Cricket in America...

[TriCitySteve]

I've just spent some time on the forums of uscricket.com , and I have to say, it's frustrating to see all the sniping and backbiting that is plaguing cricket in the U.S. So many competing factions seem to be fighting over control, and no on is thinking about the good of the game!!!

I also get a sense that the factionalism here is centered around Test nation affiliation, with little concern or true effort being expended outward to the American public in general. I keep trying to point out that forming clubs based on ethnicity is a mistake.. and it excludes others from participating, and discourages curious athletes in the this country from even WANTING to find out more about the sport. However, it seems my commentary falls on deaf ears (ironically, much like the commentary I make on this website!!!!).

Still, I feel the need.. the compunction... no, the OBSESSION with continuing to make this game part of the mainstream of American sporting culture, and will continue to work toward that goal as long as there is breath in my body. To some, that may make me an object of ridicule and scorn, especially from those who believe Americans will never accept the sport, and think I'm being naive. But that's what got me motivated to learn the sport myself... When someone tells me "it can't be done", I just have to prove them wrong.....

Unlike soccer, which had to be imported to this country, cricket was and IS an American sport that was played for many years here up until the late 1800's, .... and the sooner we remind the athletes of this country of that fact, the sooner we'll have a world class team of cricketers competing at the highest levels of the sport....

Steve

 

[Langeveldt]

Very well made point, I wish you luck!

If Baseball was more popular here in the UK, and cricket took off in America i would be a very happy guy... Such a big population with a big sports culture, you have all the ingredients to make a very good cricketing power, but whether that will be realized, who knows?

Anyway again best of luck with cricket in your part of the world...

 

[Mr. P]

Tricity im sorry, you americans are always trying to dominate sports. not this time. cricket will never be populate in the U.S, NEVER! (and by the way cricket will and always will be, the English game.)

 

[Cloete]

good to see you posting again mate. i always love hearing about how it's going over there. actually as do alot of others, when ever you post a string of posts in this forum always seems to follow .

Mate not everyone will agree with you (although you seem completely right IMO). If you just keep working at it (liek you are) I'm sur epeople will take notice. If i remember correctly you were importing cricket to primary schools. If you keep hat up it's a really good thing. That way you can teach them about the history, who can play and end all of these mis-conceptions with the next generation. I'm sure it's a rather tedious job.

Also I agree with you on the point about USA getting test affiliation. I mean if you don't have a decent club programme set up and the support of alot of the nation then there's not much point. I mean look at Bangladesh, they are one of the biggest mistakes the ICC ever made. I can easily say that Kenya are better, however the ICC are actually going to try and implement a decent club system over there BEFORE they give them affiliation in 2007(as was last stated, around then anyway).

I'm sure people in the higher ranks will eventually wake up to themselves. But until then all you can really do is your best at promoting the game and clearing up misconceptions, and try to convince all the hierachy that the job you're doing is working and is the way to go (which I also think it is). It's like they say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." You can't convince the current generation of Americans circket is better than baseball, basketball, gridiron, tennis, golf or soccer. But you can convince the young kids that are always new to ideas.

As always keep up the great work and all the best for Tri-City

 

[TriCitySteve]

Cloete,
Thanks for the positive feedback. It's very encouraging to hear, and makes it easier for me to stay focused and persistent in my efforts to get cricket the recognition it deserves in this country.

Of course, there are always going to be detractors, as you can see already on this forum..... I suppose it's the nature of the cyber world that communications such as these can easily be mis-interpreted. Ponting, I NEVER said that cricket wasn't an English game... It most certainly is and always will be. Surely you don't mean to exclude Americans from taking up the game, do you?? As for your accusation that "Americans always want to dominate every sport", well, what the heck does that have to do with promoting cricket in the U.S.??? No one in their right mind would think that the U.S. is in ANY danger of "dominating" the sport of cricket!!!! I'm simply pointing out that cricket deserves to be a respected and prominent part of the sporting culture in our country, reflective of the sport's status around the world. Don't you agree that cricket deserves that status, and that having a thriving cricket program in the U.S. would further add to cricket's prominence as an international sport?

