Dr. Thomas Taylor on the History of Baseball in America

British kids are much more likely to play cricket than baseball, but Dr. Thomas Taylor had a chance to enjoy both sports growing up. The two games are similar in their nature, but baseball is cricket’s “Americanized” version, although both of them have a common ancestor that was played in Europe.

American History of Baseball

In the United States, the game first appeared around the Civil War, somewhere between 1861 and 1865. The activity wasn’t even called baseball for a long time; instead people knew it as “rounders”, possibly because of the players’ position. The early game was similar to cricket which was played in England, as both were mostly built on a combination of skill and mental judgment.

Scoring and Record-keeping in Baseball

What made baseball quite different from cricket was its scoring system and scorekeeping practice. One could argue that it’s the scoring system and scorekeeping that makes baseball such a different entity.

Established in 1871

In 1871, the Americans created the first professional baseball league. From that point going forward, the game was pretty much played the same way as it is played today, down to the two conferences; the National and the American league. Both leagues have their own playoffs and the winners meet in the World Series to decide who takes the Commissioner’s Trophy home.

Dr. Thomas Taylor loves both cricket and baseball, and whenever he is in the United States he likes to attend a game or two.

Sources:

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0875086.html

Dr. Thomas Taylor on Soccer’s Lack of Allure in North America

Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide. It is followed by 3.5 billion fans, beating second place cricket by one billion in the fan count. It is popular on literally every continent, but there is one country in the world where it cannot even hope to compete with the most recognized sports – the United States of America.

It Is Not the Lack of Exposure

Finding the reasons for soccer’s relative unpopularity within the U.S. is a multi-faceted problem, but one thing is sure, it is not the result of its lack of exposure. That may have been true one or two decades ago, but it definitely isn’t right now. The biggest teams are able to work with large budgets, being able to bring elite talent from Europe every year, and not just 35+ year old stars but some of the very best players, often still close to their prime. Steven Gerrard, who left Liverpool at the age of 34 after a season where he was still the team’s best player, is probably the best example.

Tradition and Negative Bias

The reasons why soccer is still not very popular in the United States are twofold. First, the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL take a lot of the limelight away. Americans are interested in their major sports above anything. The other problem is the talent level. While it’s improving, the vast majority of world class players are still in Europe. The first will likely never change, but soccer as a product can certainly improve. Many soccer fans, such as Dr. Thomas Taylor, hope that this is exactly what will happen.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-lees/soccers-low-popularity-in_b_10559190.html

Dr. Thomas Taylor – Reasons Why Cricket Is a Great Sport

Cricket is arguably the second most popular sport in the world, one that Dr. Thomas Taylor loves both as a spectator and a participant. With an estimated fan base of 2.5 billion, it is only rivaled by soccer (association football) that has 3.5 billion fans worldwide. Cricket is played and loved all throughout Asia and Australia, and has an almost religion-like following in the United Kingdom. Tradition is one of the obvious reasons for its popularity, but there are other just as important aspects of the phenomenon.

The Games Last Really Long
Whether it is tennis, soccer or basketball most games end around the 2-hour mark, often including showering. Cricket, on the other hand, has its own pace. Evening matches sometimes end in about 3 hours, but if it is an afternoon duel, the game could last 5 or even 6 hours. Some people find this annoying, but when a fan – and especially a player – has a passion for it, this is more of a blessing than it is a curse.

Dr Thomas Taylor

It Is a Mental Game
Other than chess, cricket may be the most mentally challenging game. Every time someone steps on the pitch their patient and mental resort will be tested. When the player is standing there, trying to win the game with the clock winding down, even the most resilient people hold their breath. Cricket can produce some fascinating finishes.

Cricket Is a Game of Big Minds
There are stereotypes around every sport, but some of them are closer to being factual that they are to being malicious fantasy. Traditions create habits. In Hungary for example, every other water polo player has a medical or law degree. Cricket is similar in the fashion that it is usually played and followed by intelligent people. The game is so complex that it lures in educated, smart individuals and being in an environment like that is good for everyone.

Age Is Almost Irrelevant
Another reason why cricket is such a great sport is the fact that it allows people to enjoy it – or even be good at it – regardless of age. Cricket is a game where the 40-somethings have just as big of a chance to shine as 20 year olds. There are not a whole lot of sports where this is true. In cricket, being a star player – not a role player, but a star – at the age of 40 is absolutely possible.

A Family Experience
From a spectator’s standpoint, cricket creates a great opportunity for bonding. It is a quality family experience that involves a common passion and often food. Bloodthirsty fans looking for trouble are very rare, as the spectators are mostly families who love the game and enjoy each other’s company. Similar to many other cricket fans Dr. Thomas Taylor also loves that atmosphere and hopes that he can attend cricket games for a very long time.

Sources:
 http://www.topendsports.com/world/lists/popular-sport/fans.htm

http://www.pitchvision.com/7-reasons-cricket-is-the-best-sport-to-play-in-the-known-universe#/