[ninjatalli]

This is a question that's been in the back of my mind for quite a while. Has cricket moved on from being a sport that the masses would be passionate about to the industry of entertainment? The reasons are aplenty

- The passion for the sport is waning. Two decades ago, the subcontinent would grind to a halt when India (and especially Sachin) played. This gradually reduced over time but still Dhoni, Kohli & Co. kept the passion burning. Now I wonder if it's the case in any of the format (maybe still for test format).

- Over-dosage of the game. IPL schedules. World Cup ODI, T20 & Test championships. Bilateral series (home & away). Women chamionships. And so much more. Pre-Covid, ago we used to have mini-WC series (e.g. Asia Cup, etc). We aren't alone - many cricketers are voicing the strains of too many games & tournaments (e.g. Ben Stokes's vocal complaints)

- Competition. Soccer. F1. Tennis. Kabaddi. And so much more. Increasingly we are being exposed to more sports on the global front. While cricket still definitely holds #1 spot, interest in other sports is definitely on the rise

- Commercial impact for cricketers across different mediums (than just the field). Ads. Branding deals. Partnerships and even companies (co?)owned by successful cricketers. I hope that none of the cricketers make it through Bollywood (or any of the other XYZ-woods). That would be the last frontier of mediums that hasn't been successfully breached.


On the personal front, I hardly am able to keep track of what series is India playing or is going to play. Where we stand on global rankings (across each format). I see similar situation across my friends and family (and colleagues). The interest isn't there; at least not from a passionate point of view. If there's any interest, it's more from an entertainment standpoint. Like we'd discuss a movie or a live show. This wasn't the case a decade ago.

And this isn't the case for other sports, like soccer for example. Yes, they have been commercialized to crazy levels (e.g. Ronaldo's recent un-explainable move to a Saudi team). But the passion is there and burning strong across the fans of these sports. If you don't believe me, head over to Kerala - you'll still see giant sized posters of Ronaldo, Messi and many more across every village, town and city.


What is the view of bhpians on this?

[condor]

Cricket has long moved from the realm of sport to entertainment. It was still fine about 10 years ago, when we saw some excellent players. But for past few years, there is too much happening behind the scenes for it to have remained a sport. Not just IPL, but regular international formats too.

Women's cricket is still un-touched by all this.

[am1m]

Not just cricket, I'd say the competition for viewership of any sport has been movies and other screen-based entertainment for a long time. And that's the only way for a sport to make really big money.

Is watching a sport/discussing a sport/"supporting" a sports team (by watching matches/races in a pub) without playing it, or only having played it in school/college a looong time ago and not anymore, really passion for the sport? Or it is just another form of entertainment, just like watching a movie?

I think we just follow what our friends/influencers (no that's not a modern social-media word, it includes fathers and other father figures!) growing up used to do.

For example, what earthly difference did it make to me, an Indian, if an Argentine who plays for a French club, owned by a Qatari billionaire won the world cup, or if he had lost? Yet it did only because I've been conditioned to care. (And it did, btw I was overjoyed! But trying to analyze it objectively. ) Objectively, watching that epic final was the same as watching a well-made thriller with twists and turns.

If I actually played any sport, however badly and at whatever level, all those hours I spend watching it, it would do me a lot more good.

[pkulkarni.2106]

Gone are the days we used to eagerly wait for the World Cup. Gone are the days we used to look forward to see our favorite player on the field. I don't know about others, but I kept losing the interest in cricket as the legends (Saurav, Sachin, Dravid) kept retiring.

Now I don't follow cricket at all. I think some credit goes to IPL as well, for commercializing the game.

[Chetan_Rao]

I don't begrudge the players earning a better living, esp. those who wouldn't make it to international levels for a variety of reasons and didn't have enough financial avenues in the domestic game, before large-scale commercialization brought on by T20 cricket. Cricket is now a viable, even lucrative profession for a much larger demographic than 10-15 years ago, and that's worth applauding.

Personally, I lost interest in limited overs cricket a long time ago. I selectively follow some Test cricket, but have increasingly become ambivalent to the sport as a whole.

[ValarMorghulis]

I think we are overthinking it.
- In the 90s, (North) India stopped when Ramayana & Mahabharata were aired (at least that's what dad told me).
- Sachin's desert storm captivated the nation's fancy.
- Movies created frenzied fan following (eg. Sholey, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, etc).

