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Can Cricket Overtake Football?
- Thread starter laksh_01
- Start date
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Personally I think elitism is a poor word for the term that describes said reason.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
I'm not sure it's actually overtaken it as such - I honestly don't have a clue whether football has ever been more popular than cricket in places like India, Pakistan, New Zealand etc. My guess would be not.
The main reason why I think this will never happen is for three main reasons:
To play cricket properly, you need:
Equipment - of which there is far more required than football, so more expensive, so not accesible for all.
Good pitches - To have a really good cricketing wicket it requires a lot of hard work from a groundsman whereas football if you've got grass in a reasonable state you can play.
Also as cricket cannot be played in the winter and football can be played all year round, football has far more pulling power as if you draw someone into cricket one summer over the winter period they could have gone off cricket and just can't be bothered anymore especially if they have forgotten how much they enjoyed it
To play cricket properly, you need:
Equipment - of which there is far more required than football, so more expensive, so not accesible for all.
Good pitches - To have a really good cricketing wicket it requires a lot of hard work from a groundsman whereas football if you've got grass in a reasonable state you can play.
Also as cricket cannot be played in the winter and football can be played all year round, football has far more pulling power as if you draw someone into cricket one summer over the winter period they could have gone off cricket and just can't be bothered anymore especially if they have forgotten how much they enjoyed it
anoop4real
U19 12th Man
Football is far far behind cricket in countries like India and Pakistan. In India I think Hockey comes at the second place after cricket. I think in India we are having a seasonal approach ie when there is a football world cup...everyone will be after it, same case with hockey also......but cricket is evergreen.......
slugger
State Vice-Captain
speaking about elitism... from someone who was there.. Sir Micheal Parkinson...
You've never been too fond of the MCC.
When I was growing up in the 1940s and 50s, England was a very class-ridden structure. And if you came from a mining community from Yorkshire as a working-class boy, you weren't like these people who'd been to posh schools and things. They talked differently and you were judged by your accent.
I got on the wrong side of the MCC very early on in my career, which I was delighted with because I hated the bastards. They (MCC) ruled cricket in those days.
Fred Trueman was a classic example. They disliked Fred's attitude, the way he wouldn't kowtow to them, because of which he missed at least three or four tours. He never toured the subcontinent, for instance. At one time he missed out an Ashes tour after he'd taken 185 wickets at 7.5.
Now it's changed. Society has changed now and those barriers are no longer there. But still I like teasing them: I insisted at my knighthood that the only people who must call me "Sir" are the MCC members.
You've never been too fond of the MCC.
When I was growing up in the 1940s and 50s, England was a very class-ridden structure. And if you came from a mining community from Yorkshire as a working-class boy, you weren't like these people who'd been to posh schools and things. They talked differently and you were judged by your accent.
I got on the wrong side of the MCC very early on in my career, which I was delighted with because I hated the bastards. They (MCC) ruled cricket in those days.
Fred Trueman was a classic example. They disliked Fred's attitude, the way he wouldn't kowtow to them, because of which he missed at least three or four tours. He never toured the subcontinent, for instance. At one time he missed out an Ashes tour after he'd taken 185 wickets at 7.5.
Now it's changed. Society has changed now and those barriers are no longer there. But still I like teasing them: I insisted at my knighthood that the only people who must call me "Sir" are the MCC members.
stumpski
International Captain
Pretty sure there must be a typo there. 'Been overtaken by' would make a lot more sense.
Personally I don't think the game is anything like as elitist as it was when Wisden would give 60 pages to public school cricket, and only three or four to the northern Leagues (played to a far higher standard).
BoyBrumby
Englishman
I don't think so, morgie seems to be saying cricket is bigger than football in every cricketing nation bar us & SA (which I'd dispute to some extent; I'd guess football is bigger in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica and pretty close in NZ too, but anyway).
morgieb
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Meh, more likely to be Australia first. Also depends what you consider football. Rugby Union is more popular in New Zealand & South Africa, and possibly AFL in Australia.
GIMH
Norwood's on Fire
Obviously we consider football to be football not Rugby, League, Aussie rules etc
jcoops
Cricket Spectator
The IPL wil ruin the game.The amount of money pumped into the game because of this,It will end up being like Football money wise but certainly not with the popularity.The ECB will have to pay players ridicolous amounts of wages to keep them out of the IPL.You mark my words cricketers will be overpayed just like footballers.Whether you think thats a good thing is a matter of a opinion, But i certainly don't think it is!
Unfortunately I don't think cricket can overtake football. All we ask for is for the game to grow and be prosperous. Then I found this article from the Bleachers Report.com Soccer no1 in 227 countries (by Joe Kidwell member)
Here is a list of countries where soccer is not No. 1:
Baseball is No. 1 in eight different countries which include the Panama, Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Nicaragua, Northern Marianas, Taiwan.
Cricket is No. 1 in eight countries. British Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
Rugby is No 1 in five countries, which include Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Wales.
Basketball is No. 1 in five countries: the Philippines, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, Marshall Islands, and the Bahamas.
Following behind is Ice Hockey, which is No. 1 in four countries including Canada, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia.
The other sports are all tied with being No. 1 in only one country. Archery: Bhutan; Wrestling: Mongolia; AFL: Nauru; and Gaelic Football: Ireland Republic.
And of course American football only in the United States.
The rest of the 227 countries in the world, is where soccer is No. 1
Here is a list of countries where soccer is not No. 1:
Baseball is No. 1 in eight different countries which include the Panama, Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Nicaragua, Northern Marianas, Taiwan.
Cricket is No. 1 in eight countries. British Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
Rugby is No 1 in five countries, which include Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Wales.
Basketball is No. 1 in five countries: the Philippines, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, Marshall Islands, and the Bahamas.
Following behind is Ice Hockey, which is No. 1 in four countries including Canada, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia.
The other sports are all tied with being No. 1 in only one country. Archery: Bhutan; Wrestling: Mongolia; AFL: Nauru; and Gaelic Football: Ireland Republic.
And of course American football only in the United States.
The rest of the 227 countries in the world, is where soccer is No. 1
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Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
Basketball is massive in the Philippines and it has a very intense pro league.
In fact it is the only sport they really play to any level.
Generally, the recognised numer of countries in the World is 195. It is possible to give or take a few (adding in Scotland, Bermuda etc) but not come up with 227 + all the other countries where football is not #1
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Uppercut
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Was wondering the same thing, nevertheless, interesting bit of research.
quick4mindia
School Boy/Girl Captain
We already have 1.4 or 1.5 billion people who love cricket more than they love football.
China is one country that loves football but perhaps not in the same way as cricket is loved in India. Somehow get China in the fold (Isnt Hong Kong in there??) and you're done
China is one country that loves football but perhaps not in the same way as cricket is loved in India. Somehow get China in the fold (Isnt Hong Kong in there??) and you're done