Cricket is undoubtedly one of the world’s most popular sports. Across the Commonwealth – and increasingly in other parts of the world, as well – fans gather both at fields and in pubs and other establishments to watch their favorite teams play.
How is it that the sport has spread in popularity, though? It certainly has more to do with than simply colonists who landed upon new territory and brought the game with them. Indeed, media has played a major role in the popularization of the sport, and it does so increasingly with every new technological development through which information can be spread.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the media that have popularized cricket around the world, and how they’ve managed to do it.
Newspapers
Print newspapers were, of course, the first major source of news that people looked towards to find out what was happening in the world. In the world of cricket, matches started being reported as early as the 18th century, with scorecards and match reports being printed in places where teams played.
These days, cricket news continues to proliferate through traditional newspapers, with news outlets globally reporting on not just game results but players, team profiles, and other aspects of the sport that are of interest to readers.
Radio
As with other types of news, cricket reporting started taking place on the radio early in the 20th century. Not only would results be broadcast, but games would be broadcast live with expert commentators reporting in real-time.
Even though radio has been eclipsed by TV and other media in recent years, it continues to be a way for people to catch games in certain parts of the world.
TV
It was in the 1970s that the cricket media revolution really took off when games started being broadcast on TV. And the games themselves evolved as the TV revolution took place – events like World Series Cricket helped shape the extent to which the sport was shown on TV.
It was also during this period that coverage started spreading to new parts of the world. With TV viewing as an option, coverage wasn’t simply limited to places that had teams playing in particular games. It was shown much more widely, and more and more people started becoming fans.
And along with the spread of the sport, betting has become popular. As you can see at https://india-1xbet.in/line/kabaddi/1819057-pro-kabaddi-league, people have become a lot more confident about their ability to predict match outcomes than ever before.
Streaming possibilities
With the rise of the Internet, things really started taking off. People could now live stream events, and watch them later if they wanted to, and games became available globally for anyone who wanted to view them. On-demand services also started to grow in number, and with the growth of smart TVs and other new technologies, people could get their games from any number of sources and stream them wherever they liked.
Cricket betting sites, too, have proliferated. People globally are increasingly interested in trying their hand at betting and seeing if they can win big. As people are increasingly able to access game statistics, player histories, and all manner of information on the sport with increasing ease, the ability to place a winning bet is getting closer to home for many.
New technological advancements
Nowadays, technology is growing to the point where people can experience games themselves like never before. With virtual reality technology, fans are able to immerse themselves in the experience of the game as if they were out on the field with the players. Augmented reality provides a similar experience, bringing the game to viewers from different angles and perspectives – it has turned into an experience that people never before thought possible.
Media will only continue to grow
We have likely only seen the beginning of the media revolution in cricket. There is no telling what direction it might take in the future. But with the growth of things like AI, which can dig up massive amounts of information within a very short period of time, the possibilities will certainly be huge. The game itself might remain largely the same, but people’s ability to understand and appreciate it will grow immeasurably.