While the above (and many more) events were spectacular no doubt, they also engulfed the entire nation due to the options (or lack thereof) available.

Today, you can entertain and busy yourself with multiple avenues.

And totally support cricket as entertainment. Let cricketers earn and live a decent life. No point romanticizing the sport and the sportsmen living as destitutes.

[DigitalOne]

I don't think any other sport underwent such fundamental changes in format as cricket has in the last 2 decades. Take football for example, the tournament formats (club or country), game rules (barring minor changes like VAR) has remained same for decades now. Same for Basketball, Tennis, Hockey, or any of the olympics sports.

This constancy makes it easier to follow these sports. When Argentina plays France in a world cup final, it is simple to understand that a momentous event is happening. This is not true for cricket anymore - There are just too many formats, too many tournaments, and no sense of occasion.

[androdev]

if advertisement industry designed a sport/show/event, they could not have come up with something better than cricket - a generous commercial break after every over suitable for a billion people who would rather watch TV than do anything remotely physically demanding. the governing body of cricket is advertisement industry.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

- The passion for the sport is waning. Two decades ago, the subcontinent would grind to a halt when India (and especially Sachin) played. This gradually reduced over time but still Dhoni, Kohli & Co. kept the passion burning.

Maybe it's a sign we're developing as an economy, or as a society. We have things to do. Our lives are arguably far busier than they were in the 90s, and we also have much easier access to multiple forms of entertainment - from streaming services to more neighbourhood restaurants.

[lapis_lazuli]

The format for viewing entertainment material has changed. On a tiny mobile screen, you are better off, watching reels and the 5 minute dopamine steam. Add to it, what Viper said. Totally agreed!
The small format entertainment and small format matches ruined the "Bodyline" (who remembers this series?) real adrenaline rush experience. What was a cigar is now a 2 minute bidi!

Plus, when non cricket glamorous folks started to enter the dressing room and the studios, it was the gradual beginning of the end. T20 and IPL nailed it.

[anandhsub]

Slightly OT: This thread reminds me of the tax issues that Sachin faced for claiming to be an actor and not a cricketer.

As such I believe all sport is entertainment.

Be it the Olympics, World cup soccer, Champions league or the t20 world cup given I dont play any of these games even recreationally let alone competitively, and hence there is nothing to learn from them, the only reason I watch them is because I find them more entertaining than a TV series or the latest movie.

The moment the quality of the cricket is not entertaining enough, half the audience will move on, similar to what has happened with Bollywood post covid.

[NPV]

I believe that all formats other than Test cricket are the ones specifically designed targeting entertainment for the masses (and garner huge revenue from advertising, media rights, etc) and this is mostly evident when one notices the number of spectators and kind of crowd the matches in the different formats get.

That said, I still love the game and will continue to watch the game, especially Test cricket.

Just recently I had the opportunity to take the tour of the Lord's cricket ground on a Sunday morning and I must say it was one of my best ever experiences and a dream come true

[AtheK]

The overdose of cricket has reached to a level, where in my to be 9 year old kid has stopped watching the game altogether. He used to love it when I introduced him to the game, he also got enrolled in the coaching class. Then one fine day he just started losing interest and hardly watches any match now or goes to play.

The overdose is the main issue here and not necessarily the quality. We used to wait earlier for any series, now you just switch on TV and some cricket match is on, also the fact that now we can watch matches for any country by click of a button brings in that entertainment flavor.

For me though it is still a mix of both, I would rather spend watch 2-3 hours of cricket then the junk bollywood throws at our face these days. Test matches are though still pure cricket and I sat through a lot of overs even with bangladesh series as it evokes a lot of emotion compared to say T20, ODI for me is dead anyway.

[EV NXT]

Its called growing old.

Not the same interest, passion, excitement, fervour or devotion to detail - you’ll find the change in every area you have shown interest in your younger years - not just cricket.

One has a lot more areas to keep oneself preoccupied - work, family, kids, education, closing that loan, buying that car etc etc - most of which didnt compete with cricket during one’s younger days.

Part of a balanced approach that comes with maturity that you actually enjoy more.

[KPR]

No matter what I still love watching India play and not Chennai or Kolkata or Bangalore.