World of Sport

SPENT a really interesting afternoon at Lancashire’s Indoor Cricket Centre watching a leading US baseball player try to get his head round the minor, yet significant difference between pitching and bowling.
CJ Wilson plays for the Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball, and has popped over to England to broaden his sporting knowledge. So he spent a couple of hours in the indoor nets at Old Trafford with Steven Croft, Kyle Hogg and Gareth Cross.
His trip to Lancashire today came after he took in a couple of Premier League games over the weekend; first watching Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday, before heading to Anfield for Sunday’s 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal. (Wilson is a Liverpool fan, but he has an excuse. Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is effectively his boss as owner of Texas Rangers.)
Wilson is in a good position to cast an eye over the American and British sporting scenes. And with a certain degree of crossover taking place at the moment – American football at Wembley, David Beckham in Los Angeles and the possibility of Premier League games being played in the US at some point in the distant future – it seemed a good chance to ask him for an overview.
Here’s what he had to say.
On the Premier League:
“I’ve only seen a couple of MLS games back home, and it’s not on the level with the Premier League. The crowds are small compared to the Premier League. It’s incredible to see such dedication from the fans, and such city-wide dedication to a team.
“There are only a couple of cities in America where they back their teams as strongly as the football clubs are backed over here. I wish we were able to see more of that European zest for their teams in America.
“United played really well; they’re obviously a fantastic team. Liverpool’s result was a little disappointing, because that’s the team I’m associated with by default, and Arsenal look like they can score goals.
“The pace of the game and the atmosphere were both amazing. That’s the best thing I’ve ever seen in the seats at a sporting event before.
“I think United will win the Premier League. Arsenal look really good as well. But United’s squad is so deep. They have so many different options. I’d obviously like to see Liverpool win it, but I think they’re too far down the standings to get back up.”
On Beckham in the USA:
“David Beckham is creating an awareness in the States that there is an alternative to American football and baseball. Beckham is the perfect guy to do it, as he is a good front man. He is front-page news as well, because he is part of a celebrity couple.
“From a sports perspective, it’s funny how popular he is because of his celebrity status as opposed to his playing status.
“He is a celebrity as well as a footballer. In the first match he played in, there were a lot of celebrities there to see that. It’s the nepotistic cult of celebrity in America. They all associate with each other. The movie stars were all at the game.
“But he isn’t doing as much TV as you’d think, maybe because he has been injured. The billboards are everywhere. I think it’s cool.
“His wife is a little fashionista. She’s on the front of all the magazines, even though she hasn’t done anything musically for a couple of years. She’s still famous, and they increase each other’s celebrity because of that. If I was able to marry a celebrity girl at her level, I’d be happy with that.”
On the possibility of Premier League games being played in the USA:
“I’d support it very much. I’m a fan of Formula One, and I wish that had succeeded more when it came over to America. But it would create controversy If there was a team who came over, which teams would play? Which city would it be in? I’m sure there would be a lot of bureaucratic stuff going on with that.
“From a spectactor’s point of view, I’d really like to see it. I’d really like to be able to go to Chicago and see United play Arsenal, or Liverpool play Chelsea.
“When the World Cup was going on last year, it was during the baseball season. We were so enthusiastic about it, we used to take a soccer ball out and kick it around in the outfield before practice. We’d be pretending to be Ronaldo or Rooney.
“International football creates the same amount of enthusiasm in America that it does here. People here don’t realise that. But look at it like this: the American football game between the Giants and the Dolphins at Wembley sold out. Ninety thousand people bought tickets.
“You would get the same response if you held a Premier League game in the right city in the States. That would be really cool.”
On the chance of cricket catching on Stateside:
“The hard thing is that it’s in the same season, from April to September. It’s one of the reasons that rugby hasn’t taken off in America, because of the popularity of American football. Baseball is a derivative of cricket. It’s a little bit different.
“Baseball’s a lot easier to watch. The strategy on the field lays itself out a little more. There’s more drama, with people hitting more home runs in a shorter period of time, because the games only last two-and-a-half to three hours.
“The hardest thing to translate over is the tradition of cricket. There’s really no way to condense it without diluting it. That’s a shame, because it’s an equal sport. I’m a fan of lots of sports. The more opportunities there are for kids to develop through a wide range of sports, the better it is.”