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A lot more play cricket or Rugby at an international levels than play US Sports, and our World Series is actually a World Cup with very good competing nations from around the world.
You talk about the popularity of international sports, well nothing is more international than the Olympics. The last time cricket was played at the Olympics was 1900. Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey have all been played several times at the Olympics since then. Now if we can just get Gridiron Football at the Olympics, but it would only be the USA vs Canada, and there would be only a gold and silver medal awarded.
You talk about the popularity of international sports, well nothing is more international than the Olympics. The last time cricket was played at the Olympics was 1900. Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey have all been played several times at the Olympics since then. Now if we can just get Gridiron Football at the Olympics, but it would only be the USA vs Canada, and there would be only a gold and silver medal awarded.
Olympic football (soccer) is seen as nonsense by many, as is Rugby Sevens.
It's the world cups and proper international games that count rather than the Olympics.
The Winter Olympic Ice Hockey between the US and Soviet Union was an exception.
As for Basketball the US has just lost to France.
Finally in terms of Gridiron football, there are no strong leagues to even compete with the US/Canada, so that would be a waste of time, and would involve most nations having to cobble together a team of amateur players.
Last edited by Brave New World; 07-30-2021 at 08:36 PM..
One of the drawbacks of living in Europe are the annoying soccer fans and the so-called ultras. God, I wish for an alternate reality where basketball or handball were bigger than soccer.
You talk about the popularity of international sports, well nothing is more international than the Olympics. The last time cricket was played at the Olympics was 1900. Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey have all been played several times at the Olympics since then. Now if we can just get Gridiron Football at the Olympics, but it would only be the USA vs Canada, and there would be only a gold and silver medal awarded.
I've had a look, there ARE World Cup competitions in both baseball and American Football, but the competitions are about as popular as synchronized swimming, both watched by a handful of spectators at best. 2'477'805 matchday tickets were sold for the 2015 rugby world cup (the most so far), the tournament attracted 857 million viewers on TV. They expect a new attendance record to be set in France in 2023. The cricket world cup had a cumulative TV audience of 1.6 billion. with a unique broadcast of one game of 706 million. Total gameday attendances at the 2019 cricket world cup in England was 752,000.
Start with the entire South Asian region -- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal -- where they watch/play cricket to the near-exclusion of all other sports. Then there's Britain, Australia, New Zealand, southern Africa, the English-speaking Caribbean like Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, etc. And it's picking up steam in the Middle East too with UAE and Oman in particular fielding competitive sides.
Start with the entire South Asian region -- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal -- where they watch/play cricket to the near-exclusion of all other sports. Then there's Britain, Australia, New Zealand, southern Africa, the English-speaking Caribbean like Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, etc. And it's picking up steam in the Middle East too with UAE and Oman in particular fielding competitive sides.
Cricket is not popular in the USA, Russia, China, Germany, Japan, Canada, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, S. Korea, Most of Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Most of South America, and many more places. I would hardly call it a world game, when it is not popular in just about every important country in the world! Cricket has not even been played played in the Olympics since 1900, because there were not enough countries that were able to send teams. Baseball has been played several times in the Olympics, because there were enough countries to send teams.
Cricket is not popular in the USA, Russia, China, Germany, Japan, Canada, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, S. Korea, Most of Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Most of South America, and many more places. I would hardly call it a world game, when it is not popular in just about every important country in the world!
I've got news for you: baseball isn't popular in most of those places either. It's popular in: USA, Canada (as a very distant second after hockey and one of its only two MLB teams had to move to the US to survive), the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Japan, South Korea, and Venezuela when they're not busy eating tree bark to stay alive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vindag
Cricket has not even been played played in the Olympics since 1900, because there were not enough countries that were able to send teams. Baseball has been played several times in the Olympics, because there were enough countries to send teams.
The International Cricket Council has over 100 member nations. There would be plenty of countries willing and able to field a team if it were made an Olympic sport.
It bears reminding baseball was dropped as an Olympic sport after a short run. The only reason it was brought back for this Olympics is the host country insisted on it; and only 6 countries are competing.
Football / soccer is the easiest game to play. A bunch of kids in a street can kick stones between two bags.
Baseball ? Seems a lot more complex when you don't have a field, a ball and bats.
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