Jos Buttler has suggested English cricket should look to baseball, American football and other US sports to help bring in a new generation of fans, after admitting ‘the kids aren’t watching’.
England’s white ball captain joined former World Series champion Chase Utley at The 108 for a baseball masterclass ahead of the return of America’s pastime to the London Stadium.
There have been plenty of obvious comparisons made between the English and American bat-and-ball sports over their 100 year-plus history – including a number of crossovers in the past.
Buttler was involved in one of the most recent of those, with the wicket-keeper and batsman trading his cricket whites for a Boston Red Sox jersey in Europe’s first ever Home Run Derby event at London’s Hyde Park back in 2017.
And he’ll be leading from the front as he helps take cricket to US audiences this summer, as the 33-year-old prepares to skipper England at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA in June, with venues in New York, Florida and Texas.
The tournament is a huge opportunity for the sport to build its following across the pond, with Utley telling talkSPORT that cricket is followed as much in the States as baseball is in the UK.
And Buttler says there are plenty of lessons cricket can learn from baseball and other US sports in terms of attracting new audiences and cranking up the entertainment.
While cricket is one of the most-watched sports across the world, there have been great efforts made by the ECB to bring in younger viewers over recent years, including The Hundred format that was introduced in 2021.
Buttler says even more can be done and cricket chiefs should look at US sporting events – including the MLB World Tour: London Series, which returns in June – for inspiration.
Discussing the differences between the red and white ball games with Utley, England’s T20 captain remarked: “I tell you, the kids on TikTok and Instagram aren’t watching Test cricket.”
Asked if there’s anything cricket can learn from America’s pastime to help attract younger audiences to the longer form of the sport, he told talkSPORT: “Absolutely. You look at the American sports and entertainment is a huge part of that.
“I haven’t been to live events, and I’d very much like to, but it seems like the sport is part of the bigger thing, whether it be in the trailer park having a few drinks and before you go into the game or the entertainment.
“The Super Bowl is obviously huge, you have Jay Z and Eminem performing at half-time, I really enjoyed watching Usher this year, that brings eyeballs and it’s an introduction then into the sport.
“Now if someone’s introduced to the Super Bowl by seeing these global music stars but then they actually really enjoyed watching the game as well, then that’s a great introduction into the sport and I think is something that cricket can do really well.
“I hope that’s the vehicle that short-form cricket like The Hundred and T20 cricket can be to introduce people to how special the Test game is and get kids involved.
“If they love The Hundred and they say I really enjoyed watching Ben Stokes, he was so good, and then mum or dad says you know what, you could watch him for four or five days if you want!
“Now I think that can be the great introduction and way into the younger generations learning to love Test cricket as well.
“And again around the Tests, we’re unique in England in that we have the Barmy Army and great support and there’s that balance between having a few beers and enjoying cricket and also around Test matches.
“But what are the things that the kids are going to love to do? Maybe whether they watch half the day and half the day they’re out the back doing various entertainment things that are related to cricket or not just getting them through the gates to see snippets of the matches I think is a big way to introduce guys to the game.”
As well as making cricket more of an event for fans off the field, Buttler says he and other batsmen have picked up a few things from baseball to use on the field, too.
“In terms of the game itself, there are quite a few crossovers for my style of batting,” he said after a one-on-one session with former Phillies and Dodgers hitter Utley.
“I’ve only done a bit of baseball once before a few years ago in Hyde Park, so it’s great to be here today and get to talk to Chase and get a few tips ahead of the IPL and the World T20.
“A lot of cricket coaches have actually tapped into the techniques of baseball hitting and how to transfer power, and we’ve seen the progression of that in the T20 games.
“So as much as it’s a bit of fun, actually I’m sure there’ll be some stuff I can take into my game.”
For any cricket fans keen on joining this crossover to baseball, Utley gave a taste of what they can expect at the London Stadium as his old club the Phillies take on old rivals the New York Mets on June 8 and 9.
“To go on your point about America making sports a little bit more entertaining from an atmosphere perspective – you’re gonna have at the game the Phillies and the Mets, two fantastic teams, two rivals that are in the same division, they’ve been rivals for close to 100 years,” said the 2008 World Series winner.
“And you’re gonna see some of the best players in the world. You’re gonna have former MVPs, former Cy Young Award winners – meaning the best pitcher, the best batter, the best player.
“You’re gonna see fireworks, you’re gonna see activities on the field, in between innings, you’re going to have live music, you’re gonna have American standard baseball food, which consists of hotdogs and nachos and burgers.
“Overall, it’s just a fantastic experience.”