Cricket vs Baseball

[LA ICE-E]

Ok, I've been thinking and wanted to know what you guys think on this topic. Cricket at present is the better sport internationally but with the populary of World baseball classic and that being hosted every 4 years like the cricket world cup, can this be a threat to cricket. Baseball overtook cricket in the US(cricket use to be the main sport before baseball took over), is there are chance for it taking over other countries?

 

[Dravid]

No. Baseball only took over Cricket in US is because it was shorter. The rest of the world has patience, unlike the US, to play a better game

 

[LA ICE-E]

im just going to say baseballs side because no one else here will but i hope you guys prove everything in this thread wrong...ok 1 the International Baseball Federation has 112 member when the ICC has 97 seven and places like japan and china are already playing baseball when we are just trying to get china to play...and more people/countries gets influenced by the US(because we are into everyones bussness)...baseball might...hope to god it doesnt

 

[Fusion]

To be fair, I don't think either games are a threat to each other. I don't ever foresee Cricket making it big in the American Continents. On the other hand, I don't see baseball making inroads in the current Test playing nations. While Cricket will eventually be successful in China, Baseball has long established a foothold in Japan and Korea. Both games have their core audiences and are unlikely to threaten each other.

 

[Dravid]

im just going to say baseballs side because no one else here will but i hope you guys prove everything in this thread wrong...ok 1 the International Baseball Federation has 112 member when the ICC has 97 seven and places like japan and china are already playing baseball when we are just trying to get china to play...and more people/countries gets influenced by the US(because we are into everyones bussness)...baseball might...hope to god it doesnt

But Baseball isn't trying to develop in the second most populated country in the world, thus it will always be below Cricket.

 

[Dravid]

To be fair, I don't think either games are a threat to each other. I don't ever foresee Cricket making it big in the American Continents. On the other hand, I don't see baseball making inroads in the current Test playing nations. While Cricket will eventually be successful in China, Baseball has long established a foothold in Japan and Korea. Both games have their core audiences and are unlikely to threaten each other.

Cricket is popular in the carribean, which is part of the North American continent

 

[Fusion]

Cricket is in popular in the carribean, which is part of the North American continent

Right you are. My oversight. However, I was more referring to the main land continents. Baseball has a massive hold on South America. It is clearly the second most popular sport there after football. And of course it's well ahead in United States and Canada.

 

[Dravid]

Another reason baseball is ahead in US is because Cricket never had the right exposure. Barely any American knows how to play Cricket, where world wide so many countries know how to play Cricket.

 

[Fusion]

Another reason baseball is ahead in US is because Cricket never had the right exposure. Barely any American knows how to play Cricket, where world wide so many countries know how to play Cricket.

Wouldn't have mattered IMO. Cricket is just too long for the American audience. Even Baseball, which used to be America's passtime, is now losing it's appeal. At best, it's the 2nd most popular sport in the States (behind American Footbal). It's probably behind basketball now tbh. The reason is that baseball is considered slow and boring. When I speak to my American collegues about Test Cricket, they shudder at the very mention of a 5 day/8 hour long game with a possibility of no result. No amount of marketing could've made Cricket big in the US.

 

[marc71178]

Ok, I've been thinking and wanted to know what you guys think on this topic. Cricket at present is the better sport internationally but with the populary of World baseball classic and that being hosted every 4 years like the cricket world cup, can this be a threat to cricket. Baseball overtook cricket in the US(cricket use to be the main sport before baseball took over), is there are chance for it taking over other countries?

How popular is it actually?!

I for one have never heard of it.

 

[nightprowler10]

How popular is it actually?!

I for one have never heard of it.

Yeah, full stadiums don't necessarily mean the event is popular on a world wide level. I live in the US and I didn't even know about it until it was half way through.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

How popular is it actually?!

I for one have never heard of it.

Held for the first time last year, Japan won (I think). It was held in the USA and got a lukewarm response. The structure of MLB (162+ games per season per franchise) means that the franchises don't like their players to play internationals.

TBH from the limited experience I have, the sheer amount of games seem to me to be a huge problem. When cricketers talk of overkill, at least they don't play four back-to-back individual games against the same side several times per season. How can anyone keep track of so many matches?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Right you are. My oversight. However, I was more referring to the main land continents. Baseball has a massive hold on South America. It is clearly the second most popular sport there after football. And of course it's well ahead in United States and Canada.

Guyana?

 

[Josh]

Baseball is only popular in the US and surrounds and Japan, really. A tiny bit of popularity in Europe.

Cricket has a much higher profile internationally and also a ****load more players at amateur level. The two aren't comparible.

 

[Kweek]

baseball is bigger in Holland then cricket

 

[steds]

When cricketers talk of overkill, at least they don't play four back-to-back individual games against the same side several times per season.

Well, they play four day First Class games...

 

[Poker Boy]

No I don't think so - and I don't think either will go global. Baseball (and its female equivalent softball) is being put out of the Olympics after Bejing which might tell you something...

 

[The Baconator]

Don't really reckon either of them will go completely global, partly due to each other. The highest level baseball is also just in the US, so while you may get minor leagues around the globe, all the best players will just go and play MLB.

 

[Scaly piscine]

MLB will keep baseball limited to America and a few other pockets, the league is far too big and centralised to allow the game of baseball to develop globally. MLB basically means nearly all the top baseball and baseball teams are confined to America. It's difficult for an international game to develop because it'll always be second fiddle to the MLB because it has the history, pays the wages and players don't have the energy or will left over to play at 100% internationally - the international game will be as meaningful as international friendlies in football.

This combination of all the best franchise type teams being limited to America and the struggling international game leaves very little scope for the game to widen it's audience and playing numbers.

Rugby union is spreading all the time because it's the opposite of this, there are intercountry club competitions, a thriving international game with plenty of fixtures.

 

[Turbinator]

Baseball is quite popular in North America and Latin America and parts of Asia (such as Japan)...