By: Leta Lohrmeyer & Jack Hoover
Why isn’t cricket more popular in the United States?
Cricket was beat out by baseball. Basically, baseball and cricket were too similar to coexist in the American sports world.
The skills needed to play are nearly identical and both sports feature pitchers, batters and fielders. Most athletes are able to apply and transfer their skills to either baseball or cricket. However, after the Civil War baseball was expanded to create a sense of an American national identity, which in turn damaged cricket, according to a Slate article.
While the popularity of cricket did not last in the United States, it thrives in India. Now, international students from India bring their passion of cricket back to the United States.
The UNO Cricket Club was created in 2013 and comprised of all international students. The club made history in 2016 by becoming the first college in the state to play in a national cricket tournament.
“I know one of our clubs that used to be real big was cricket,” said Dominiqic Williams, assistant director of Competitive Sports at UNO. “That club was comprised mainly of international students, it provided them somewhere to actually go and hang out with people who they knew they were from the same country, they had the same interest, and they just automatically connected with.”
Sasanka Pisipati, a graduate student and member of the UNO Cricket Club, shared that back home in India, people start playing cricket as young as three or four-years-old.
“So it’s like mandatory game that everybody plays, because it’s very easy to play and affordable to play,” said Pisipati.
The sport has become a billion dollar industry, according to an Economist article. Cricket in India is highly political and infused with celebrities. When India’s national side plays a big game, an estimated 400 million watch it on television. The devotion and fanaticism of the sport could be compared to how Nebraskans feel about the Huskers.
With all the international students coming to Omaha, Pisipati explained how cricket has the power to break down cultural barriers.
“Cricket is a very good platform for newcomers and people who are new” said Pisipati. “Because there will be a huge cultural difference between the place where we come from and the culture we have here.”
Omaha has two cricket clubs that host different teams and organizes competitive tournaments. Pisipati said there are 130 to 200 people, who are all Indian or come from Asia, that come together to play cricket.
“It plays a huge part of our life to get accustomed to this culture because cricket is one thing we play very naturally,” said Pisipati. “So with that nature we get motivated to go and talk to people and you know mingle into society and see how things going on.”
Cricket may not be “America’s Favorite Pastime,” but it embodies America’s idealism of integration, allowing others to connect and understand cultures.
