In New York

Cricket’s Beginnings in America

Considering that America was part of the British Empire, it would not be so crazy to think that cricket was once popular here. In its very early history, America harbored many cricket fans; most being immigrants themselves and descendants of immigrants who had migrated to America from England. In the late 19th century, most cricket clubs, like St. George Club of New York, were populated by Englishmen. These immigrants were joined by their American born friends in their love for cricket. But in the early 20th century the popularity of cricket in America dropped.  There have been many explanations given as to why but I will discuss only a few. One possibility is the decrease in immigration from England which caused the slow downfall of cricket in America. Another explanation is that Americans became hostile to England and English culture, as they wanted to create their own culture. This could explain why the decline of cricket began almost at the same time of the rise of baseball, an American sport. This gave Americans something they could make their own and be recognized as part of American culture (Kaufman and Patterson).

Cricket Today in New York

Here you can see most of the cricket fields listed on the New York City Parks website. These are eleven out of fifteen of the official cricket locations but for each location, there are multiple cricket fields. If you click on each site, they will show you how many fields each location has; the numbers range from one field to twelve fields for each location. New York is the home to the largest cricket complex in the United States, Van Cortland Park. Opened nearly five years ago, the new cricket complex is the host of twelve outdoor cricket fields, all near each other. The grand opening of the complex in 2013 was attended by mostly foreigners, people from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Britain (Decker). It symbolized a growth of cricket in New York. These 12 cricket fields are not the only new ones, many others have also been established in recent history. The increase in cricket fields around New York City is due to the increase in immigration from cricket playing countries, mainly former British colonies. This is not only true in New York but in America as a whole. Since 2008, the fastest growing sport in America was cricket ( Kirsch, 175). This is directly linked to the migration from cricket playing countries.

The NYPD sponsors a cricket league that allows youths to be part of a league, as local leagues only accept older athletes. The league helps foster friendly relations between the NYPD and the communities of the league members. Similar to the community discussed in Rios’s article, the community here is also driven by a unifying sport that plays a role in shaping the identity of its participants. The community discussed in Rios’s article was centered around Oaxaca but the themes shown are not unique to that area. People in Oaxaca were able to connect with each other and build their pride and unity through basketball. Here, playing in the NYPD league also gives a chance for the participants to meet new people, ideas, and culture, which could influence their passions and future endeavors. It’s in the participants’ favor that they have this opportunity while they are young because the experiences they obtain in the league will be carried over to their future pursuits.

 

What Cricket Means to an Immigrant Community

Cricket has become more popular in New York due to the high populations of immigrants living in our city. Almost forty percent of New York’s population are immigrants; with more than 10 percent from West Indian countries. As previously explained, cricket is very popular in the West Indies and those immigrants brought cricket with them. For them, cricket symbolizes many things. Cricket is a way for immigrants in New York to keep their culture and remember where they came from. As Patrick Kirkland, President of the New York Cricket League, told the New York Times, “It gives us an opportunity to continue an old- country sporting tradition we grew up with”. Cricket is important to many from the West Indies so instead of forgetting about it when they move, they keep on playing. Many people have grown up playing cricket in their homes and are not able to give that up. Continuing their tradition helps them not forget their roots and where they came from. One immigrant cricket player explained, “You come to America, the land of opportunity. But you don’t want to lose your roots. This is what we look forward to every Sunday” (Kirsch, 176).

In addition, cricket is a way to create a West Indian community by meeting other people and socializing. Patrick Kirkland said, “Cricket also gives us a chance to socialize with other West Indians.” Many people come to New York and have no family here, they are just alone. It is hard for them to adjust to the new life and culture. Cricket is a way for them to meet people who are similar to them and give them a support system during a rough transition. Horace Howe, a Jamaican immigrant to New York, explained, “Coming to the park and playing cricket with other West Indians helped me adjust to life this country. It helped me feel at home” (Kirsch, 176). Ricky Singh, the owner of Singh’s Sporting Goods, also said that cricket helps him feel at home. Before he left home in Guyana, cricket was so important to him and when he got to New York, he realized it was not popular here.

Still, Mr. Singh played right when he got here because it helped him feel at home (Vadukul). After a little while, he decided to open up a cricket store because there was a lack of those in New York. After almost 30 years, his store is very successful. He gets customers from all over the world, especially the West Indies. As much as he cares about the game, he also cares about his customers and making sure they get what they need, for cricket to survive in New York. It is less about the act of playing cricket and more about the social possibilities that a cricket event gives people in a foreign city. One example of this is the Cricket Cup held in Brooklyn, given out to the best of New York’s cricket teams. The championship game is an event where people come together as a community. They socialize with others just like them and are able to make connections. This helps new immigrants succeed and feel comfortable in New York. In 2003, the championship game was sponsored by Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, a medical facility in Brooklyn. They were trying to extend medical care to more in the Caribbean community by advertising at the game. They used cricket as a way to help promote their cause because they knew that the whole community would be at the event (Springer).

 

Today there are many cricket teams and leagues in New York. If you want to find a way to play, all you need to do is search ‘cricket in New York’ on google and you will easily be able to find a way to play. Although many of the teams are made up of players from the same home countries, as this is how they know people, some teams are mixed. This gives them a way to meet people from all parts of the world, who they have something in common with. As Arnold Arnajallum said, “The beauty of it is how people from different nationalities, different backgrounds have this one game uniting people together” (Kirsch, 176). Many of these people come from former British colonies, which explains why cricket is important to all of them, and also gives them something in common.

 

References

Decker, Alison. “New York City Plays Ball as Interest in Cricket Takes off.” Cape Argus 8 May 2013, E1 ed., News sec.: 11. Lexis Nexis. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

Kirsch, George B. “The Fate of Cricket in the United States: Revisited.” Journal of Sport History 43.2 (2016): 168-91. Jstor.org. Web. 16 May 2017.

Rios, B. R. (2012). Culture, Migration, and Sport: A Bi-National Investigation of Southern Mexican Migrant Communities in Oaxaca, Mexico and Los Angeles, California.

Springer, Bevan. “Cricket Cup, Health Fair This Weekend in Brooklyn.” New York Amsterdam News 94.35 (2003): 14. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Vadukul, Alex. “Bats and Balls for All-Rounders.” The New York Times, 21 June 2015: 3(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.