There are many theories for why cricket was overtaken by baseball in this country, and one of them is that ex-patriate cricketers tended to exclude Americans from participating in "their" sport, so the locals naturally gravitated to something else. I don't know if that's the whole reason, but I can certainly understand that it might have been a part, maybe even a large part of it. Hopefully, cricketers in this country won't make the same mistake this time......

 

[Langeveldt]

Tricity im sorry, you americans are always trying to dominate sports. not this time. cricket will never be populate in the U.S, NEVER! (and by the way cricket will and always will be, the English game.)

Thats not a very good attitude at all. American involvement in cricket can only be good for cricket in general..

I disagree, they dont try and dominate sports... The main sports over there are Basketball, Baseball, American Football and Ice Hockey, which have never been played elsewhere to a very high standard, (cept Canada to some extent) so they arent trying to dominate sports, (unlike most other stuff lol)

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Baseball is played at a high standard in Japan.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Tricity im sorry, you americans are always trying to dominate sports. not this time. cricket will never be populate in the U.S, NEVER! (and by the way cricket will and always will be, the English game.)

That's a type of discrimination.

 

[Langeveldt]

Baseball is played at a high standard in Japan.

ah yes where the likes of Ichiro come from, anyway my point still stands

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

ah yes where the likes of Ichiro come from, anyway my point still stands

Si. Y Matsui aqui.

 

[TriCitySteve]

Mr. Mxyzptlk,
I THINK you meant "Y Matsui tambien....." Aqui means "here"....

Hablo Espanol mucho????? ;>


Esteban...(Steve)

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Mr. Mxyzptlk,
I THINK you meant "Y Matsui tambien....." Aqui means "here"....

Hablo Espanol mucho?????



Esteban...(Steve)

Good spot. You've sufficiently shamed me.

Actually I know Spanish quite well, but I don't get a chance to speak it often. I'm not sure what possessed me to type aqui though... although it does have a nice ring to it...

I got a one (top grade) in Spanish for my CXC exam and am doing the A-level Spanish course currently.

 

[TriCitySteve]

Mr. Mxyzptlk,
I never doubted your linguistic prowess for a second..... Just busting your chops, as the expression goes....!
No doubt, your Spanish is far superior to mine... In the U.S., we don't typically start language training until age 13 or 14... way too late, in my opinion... especially since it's so much harder to learn another language when English is your first language. It seems that a lot more people from other countries speak English than the other way around... I guess, being that it's the language of commerce, that makes a lot of sense, but it does make it difficult to get "immersed" in another language enough to learn it.
Good luck in your studies (or should I say "buena suerte"???? )

Steve

 

[Andre]

Hi there Steve,

drop me an email at andre.maddocks@cricketweb.net

I have an idea regarding USA cricket and Cricket Web

 

[Craig]

Digging this thread up, but I cant help what I want to say.

Good luck to getting cricket up and running in the US. I read in Inside Edge (Australian cricket mag) that cricket hs been important in changing the lives of those who live in Compton, a dangerous suburb in LA.

For me I think George W Bush needs to appear at cricket matches, as he will drag the media with him and give the sport media attention and we should find a way to make students to learn all about Bodyline and why Douglas Jardine was the most hated man in Australia.

 

[Don]

cricket in the u.s i think its a good idea and also for caribbean cricketers its kinda has a plus to it if we cant make caribbean sides we can always go to the us or canada.and it will bring more leagues and club sides if it catches on in all 50 states.and tell me who dosent wonder what kind of coditions and movement the us can produce.i myself would like to see it catch on.i would also like to play in the us.but since im school right now i cant but proabably if ii take a brake between forms 5 and 6 ill probably go there and play.us cricketers would probably greatly affect the number of 6's scored in a match becuz of their baseball background.