Why The Hundred is So Popular

Why The Hundred is So Popular

Cricket has to be one of the most popular games that the world has ever seen. Yes, there are sports such as football that draw huge crowds, but cricket is now rivalling this popularity. The thing is, the sport hasn’t stayed still. It has reinvented itself several times over, and each time it comes back better and better.

The latest reinvention that we’ve witnessed is The Hundred. With each team having just 100 balls, this is something that has exploded in popularity in its right. When the English Cricket Board first announced this new concept, many thought that it was a huge gamble. Perhaps it was, but it’s one that has certainly paid off. Let’s take a look at why.

A New Betting Experience

While test cricket still has its place, let’s be honest: it’s not the most exciting version of the sport. That’s especially the case when it comes to placing bets. The time it takes to reach an outcome just takes away the fun that sports betting has to offer.

As we’ve already seen, the likes of T20, and simulated cricket league, have made betting on cricket so much more exciting. The Hundred has done the same. It has provided a fast-paced version of the sport where betting is great.

A New Target Market

Test cricket is seen as being the version of the sport that caters for the older crowd. The likes of T20 were brought in to appeal to a younger audience. It targeted millennials. This group were shown not to have the time to take in test cricket and needed a faster-paced game.

The Hundred has landed somewhere in between. It has drawn a huge fan base from those who can’t sit through days of play at test cricket and those who feel T20 just doesn’t do the game justice.

Equality

You can’t catch up on the news without coming across articles relating to the lack of equality in sports. The traditional form of cricket has always been dominated by male players. Yes, there may well be a female team but it never experienced the limelight in quite the same way.

What’s refreshing about The Hundred is that it gives equal focus to males and females in the sport. There is no preference given to one over the other and this has helped to attract more female fans to the sport.

Free to Watch on TV

Like many sports, cricket lost its accessibility when paid-for TV channels came in. It could be that you’d need to subscribe to a certain package, or you may even have to go down the route of pay-per-view. Both of these options meant the sport lost viewers.

The Hundred is different. it has committed itself to the BBC meaning that anyone with a TV, or other devices, can watch for free. This again has brought in a whole new audience and the popularity of the sport continues to grow.

Leave a Reply