BLOG POST: An Ode To Cricket

I, like many others around the world, am a cricket badger. I’ve played cricket. I’ve travelled the world to watch cricket. I scour ESPN CricInfo enriching my knowledge of cricket. I scroll through short-form digital content consuming cricket. I continue to talk about cricket to anyone who willingly obliges (or not, as my wife would attest!). The iconic reggae masterpiece Dreadlock Holiday could not say it better, “I don’t like cricket. Oh no, I love it!”

Dubin (1956) considers a central life interest as the domain of life (such as work, family, or leisure) that an individual regards as most important and from which they derive primary meaning, identity, and commitment. Cricket, as I’ll explain in this blog post, has been a central life interest during different major phases of my being. I owe so much to cricket; it has given me a sense of identity, a network of lifelong friends, and (now) a professional purpose. This, therefore, is my ode to the sport I love.

Cricket as Identity Formation

I grew up in a football (soccer) town in northwest England surrounded by skilled footballers at every turn. I held my own at footy but was always destined to be that kid who, at best, could “do a job” and fill in – often in goal – on the playground at break time. Enter my (Step) Dad, a local cricketing legend. Such was his prowess in the middle that bowling to him was likened to the prospect of an afternoon spent shopping in Widnes (if you know, you know!). Soon I too, at the age of nine, caught the cricket bug. Back garden cricket became a mainstay where we’d summon Dad from the living room each time we thought we’d successfully cloned an international cricketer’s bowling action (I did a mean Gus Fraser).

Cricket became all-consuming and I was fully strapped in for the rapid ride. By the mid-1990s, I’d made my 1st XI club cricket debut at 13 and had represented my county at youth level. Research shows that being skilled and actively involved in sports during childhood can enhance athletic identity – a key component of self-concept – because children who perceive themselves as competent athletes tend to invest more in the athlete role and derive positive self-definition, which supports broader identity development and psychosocial growth (e.g., higher perceived social competence and self-esteem) through interactions with peers and mastery experiences in sport contexts (Bedard et al., 2020; Brewer & Chatterton, 2024).

Cricket was my positive self-definition. I was no longer, “Martin, the part-time keeper and utility player.” I became, “Martin, the all-rounder who opens the batting and bowls medium fast with the new ball.” In fact, I see this same self-esteem enhancement in my son; not through cricket (as we live in a relative cricket desert in western Maryland), but through his involvement in travel soccer. These are such important benefits of playing youth sport – especially for individuals who lean more towards introversion on the personality scale (like me!).

Cricket as Social Belonging

I credit playing club cricket through my 20s and into my early 30s for providing me, still to this day, with my closest friends. Participation in sports as an adult is linked with improved social outcomes, including strengthened social networks and greater interpersonal communication, suggesting that shared sport experiences help adults build and maintain friendships (Eime et al., 2013). These outcomes were particularly poignant for me and my (pronounced in a Jamie Vardy-like accent) “ooh, cricket friends.”

Celebrating wins, commiserating losses, exchanging banter (constantly!), and walking the boundary’s edge, paved the way for extended friendships that included partners and spouses, shared vacations at home and abroad, and even best man duties at teammates’ weddings. While I may not have reached the upper echelons of the sport as a player (and the shortcomings in my mental game could be an interesting future blog post!), my belief that cricket has been fully responsible for my network of close friendships, rather than my own actions or traits, is an example of what Heider (1958) referred to as external attribution. Perhaps you have this same perspective either about cricket or another sport or activity.

Cricket as Professional Fulfilment

Fast forward to today and this summer marks a decade since we moved as a family to the United States from England. Except for a cameo appearance at last year’s Philadelphia International Cricket Festival, my playing days seem to be behind me. Berry (1997) states how immigrants commonly face challenges in the acculturative process such as cultural adjustment stress, as well as disruptions to social and professional identities, all of which can negatively affect psychological well-being and integration in the host society. My coping strategy has been to turn once more to cricket; albeit in a non-playing capacity.

Today, exploring cricket as an academic researcher is now what makes me tick; what fills my cup; what keeps me motivated to continue in my profession. Professional fulfillment in one aspect of a job can positively influence other areas of work, as satisfaction and engagement tend to spill over, enhancing overall motivation, performance, and well-being (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008). For me, that spillover includes my efforts supporting students in and out of the classroom.

The CricAdemic Group as Intrinsic and Prosocial Motivation

As clear as Stuart Broad’s edge to first slip in the 2013 Ashes, this blog proves there is a certain level of self-interest, on my part, in forming The CricAdemic Group. In fact, I admit to these intrinsic motives unapologetically. After all, personally valued, self-relevant goals and interests are associated with greater effort, persistence, and higher-quality engagement across educational, academic, and professional settings (Deci & Ryan, 2009; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002).

Yet, at the heart of The CricAdemic Group is a second, more prosocial purpose: To contribute to the continued growth of cricket in the United States. Should we achieve this goal, the beneficiaries are many – from players and fans to administrators and investors, and all those in between – irrespective of how big or small our contribution may be.

The hope for The CricAdemic Group is to combine self-interest with other-focused motives to produce positive outcomes. Despite the turbulent governance of the sport, it is an exciting time for cricket in the United States with cricket’s reentry into the LA28 Olympics. I look forward to collaborating with my good friend Jeff Farr, in addition to both new and existing colleagues and peers, on multiple cricket-related projects in 2026. Cricket, thank you.

References

• Bakker, A. B. & Demerouti, E. (2008). Towards a model of work engagement. Career Development International, 13(3), 209-223. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430810870476

• Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 46(1), 5-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x

• Brewer, B. W. & Chatterton, H. A. (2024). Athletic identity and sport injury processes and outcomes in young athletes: A supplemental narrative review. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 9(4), 191. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9040191

• Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

• Dubin, R. (1956). Industrial workers’ worlds: A study of the “central life interests” of industrial workers. Social Problems, 3(3), 131-142. https://doi.org/10.2307/799133

• Eccles, J. S. & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review Psychology, 53, 109-132. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135153

• Eime, R. M., Young, J. A., Harvey, J. T., Charity, M. J., & Payne, W. R. (2013). A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for adults: Informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10(135). https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-10-135

• Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. Wiley.

• Bedard, C., Hanna, S., & Cairney, J. (2020). A longitudinal study of sport participation and perceived social competence in youth. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(3), 352-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.09.017