quite as catchy, nothing like the unlikelihood of a first baseman named Who. > > If you take into account Chinese/Taiwanese, I don’t think it’s quite so unlikely, as with the surname Hu. There’s at least the shortstop Chin-lung Hu You could conceivably have a lineup of Hu, Watt, Nguyen, Weir, and Howe. That is, those are all real names - I don’t know if there are actually ballplayers by those names. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/97 "2023-07-18T00:25:33Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > For what it’s worth they seem to have sold out a 7000 seat stadium > …. > I’m sure the audience was largely from the South Asian American and Caribbean American communities. If they can regularly fill 7,000 seats from those demographics then the sport could well become viable in the US without converting a single baseball fan. But if power baseball is now the singular way to team success, fan rapture and riches, then surely the possibility of having the same batter hit six home runs off six consecutive pitches like say Kieran Pollard below for the West Indies, must be attractive to some. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZOjFPJ19Gq4/maxresdefault.jpg "Kieron Pollard HITS Six Sixes in an Over!! | West Indies vs Sri Lanka | 1st CG Insurance T20I") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOjFPJ19Gq4) ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/98 "2023-07-18T03:36:20Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > If they can regularly fill 7,000 seats from those demographics then the sport could well become viable in the US without converting a single baseball fan. I’m not sure why they chose 2 relatively remote locations to host the inaugural league. Makes no sense. Why associate teams with LA, NYC, SF, etc. and not lease out fields in those regions? I get that there are costs to getting access to fields long enough to prepare proper wickets, but if you’re gonna try, you have to go all-in. With the star power they assembled, I would easily pay $100 per game to watch a couple of games at least, if they were within 100 miles of the NYC area. I just don’t have the time to drive 10 hours to North Carolina. ETA: with the huge South Asian and Caribbean populations in the major US cities, cricket in the US could be way bigger than this version of Major League cricket. It seems like they half-assed it. And with a bigger mindset (investment, sponsorship and salaries), it could even attract Indian and Pakistani players that would add a whole new level,not possible in the IPL and PSL now. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/99 "2023-07-18T04:23:24Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > What do those three super-powers have in common? They have not been in my kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016/100 "2023-07-18T08:28:20Z")
Having been unavoidably exposed to baseball for nearly my entire life, I am thoroughly convinced that the weight of decades upon decades of tradition is the sole reason a game so royally bizarre is accepted as legitimate. Cricket, with no such advantage, absolutely doesn’t have a prayer. Just the shape of the field is going to make this a non-starter, never mind quirks like players having to call their own outs or the weirdo bowling motion. I’m sorry, but there are certain things Americans just don’t go for. Heck, I’m surprised soccer gets the kind of hype it does. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cricket-catch-on-in-the-usa/987016.md?page=6)