Stanford 20/20 Comes to Colorado USA
American businessman Allen Stanford has come up with a unique plan to promote cricket in the US. The city of Fort Collins, Colorado, has been singled out to be a testing ground for cricket and specifically the Stanford 20/20, a tournament that features countries of the Caribbean and is played in Antigua. The city’s 131,000 residents will receive television broadcasts of the matches and have the chance to win large cash prizes and attend numerous viewing parties in bars and bistros. A mass advertising campaign has taken place in the city with promotions featured in newspapers, on television and radio, on billboards, bus shelters and around shopping malls.
America is an untapped market for cricket but the game has never really been properly promoted nor have everyday Americans ever been targeted as a potential audience. Previously it has been the cricket playing expatriate community that have been used as the vehicle to infiltrate the US market. Barely a single new fan was sought. The converted were being preached to and the rest could do as they please. Stanford’s approach welcomes the novice and the expert equally.
Cricket was the most popular sport in America up until the 1880’s. For a period after, a battle with baseball ensued but by World War 1 cricket had been well and truly KO’d and would remain underground until this day.
Perhaps Stanford is the man who can reinvigorate cricket in the US. He is afterall, a successful businessman and as an American, is probably in a good position to know what his fellow Americans want and how they like it packaged.
The Stanford 20/20 “You Gotta See This” Ft. Collins website can be found here.
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Global Cricket
I thought it was about time I started my own blog. I have followed associate and affiliate cricket since 1998. Tony Munro’s BTTW column was a great inspiration. Global Cricket will specifically focus on the non-test playing cricket nations of the world. At present there are 91 countries that have associate or affiliate membership of The International Cricket Council. Most of these nations aspire to play at the highest level. How are they bridging the gap in standards? Do they have good facilities, strong development programs and sound administrative practices in place? There is a need for cricket to embrace a more diverse cultural outlook if it is to prosper in the future. The ICC’s global development program was first initiated in 1997 and began to really take shape after the 2001 ICC Trophy in Toronto, Canada. Although a new cricketing powerhouse is yet to emerge, it is clear that standards are improving dramatically and in time more nations will be able to compete with the 10 full members. I will be featuring newspaper articles of interest, opinion pieces and articles written by myself and some ideas about expanding the game. Please feel free to comment.-Ben Stinga
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Ben, this is a most interesting experiment. The results of this will tell us a lot I reckon. Is the broadcast going to be only within Fort Collins?
I have been told by quite a few people that cricket was very popular in America. I am very curious to know why it died off here. Was it due to some kind of anti-colonial sentiment and cricket being identified as a colonial sport?
I like the idea of the viewing parties at local joints. Might help in getting through to a wide audience at the ground level. Although I am personally not so enthused about the black bats, overall the advertising on the website looks extremely slick.
Yatharth
No one has been able to determine exactly why cricket became unpopular in America.
I do know that baseball became professional in America in the 1870’s, a crucial time, when both sports were competing for supremacy.
Cricket stayed strictly amateur.
From that moment on, baseball began to edge cricket out.
I suspect that baseball was forced to find ways to finance players, coaches and administrators.
Paying customers were needed, so it is likely that baseball promoted itself extensively, upgraded fields to make them spectator friendly and in turn, attracted more players, many of whom were converted cricketers or would be cricketers in search of a dollar.
By World War I, the game was up. Cricket was a minor sport and baseball was king.
American Cricket still had a king of it’s own however. Bart King was one of the greatest cricketers of his time and performed with distinction in England and the USA in the late 19th century and well into the next.
Oh yes, I think the broadcast is only available on cable in Fort Collins.
In other parts of the US it might only be available via pay-per-view but don’t quote me on that.
Yes, the black bats take some getting used to. I wonder if they are just painted wood or made of something altogether different?
I had a look at pictures of the viewing parties and they seem to be well attended so far.
I live in fort collins and the advertising has worked apparently as I am currently watching Grenada match up against some other country (anguilla?). I am struggling to understand the game. It seems to be such a silly game. I figure I should give it a chance. So confusing, I wish it were as simple as football, where all you have to do is get the ball between the posts and under the crossbar.
Cricket will never catch on here though, football is the most played sport in the USA by youth but still hasn’t taken off on a professional level. For you football lovers, USA has a future star in the making (Altidore). He is currently on the sub-20 side but will be a key contributor in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for the senior squad.
Evthay
Give it a chance.
Basically it is one man pitching a ball at another man armed with a hunk of wood. Much like baseball.
If the batter hits it far enough he will run to the other end.
Whoever scores the most runs wins.
I don’t figure that Americans are less intelligent than the rest of us, so it is just a matter of giving the game some time.
The less obvious nuances will reveal themselves quite quickly.
If you have any questions about the rules, feel free to ask.
Some more info about the Stanford 20/20, Fort Collins trial, can be found here
Since cricket is 2nd most popular sport so it surely has got something in it ….then why not giving it a chance ….the sport is workshipped as a religion in subcontinent which certainy increases our curiousity…and now the 20-20 version which is just longs for 3 hours has also gained immense popularity
I AM A BIG CRICKET FAN AND I THINK IT IS ONE OF MOST INTRESTING SPORT THAT IS PLAYED.IT IS THE MOST POPULAR SPORT OF SUBCONTINENT AND IT IS HIGHLY ENJOYED BY FANS
Cricket is one of the most popular sport of world,so it should also be promoted in non cricket playing nations.As football is the most popular sport among the youth of USA,So it is difficult for cricket to make it’s place there
Perhaps one reason cricket started losing out to baseball
was the same its losing now to soccer,basketball and soon others globally -the unwillingness to include others, the insularity. Probably the cricketers were of English descent and did not want to include other (European) immigrants.
Then aroungd 1912 the USA was kicked out of the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) because it was not part of the British Empire -this effectively knocked out cricket in the US unti now where its ripe for a revival.
I was one of the VERY LUCKY winners that got to go to Antigua and see the games. LET ME TELL YOU, it was AMAZING, unlike any other sporting event that I have ever attended here in the states. The energy of the crowd, and the players determination and heart, nothing compares to it. If you ever have a chance to watch it or better yet, GO to the games, I highly reccommend it. The game is SO entertaining. It was the best experience of my life, hands down.