As a busy professional, Amol Sahasrabudhe must use hobbies and interests to relieve the daily stresses of professional life. One of his favorite interests is cricket, especially its history in the United States. The sport has a rich history that includes the likes of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. As popular as the sport was in the country’s formative years, many modern Americans dismiss it as elitist.
Amol Sahasrabudhe Talks About the Early Days of Cricket in the U.S.
In North America, the first recorded public cricket match occurred in 1751 between a London team and a team from New York City. The NYC team won; however, most historians believe the London team certainly comprised only New Yorkers. The first true international match between a team from the U.S. and a team from Canada did not occur until 1844.
It is said that Benjamin Franklin brought the rules of cricket back from a trip to England in 1754. The rules stemmed from the 1744 Laws of cricket’s official rule book. Also, some anecdotal evidence suggests that Washington’s troops played what they called “wickets” in 1178 at Valley Forge.
According to Amol Sahasrabudhe, the Sport grew in popularity after the revolution. Advertisements frequently appeared for cricket equipment and described the game for “young gentleman” and “men of fashion. In fact, when deciding what to call the country’s new head of state, John Adams spoke of presidents of cricket clubs, suggesting the term president is unbecoming of the office.
By 1849 cricket spread west and south with the population. According to some reports, Abraham Lincoln attended a cricket match in Chicago in 1849. More than 10,000 Americans at the time were playing the sport.
The tides started to turn by the turn of the 20th century. Negative stereotypes persisted, with many Americans describing players as “girlie men.” The term might have been a dig at the slow pace of the game or the traditional dress of the game, or the necessary tea break during international matches.
Whatever the reasons, cricket is no longer popular in the United States, and most Americans are unaware of the great players like J. Barton King, a Philidelphia player and one of the best bowlers of the game.
Amol Sahasrabudhe Shares Final Thoughts on Cricket in the U.S.
Despite the decline of the sport in the U.S. and the lack of interest or knowledge of the development of the sport during the birth of the nation, cricket is a worldwide phenomenon. Amol Sahasrabudhe explains that cricket is played by millions in countries spanning Europe, South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. It is unfortunate the once national game, the first outdoor sport of the country, is no longer known to most of its population, replaced by Baseball and other sports.
