Abstract

At a time when the British Empire and cultural imperialism was influencing large parts of the globe, an English-styled ethos for games and leisure was also developing in a former colony. Indeed, sport in North America during the mid to late nineteenth century was being shaped, in part, by a middle-class attitude that gave rise to the spread and maintenance of a distinct culture amongst the English diaspora as well as shaping attitudes towards organized sport of the American population. The game of cricket, in particular, was instrumental in this. First introduced by English immigrants to Philadelphia in the 1830s, cricket took hold in areas such as New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and, along with other sports, evolved in a manner that mirrored its development in the British Isles. Reflective of the unique place of the US as a former British colony, the meaning of cricket as the quintessential ‘English game’ in North America will be explored here as will its development within both English and American society during this period. The game’s role in creating and maintaining a distinct and purposeful English culture will be examined as an addition to existing studies exploring cricket’s ultimate place in American sporting history.

摘要

在大英帝国和文化帝国主义影响全球大部分地区的时候，英国式的游戏和休闲精神也在前殖民地发展起来。事实上，19 世纪中后期北美的体育运动在一定程度上受到中产阶级态度的影响，这种态度导致了英国侨民之间独特文化的传播和维护，以及塑造了对有组织的体育运动的态度的美国人口。特别是板球比赛在这方面发挥了重要作用。板球于 1830 年代首次由英国移民引入费城，在纽约、马萨诸塞州和宾夕法尼亚州等地区流行，并与其他运动一起，以反映其在不列颠群岛发展的方式发展。反映美国作为前英国殖民地的独特地位，板球作为北美典型的“英国游戏”的意义将在此探索，以及它在此期间在英国和美国社会中的发展。该游戏在创造和维持独特而有目的的英国文化方面的作用将作为现有研究的补充，探索板球在美国体育史上的最终地位。