Amidst a swathe of bucket-clad heads, bright lights and a cacophony of the current top songs around the world the cricket out in the middle can lose its relevance.
The Big Bash League has been a success by almost every measure. With the men’s competition now in its seventh and largest iteration and the women’s gaining traction in its third, Cricket Australia and Network Ten have combined to make cricket ‘summer’s best value entertainment’.
With finals still to come, the BBL has already attracted the better part of one million fans. TV coverage proudly shows shots of the crowd – of young boys and girls and their families all together enjoying the cricket. There are advertisements all around to sign up for your local Milo T20 Blast program. Interest in cricket seems to be at an all-time high.
But is it the cricket the crowds are coming to see?
I have been to two Big Bash games since the competition’s inception and have found both games incredibly difficult to follow. Last season I sat on the boundary edge at the Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers last-ball thriller yet had no idea Ashton Agar’s six had won the game for his side.
Being in the crowd is more about ‘cooee-ing’ in time with the PA system and banging your buckets to win prizes. The cricket is almost inconsequential.
(AAP Image/David Mariuz)
Greg Baum wrote astutely on the matter and addressed the fact that in the current sporting climate the way we attract new fans young and old is not one that places a high enough value on the sport. Instead we give preference to noise and action inside the ground and to activities outside it.
Perhaps it’s because cricket is seen as boring. Cricket is the game that takes too long and doesn’t make any sense. Maybe we are embarrassed that the cricket alone isn’t enough to gather any kind of genuine interest. If that is the case, then a sport with a 200-year global history and a legacy that speaks for itself is ceding to those who don’t understand its beauty, complexity and nuance.
Indeed cricket is in a period of transition and has been for a number of years. It has been well documented that the management of this period will be crucial in ensuring the game’s longevity.
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The powers that be see it as paramount that we look for alternate avenues to attract the next generation, luring them in with entertainment as opposed to cricket.
The distraction and diversion tactic has come to characterise cricket in Australia. Test matches are now ‘hosted’ by James Sherry, whose comments and video clips fill up every break in play, and because one-day cricket is losing its attraction it is now almost compulsory to attend in fancy dress.
I am all for making the game more accessible and attractive to the next generation and I certainly see the Big Bash as a viable if not crucial avenue in doing so. Watching on television is fantastic – insights from the likes of Ricky Ponting and Brendon McCullum are invaluable and heed Richie Benaud’s adage of ‘not speaking unless one can add to the picture’. Additionally, the changes in junior formatting to reflect the shorter form have already been effective.
The importance of T20 cricket, especially in Australia, cannot be overstated, so it is important that the millions of cricket-loving kids – all potential cricket tragics – are falling in love with the game for the right reasons: for the contest, for the competition and for the cricket.
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
Mate you’re making up problems for what is otherwise a very successful, interesting, highly competitive and fun tournament. And the biggest viewship by far is the TV audience. How good would it be for cricket if every other cricketing country could replicate the success and national interest of both the BBL and IPL? Talented kids everywhere would be wanting to play professional cricket which is only good for the game. And everyone knows (including kids) that Test cricket, not T20 is still the pinnacle for a player.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Great comment
Perry Bridge
Guest
The basketball has been doing this for ages. The NRL has been doing cheerleaders and fireworks. And that's for their main league formats. What's wrong with this packaged T20 format being packaged and delivered as a fun night out? The key for cricket is to not sell it's soul.
Andrew Young
Roar Guru
Hi Marshall, thanks for your reply. I agree that the Big Bash is an important all-encompassing and wide reaching part of the Australian cricketing calendar. I appreciate that it is a fantastic way to get more people to come to the cricket and develop a casual interest, but not to foster a genuine love of the game, away from bright lights and loud noises. As for widening cricket's net, I couldn't agree more! cheers.
Haydos
Guest
Was at last nights game and us Scorchers fans were hanging on every delivery in those final overs. If anyone wasn't watching it i don't see how. The league has quickly created a loyal and passionate fan base who are invested in their teams. Their success and failures are reflected on the faces of those who turn up every week. "Scooorchers" chants, the sea of orange, standing ovations, rousing applause for the Ashton Agars and cheers for opposition failures are all on the fans, not the people running the comp. That can't just be the result of just a bit of entertainment, that's people who want their team to win and to make finals. There is a genuine feeling of the pride and respect of their team at stake. Oh, and yeah there are fireworks, music and dancers too. Will give you that.
