Five years ago, with the BBL in its infancy, Cricket Australia could only have dreamed of seeing 80,000 fans file into the MCG to see two Melbourne sides go at it.
With the state versus state concept beginning to wane, the Bash was lacking its all-important prefix. Games were played out in front of empty grandstands while T20 leagues around the world started to gather considerable momentum. Australian domestic cricket was falling behind.
The consequential shake-up of the Australian domestic T20 competition over the following years was met with an unprecedented reception.
In the midst of its fifth edition since turning franchise, the BBL has become the summers’ biggest hit.
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The Big Bash League’s impetuous growth is a testament to the brand created over the past five seasons. It has far surpassed the corruption riddled IPL as the world’s number one T20 competition off the back of gripping, entertaining contests.
Cricket fans’ transient attention is captured by balls sailing into the second tier – or in some cases, Dan Christian, out of the stadium. The 52,000 strong crowd at the Adelaide Oval on NYE were incited by a Travis Head knock that is independent of the Twenty20 format. Individual performances to the tune of 53 in 15 balls are seldom seen in Test and one-day cricket.
The NYE game won’t be remembered for the premature fireworks display, but rather the last ditch escapades of Travis Head.
Beyond the commercial benefits of T20, the Big Bash is the ideal breeding ground to christen young cricketers. A franchise-based competition pits them against the best Australia and the world have to offer. They have the opportunity to rub shoulders with established imports over a five-week period gaining an insight into the demands of international cricket.
Amongst other things, it offers exposure to a highly profitable international market where young players can hone their skills in a number of different pro T20 leagues. Becoming accustomed to overseas conditions goes a long way to changing the current home-dominated state of international cricket.
Most importantly, raising a cricketer in a hostile arena is ideal in developing the thick skinned nature that is a prerequisite for any Australian player. Nothing equips you more than a portly gentleman leaning over the boundary fence and politely telling you how poorly you are bowling tonight.
Yes, the BBL has uncovered the formula to developing a well-backed, successful competition – one that is fan-orientated rather than commercially driven. By mixing cricket with 80s rock ballads and flamethrowers, the Big Bash brings a festival atmosphere to every night.
Slane
Guest
Or maybe people think that watching a batsman attempt to score runs off each ball is better watching than when a batsman blocks out a few overs while waiting for the bowler to slip up. Cheerleaders, fireworks and music are just the trimmings. What we are seeing every night is world-class batsmen taking on world-class bowlers at a decent hour and for a decent length of time.
matth
Guest
Moving away from state based comps achieved two things: 1. Allowed for easier movement of players between franchises. Clubs can get cricketers from anywhere and are not limited to their Sheffield shield pool of players. 2. Double the exposure in the main two markets. Derbies in the biggest two cities attract crowds and if you don't identify with one team, chances are you will support the other. Cricket is slowly but surely moving towards a structure similar to the football codes, where the majority of the season is taken with club competition and representative games become the events. I still much prefer a great test match or the ODI world cup, but they need context - there are many dud tests these days, there is no ultimate test trophy. The Ashes only comes around once every two years, only one in four years at home. - outside the world cup ODI's struggle for context (we are playing India this season because?). With the T20 comp there is always context - to win the premiership.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
"T20 adult fan base, obviously prefer cheerleaders, flashy clothes, nightclub music, and fireworks, and lots of meaningless 6ixes, than watching conservative middle aged white men with dad bellies like Darrell Hair." I couldn't possibly understand why...
Ash
Guest
Actually you need to check your facts Peter. State based Big Bash had crowds around 12k-17k in WA & SA. In QLD & TAS, it used to attract about 5000 fans a game. There were a couple of exceptions in NSW with 27k at ANZ & that famous 43k in VIC in 2010 that led to the formation of the BBL. Again on TV, the State Big Bash used to get ratings around 120k-150k for the big games. Very encouraging but nowhere near the ratings when BBL was created. So in what way BBL set T20 back a couple of years is beyond me.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
People tend to associate State-based comps with representative fixtures, meaning we were mostly seeing Australian up-and-comers. The new franchise model eliminates that, allowing them to pick up the world's best. This made it a league with a lot more potential for excitement. Just one aspect of course, there were many other sound decisions that made this a more marketable league.
Johnno
Guest
I can't stand T20, and everything it stands for. The kids, should be watching sheffield shield and Test cricket in the holidays instead. But no they prefer to watch T20, they don't know what they missing ou ton by not going to sheffield shield or Tests. T20 adult fan base, obviously prefer cheerleaders, flashy clothes, nightclub music, and fireworks, and lots of meaningless 6ixes, than watching conservative middle aged white men with dad bellies like Darrell Hair.
Jordan Crick
Roar Rookie
True, but the point still remains that Franchise cricket has grown the game considerably since the state format, whether it be through marketing or exposure on network television etc. I see your point about the state teams, but think we may still have experienced a lack of interest. I do agree though that T20 is extremely popular at the moment and will continue to blossom well into the future.
Peter Z
Guest
Jordan, check your facts, I think you'll find the crowd numbers were around that during the state T20 days. I'm sure the Vic T20 team got a crowd in the high 40,000's just before the revamp, and SA WA and QLD all had crowds in the 20,000's. Indeed, the revamp to city franchises set back T20 for a couple of years there. Anyway, lets just say I agree the city branding was a better way to go, but as i said, the main reason was getting 2 teams in vic and nsw, and less to do with what you've asserted.
