How the Popularity of Cricket has Increased Over the Years
It is no surprise that cricket is so popular here as a quintessentially English sport, but the popularity of the game has skyrocketed in recent times and it is now technically the second most popular global sport behind football. Cricket is a fantastic sport to both play and watch and could become even more popular in the coming years for a few different reasons.
Global Popularity
Cricket may not seem like one of the most popular sports as it does not get as much exposure as others, but when you consider that it is the most popular sport in countries with enormous populations like India and Australia it starts to make more sense why it is the second most popular sport.
The USA
Additionally, cricket is now on the rise in the USA which will obviously have a big say in the overall popularity of the sport as somewhere with an enormous population, a sport-loving nation and somewhere with a lot of influence over Western culture. Cricket was actually very popular in the States during the 1700s but was later replaced by baseball which became the patriotic sport during the Civil War. It is starting to find its way back now though, largely due to the influx of Indians and West Indians over the last few decades with ESPN now estimating that there are around 30 million US fans.
2019 World Cup
The thrilling 2019 Cricket World Cup is also thought to have played a big role in the growing popularity of the sport in the last year. Videos of the group stages amassed over 2.6 billion views making it the most-watching cricket competition ever and England won a breathtaking final against New Zealand which went to a Super Over after the scores were level and which also finished in a tie but saw England win on the boundary countback rule.
Getting Started
This inspired many people of all ages to start playing cricket and this should be encouraged because it is a terrific sport which is good exercise and highly social. It should not be too challenging to find a local club offering various levels of play, plus you can get all the kit that you need to get started online with relative ease.
Cricket has steadily been on the rise for a long time but has seen an explosion in popularity following the 2019 World Cup which turned out to be one of the most dramatic sporting events in recent times prompting many people to start playing and watching the sport.