Marshall
Guest
It's meant to be an entertainment piece. Look, I'm a traditional fan but I go to the BBL and still enjoy the cricket element of it, the other stuff I just block out. BUT, my girlfriend who is not a sportsfan AT ALL will come along, enjoy all the lights and sounds and the big hits/light up wickets and have a great time. She will then even watch a little on the TV too if the Heat are playing. It simply widens crickets net, I can't see that as a bad thing. The cricket is still there to be enjoyed by the hardcore fan but theres other stuff layered on top to bring in casual fans. Chill out and let people enjoy it.
George
Guest
Exactly. It corrodes actual cricket.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I have never understood this line of thinking/marketing. It is sold as the exciting version of cricket. Why would people watch that then decide I will go and watch what is considered the boring form of cricket?
Rellum
Roar Guru
This year is the first time I have seen the Big Bash franchise league show signs that their fans actually care about the results. There have been times at games at Perth and Adelaide home games where the home fans have been quite when the opposition hits a six or takes a wicket. In the previous years all I ever heard when a 6 was hit was laugh cheers. The media has also changed. In previous years all they talked about was who smashed a quick 50 or hit a massive six and hyped that up to silly levels. This year I see a lot more reporting on who will make the finals. That is a big shift. Slowly I think the BBL fans are starting to care more about the results. That it has taken this long to see slivers of care says a lot about the comp, how it was set up and who it was aimed at. When I grew up getting passionate about rep teams made sense to me, they were representing where I was from played by people who were from where I was from. I can't get passionate about franchises as to me they have no meaning other than making money for suits and the players. If cricket is going to survive for another hundred years it needs to make sure people play and watch it with passion. Not just hoping to be entertained.
jeff dustby
Guest
making up problems
Neville
Guest
'If you look at the pitch and the scoreboard I’m sure you’ll work out what’s going on', good in theory but nigh on impossible in practice. With flame thrower things, dancing troupes, and bucket heads (plus plus plus) intruding into the viewing space, the action on the pitch is hard to see let alone follow, added to which the scoreboard spends more time running ads, crowd shots, and irrelevant animations than posting the score. Great article Andrew.
BBA
Guest
T20 / Big Bash is just the gateway which hopefully will get some people more interested in the game and following other versions and forms of the game. However it will only be a trickledown effect and for some it will be just an annual event for a bit of fun who may not care too much about the game, however that is fine too. Nothing wrong with T20 / Big Bash all being about a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously (and you could argue that is what is right about it).
Matth
Guest
You guys take theses things too seriously. Sure it’s an entertainment package. And what’s wrong about that exactly? We still have the serious cricket on for most of the summer. I go to the BBL once a year in Brisbane and this year it was a cracking game. If you look at the pitch and the scoreboard I’m sure you’ll work out what’s going on.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
Great write-up Andrew, the Big Bash is symptomatic of the future direction of sports. Sport is entertainment, T20 was created purely for that reason. The cricket is the main product but the side product ends up becoming just as important in engaging fans. Look at the Super Bowl for example, the main product is the football but the side product (i.e. halftime show, advertisements) have gained cultural relevance too. It calls to question the future of sport. How much can a kid endure these days compared to a kid from 20-30 years ago. Attention spans are changing, the importance of sport is declining. The NRL, AFL, Big Bash aren't sporting competitions, they are entertainment brands. They are competing with Hollywood cinema, reality television, Netflix, etc. for their market share. Yes, the attention is slowly drifting away from the main product but the side product is only enhancing the entertainment value of the sport. I would like to unabashedly say, I haven't watched any Big Bash this season. Other than a brief flirtation with opening night, the occasional ladder glance and consumption of articles and live blogs, I have been disconnected from the competition. I went to a Thunder game last year and agree with your sentiment that it is merely a coordinated coee-ing. In saying that, the Big Bash has settled into the Australian sporting AND entertainment landscape. At least the competition hasn't been degraded to an XI of Australian Idol finalists, child actors, Bachelor contestants and 'comedians' just yet. Who knows, maybe we'll see that in the Big Final?