Why stadiums are not always a measure of interest
Ant Sims in the Daily Maverick talks about how the increase in interest in domestic T20 can be reconciled with the phenomenon of half-empty stadiums
09-Apr-2013
The recently concluded domestic T20 competition in South Africa saw an increase in the average audience number. However, this increase is not translating into fuller houses at stadiums. In Daily Maverick, Ant Sims reflects on how a half-full stadium is not necessarily a sign of decline for the game in South Africa.
There is the idea that bums on seats is the only way to judge interest, and empty stadiums across the world have been taken as proof that this or that format is dying. However, if a little-advertised tournament with very few international superstars can generate a healthy amount of viewership - a viewership which has grown exponentially in a year, in a country where cricket isn't even the number one sport - surely the game is still doing all right?