fineleg Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 Entertainment, excitement in combination with super skill levels and highly competitive - that is precisely what Test cricket is.
nballa Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 soccer is a rubbish sport. mostly played and followed by the 3rd world as just about any tin can can be considered a 'ball' and that's all is really needed.
achilles Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 Interesting topic by the OP. In addition to many of the reasons already stated, I think there are three more reasons why cricket ( Test mainly) is losing popularity among urban Indians. 1) Psychological factors: When cricket was introduced in India it was also a niche sport, restricted to the few sultans and maharajas and the British. Elitism was so rampant, that even a super rich industrialist like Jamshetji Tata was denied entry and membership into a cricket club. As is the case with developing countries, especially India, many of our likes are aspirational likes. That is the likes are in aspiration of a better lifestyle,a higher social stature and a sign of upward mobility. That is why many common middle class urban Indians took an immediate liking towards cricket in the years after independence. Hitherto it had been beyond their reach. Everybody wanted to be a part of this elite game and over the years because of mass support ( for other reasons also, I admit, like ODIs and patriotism) cricket was no longer a niche sport. Same is the case with football among the urban youth today. A football follower thinks ( at times sub consciously) himself to be a league above a cricket fans on the social ladder, as football is associated with the richer countries of Western Europe. It is interesting to note, that no Indian football lover follows Brazilian league or Mexican league which probably are just as competitive as those in Europe, but not as glamorous. After a few years, this would also not have a niche following. Then maybe some other game would creep in. 2) Economics: Maybe DomainK or someone working in th advertising industry can explain this better. The ad rates ( in lakhs of rupees per second of ad) are multiple times higher for English football league games and IPL games than they are for test matches. And infinitely higher than they are for Ranji matches. Think of it from a broadcaster point of view. Why the hell would he show 5*10 ( or how many ever hours a test match lasts a day) hours of cricket when the game has poor reach and he can't make enough dough. He'd make more running re-runs of an IPL game or of England vs Barcelona or whatever. I don't think that Ranji is even self supporting anymore. Domestic cricket in India must be a big loss making enterprise. Apart from IPL, that is. Why in the world would a broadcaster show Ranji? It will be interesting to have a look at BCCI's revenues and expenses by cricket type ( 20-20 vs ODI vs Test). If anyone could source this data, I would be really grateful. This being a cricket forum and having higher than usual % of people interested in cricket, even here I don't find anyone discussing Ranji cricket. Haven't seen a single thread or even a post on domestic cricket. Even by the Mullah Omars of the test match Taliban here on ICF. :P How long before BCCI abandons its problem child? 3) Demographics: In present urban Indian habitats, a lot of females have taken to watching sports. Sports for us ( those who don't play any cricket) is just another form of entertainment. Sport has to compete with other sports, movies, music, plays, etc etc etc. I just don't see what exactly test cricket has to offer to such viewers. It has zero marketability. I'd find it very odd ( and rare) if a girl actually likes test cricket. Test cricket loses out on this entire chunk of the population. Don't see test cricket making any inroads into this market segment either. For youngsters today ( both guys and girls) entertainment has to be instant. It is the age of entertainment. And cricket ( Tests mainly) are an exact anti thesis to that. @ OP : Football craze in India, among many other things were discussed in a lighter vein in this thread. After this post, I have no doubt in your writing skills. Only you and Morris can write an essay on such a topic. So Kudos to you on that. And well, I'm an advertising guy too :--D
julianlev Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 They "feel good and superior" by following something foriegn. That's it. Ironic considering cricket is the original English game see it as a positive, why not allow a thriving soccer interest to rise in India alongside the established cricket order you have more than enough fans for both
Mariyam Posted July 30, 2011 Posted July 30, 2011 After this post, I have no doubt in your writing skills. Only you and Morris can write an essay on such a topic. So Kudos to you on that. And well, I'm an advertising guy too :--D :(( What are the differences in advertisement rates between the IPL games and this test series? Ironic considering cricket is the original English game see it as a positive, why not allow a thriving soccer interest to rise in India alongside the established cricket order you have more than enough fans for both Big difference. In cricket Indians root for their own side. In football they root for a side they have no real connection with.
jairamesh Posted July 31, 2011 Posted July 31, 2011 The day India qualifies for a FIFA World Cup, then I might worry about "possible" decline of interest in cricket. Currently that seems very unlikely, and as for the "urban youth" of India following football, their lot is negligible to the total cricket TV viewing numbers. On another point, rather than watch football I rather these tamasha makers played football.
Cricket Tragic Posted July 31, 2011 Author Posted July 31, 2011 The day India qualifies for a FIFA World Cup' date=' then I might worry about "possible" decline of interest in cricket. [b']Currently that seems very unlikely, and as for the "urban youth" of India following football, their lot is negligible to the total cricket TV viewing numbers. On another point, rather than watch football I rather these tamasha makers played football. Goes without saying. I'm only talking about one particular segment.
MechEng Posted June 24, 2012 Posted June 24, 2012 Are WE the last generation of "die hard cricket fans"? It could be true tbh. Today all my college friends talk about EPL and don't give a damn about cricket.In fact this is the case with MOST Indian guys of age range 18-25, they say that cricket has been commercialised and has lost that naturalness (to which I agree as well). The rising popularity of EPL in India is coinciding with India's horrible show overseas, and the next gen players don't have the aura, so that the kids today emulate them.
Executioner Posted June 24, 2012 Posted June 24, 2012 well, even here in BD cricket doesnt have too much charm in some parts because of all the football. However, hopefully, youngsters will start taking the game more seriously. And the 8-0 whitewash has nothing much to do with interest towards the game. Its about whether they like it or not. From my point of view, T20 and ODIs are the way to go. nowadays I dont expect youngsters to sit down and watch 5 days of cricket, when you can watch 3 hours of action packed cricket... Test cricket will inevitably die
Cricket Tragic Posted June 24, 2012 Author Posted June 24, 2012 http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=269330
vvvslaxman Posted June 24, 2012 Posted June 24, 2012 Following one sports doesn't mean giving up on other sports. I bet they enjoye India's world cup win.
vvvslaxman Posted June 24, 2012 Posted June 24, 2012 Test cricket will inevitably die Not in our life time.
Tiger80 Posted June 24, 2012 Posted June 24, 2012 It could be true tbh. Today all my college friends talk about EPL and don't give a damn about cricket.In fact this is the case with MOST Indian guys of age range 18-25, they say that cricket has been commercialised and has lost that naturalness (to which I agree as well). The rising popularity of EPL in India is coinciding with India's horrible show overseas, and the next gen players don't have the aura, so that the kids today emulate them. How many of these football fans will watch indian football?
1983-2011 Posted June 24, 2012 Posted June 24, 2012 Is Cricket losing its popularity amongst India's urban youth? Are WE the last generation of "die hard cricket fans"? "Yes" Ml334re9LVA :giggle:
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