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Is there room for cricket in crowded Aussie sporting landscape?

Roar Pro
29th October, 2013
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Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has stood firm in an ongoing pay dispute with Australia's cricketers. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
Roar Pro
29th October, 2013
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1293 Reads

Cricket is one of the oldest sports in Australia and the world, played by everyone from the British Royal Family to kids in India.

The world has always loved and followed cricket, but back at home the game is becoming smothered by all the other codes that dominate this great land.

The NRL has had a strong year of crowd attendances and TV ratings. The games are getting bigger and faster. The skill is seeping through every try, giant leap and bone-crushing tackle.

With the Rugby League World Cup currently taking place, the sport and its players are enjoying their time under the spotlight on the world stage.

Australian Rules football has always been this country’s favourite sport, from the depths of Victoria all the way to the seaboard of Western Australia.

More and more Australians are taking to the game at a younger age, with Auskick programs happening around the country and even moving into Papua New Guinea.

The AFL is ever-expanding, with two new clubs over the past three years now gathering more fans by the day.

It is an exciting time for the lovers of this nation’s home grown sport.

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With the injection of the Western Sydney Wanderers, we have witnessed an explosion of passion from dedicated football fans who have had their emotions bottled up for too long.

They now finally have a team that they can cheer for, and the A-League has more than benefited from it.

Memberships for all clubs have blossomed in the past couple of seasons and it has become common knowledge that Parramatta Stadium can no longer contain the fans of this great game.

They need a new home ground, perhaps ANZ Stadium, just to cope with the mountains of fans that want to come and scream their lungs out.

Australian basketball is also set to explode sooner or later, with more NBL teams rumoured to be forming in the coming years.

With these amazing sports for us to all follow come even bigger names – people like Sonny Bill Williams, Lance Franklin and Israel Folau.

They are demanding more money, and getting it too. They carry the games on their backs and bring in the crowds solely with their names. Everyone is lining up just to see them in action.

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Sport in Australia is growing at a rapid pace. Even the Australian Baseball League is growing faster and better than most expected, bringing with it more fans, US players and (hopefully, soon) TV deals.

With all of this going on, one needs to sit back and look at the cricket picture. Little is read about it in the news these days and there is less and less to talk about.

It seems the fuss is dying down and I can’t remember the last time I felt excited to watch Australia play England.

With the ever-growing number of sports to follow in this great nation, is it time to sit up and ask if there is still room for cricket?

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