Ash
Guest
No one is telling you not to give an opinion but at least try to contribute something CONSTRUCTIVE instead of always sulking & being negative every time there's a BBL article Don't you get tired with your constant T20 bashing ?
sheek
Roar Guru
There you go with this 'hate' thing again. I don't hate 20/20, I just think it's so contrived. This is a sports opinion blog site & I'll offer my opinion as often as I see fit.
Jordan Crick
Roar Rookie
@peter z It was a factor, but certainly not the only reason. I think its naive to state that two Sydney and Melbourne teams are the sole reason for the BBL's success and the catalyst for its change to franchise. If that were the case, we wouldn't see 30,000 turning up to the GABBA now would we.
Peter Z
Guest
Jordan, if they kept it as Victoria or NSW, they couldn't have had 2 Victorian or NSW teams, could they? Clearly this was all about stabilizing interest in the largest cities.
Jordan Crick
Roar Rookie
Marketing has increased because the BBL teams are marketable. By your logic, that equals bigger crowds. During the state v state days fans had to follow a side across three formats - which was difficult considering there was a lack of Shield coverage on television.
Murray
Guest
Totally agree. Club v State makes no difference. I would support a team whether it was Victoria or Melbourne. The state T20 was goin just fine before all this. It was just about getting 2 teams in the biggest cities for strategic reasons.
Rellum
Roar Guru
"fans have someone to barrack" So we didn't have anyone to barrack for before? Sorry I did. Apart from Melbourne and Sydney the only difference between the old big bash teams and the new ones is the colours and the names. The only reason that the BBL is getting more people through the gates in a massive increase to marketing, which includes changing it to a 6 week comp for maximum exposure.
Ash
Guest
Remind me Sheek when the NBL was getting average crowds around 25-30k - 2nd highest only behind the AFL & more importantly TV ratings over 1 million per game - highest of any sport ? And I really don't think you understand the definition of novelty. The T20 league has been around since 2005. That's ELEVEN years now. In the 1st year the crowds averaged around 9,500 when novelty should have been the highest. Since then over the course of the next decade the T20 crowds have exploded to an average of almost 28,000 this season. And make no mistake it has been a gradual increase year-on-year. That's NOT what anyone calls "novelty". That's a sporting comp firmly establishing itself over the course of a decade. So give it a break Sheek, your constant T20 hate is starting to wear really thin. No one is saying you have to like it. But why can't you just ignore it & let people who like cricket in any form enjoy it ?
Jordan Crick
Roar Rookie
As I said in the article, transient attention spans are captured by this 'razzle dazzle' entertainment - fireworks, Zing bails, continuous six hitting etc. But if we can introduce a new generation of cricket fans to the T20 format, they may eventually expand their interests into the longer forms. I like your theory on an inside job. I think administrators around the world see T20 as far more financialy viable than Test Cricket. They may slowly begin to phase out the longer forms over the years by scheduling more and more T20 games during a summer before they eventually take precedence. Lets hope this never happens.
Jordan Crick
Roar Rookie
I agree. The best thing that happened to the Big Bash was the formation of franchises. The major footballing codes have shown us that, in Australia, it is vital that the fans have someone to barrack for. Because of this I agree that it was neccessary to give the two biggest cities in Australia the opportunity to maximise crowds and may have contributed to CA deciding to change it from the state v state competition. At the end of the day, whether it be the exposure on network television or the expansion of city based sides, the franchise format is working. Lets hope that the BBL's longevity is not compramised in the future and we continue to see crowds of this size flock to all venues around Australia.
sheek
Roar Guru
Just as a cautionary note of warning, we've had all this razzle-dazzle before. By the mid-90s, the NBL, with its contrived music & incessant gee-up announcer man, was supposedly going to take Australian sport by storm. But then, just a few years later, the NBL fell flat on its face & is now struggling for relevancy. Once the glitter & glamour was peeled away, the substance was found to be lacking. One thing about most sporting fans, is their lack of long-term attention span. Only the rusted-on, diehard supporters remain true to a sport. Love of a sport is like a relationship. We all love that early part of a relationship when everything is new, fresh & exciting. But at some point, the early passion & novelty will wear off, & that's when you realise how serious the relationship is. Right now, 20/20 is in the novelty stage.
sheek
Roar Guru
Huh! The true genius of BBL is disguising a venerable ancient game with lots of smoke & mirrors, garish coloured uniforms, meaningless team logos, wickets & bails that flash when hit, continuous sixes, miked-up players & passing it off as cheap entertainment. What happens when people tire of 20/20? Will we be watching five x five (overs) next? A mate of mine is adamant 20/20 was designed to attract non-cricket lovers, which is true enough. I have workmates who don't care about test cricket but are into the teams, players & tactics of BBL. But they still don't care for traditional cricket. I believe it is a flawed strategy of CA that 20/20 will attract new fans to cricket. No it won't. Their drug is 20/20, which might as well be called a new sport entirely. Like bashball, for example. Anyway, I have this theory that test cricket will be killed off by an 'inside job'. That is, by the same worldwide cricket administrators that profess to claim that test cricket is still king. Yeah, but they're chasing the 20/20 pot of gold at the end of then proverbial rainbow.