Jay Pandya, Chairman of Global Venture Sports, has plans to invest $2.4 billion to bring eight professional cricket teams to the States. Trying to keep up-to-date on the latest in sports, we looked into this. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, we had to learn what cricket was. So we reached out to a British friend and asked if she would explain.

“It's much more interesting than baseball. But honestly, it's somewhat similar but only because there's a bat, a ball, and bases (although crickets bases aren't the same thing as baseball's). There are more points and more people playing, and it's played on a big round field.”

Ok, not the most helpful. Desperate for answers, we went to a local sports pub operated by a few British folks and asked if they could explain the rules. “For me to explain to you overs, ins, and wickets would take me three F***** days.” After a few minutes, the only thing we understood was, instead of a 7th inning stretch, they take a tea break…

And, we think this is emblematic of the biggest hurdle to overcome — educating the populace. As with any new sport, teaching fans the rules is difficult. Baseball is confusing enough to newbies at the game; Cricket is going to be even harder.  

After reading the rules, we live-streamed a game and still struggled to follow along. Our spokesperson, Brian, being a Baseball fan was able to get excited about a couple of moments of excellent fielding but struggled to understand the rest. His biggest complaint, “there’s no moment like the Home Run.”

Global Venture Sports’ plan is aggressive, which is commendable in its own right. But, $2.4 billion dollars spread across eight stadiums in the US isn’t much, and we fear that fans may be stuck with footing an expansion of a sport they have little interest, let alone knowledge in. We may not understand the rules of Cricket, but we know the rules of the public financing game. If you’re concerned like we are, help us keep watch by joining the coalition.