Roar Rookie
Joined January 2018
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Writer @ The Straight Hit - serious articles, frivolous infographics, fantasy league. Run-a-ball batting, rank off spin, half-decent keeper. Pom.
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The Steve Smith-Cameron Bancroft press conference didn't just unmask Tapegate, it exposed the culture that leads to the kind of sad events we saw…
You’re right. Sort of.
I’m one of the most tragic badgers you are likely to meet, but I haven’t watched every ball of a Test match in 20 years. I don’t think anyone expects the public to watch all of a match. Attendees – one day or two. Viewers – a couple of hours here and there on a weekday, more at a weekend.
But there is a lot that can be done to intelligently package the content. Long-form highlights in primetime, clips on social media all have a role to play.
We shouldn’t give up in Tests, we just have to work harder to keep up with consumer behaviour and play in the space cricket, and sport more generally, now finds itself: entertainment, competing with Netflix, social media, and drinking with your buddies.
Where are Test cricket's fans?
While for the most part the problem may be down to simple local economics in terms of disposible incomes, I think a lot more could be done around the world in taking a more intelligent approach to pricing and marketing Test cricket.
Pricing: you have to look at the cost of a day out at the cricket in the round. Don’t try to recoup all your costs through ticketing. There are loads of ways to maximise revenue – sponsors, corporate gigs, data sales, food & beverages, merchandise… Boards and ground owners need to look at the PnL as a whole and work out what the crowd really wants and values.
Marketing: gone are the days when you can just put massive posters on transport media and wait for the crowds to roll in. Fans, die-hard and casual alike, need personalised, regular messaging to secure their custom. People come to cricket for different reasons; some come for the sport, some come for the social aspect etc etc. Get hold of the data and sweat it intelligently.
Where are Test cricket's fans?
Thanks! I agree he probably didn’t appreciate the backlash until after the press conference. This tells a story in itself – that all the various influences on Smith the player have overridden the instinctive nausea Smith the human should have felt when cheating shows that something is really wrong with the game’s priorities.
As a Pom typing from rainy London, I can say that this gives true cricket fans no pleasure at all. Sad times.
Australian cricket falls back on "Sorry, not sorry"