Don Lockerbie on the challenges of staging internationals in USA - Stars & Stripes Cricket Podcast

Overview

Don Lockerbie, discussing his experience staging international cricket in the USA—particularly events in Florida connected to early, World Cup–style international efforts—argues that the biggest obstacle isn’t the quality of the players. Instead, the core challenges are economics, scheduling, venue design, and whether there’s a sufficiently large, broad fan base for non-domestic matchups.

Key points and analysis

CPL in Florida struggled with fan experience and attendance volatility

Lockerbie describes early CPL years in Florida as uneven:

• 2016 worked comparatively well
  • Attendance was strong, including large crowds for double-headers.
• 2017 saw a decline
  • A major driver was poor fan amenities and extreme heat.
  • Fans faced sweltering conditions and shortages of essentials such as beer and water, with reports of people passing out.
  • The result harmed the overall hospitality/experience perception.
• 2018 attempted improvements
  • Organizers moved games to the evening and used floodlights.
  • Even so, attendance reportedly fell sharply.

Midweek scheduling proved a “fatal error” for marquee matchups

Lockerbie emphasizes how timing can outweigh star power:

• In 2018, a Wednesday night game featuring top global players and strong teams drew only about 700 attendees.
• The lineup included major T20 attractions (e.g., Andre Russell and Steve Smith), but the crowd stayed tiny—described as quiet and “funeral-like.”
• His implication: for the US, access on the day of the week matters as much as (or more than) celebrity appeal.

US cricket audiences are “parochial” and concentrated

Lockerbie argues US cricket interest is often country- or region-specific, not broad-based:

• Many fans are not general cricket followers; they’re supporters of specific nations/regions.
• This makes it hard to sell tickets for matchups such as:
  • USA vs Afghanistan
  • New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
  • CPL-style pairings
• He contrasts this with India, which he claims tends to sell out reliably due to broad diaspora support, unlike other nations’ games.

Broadcast economics were a major financial burden

A major financial lesson: expectations of large TV support did not match outcomes:

• Lockerbie says they had to pay ESPN about $200,000 just to televise the event.
• While they benefited from claims of a large TV audience and some downstream rights value, he concludes the overall result still meant the operation lost money.

The stadium wasn’t built for TV and required costly adaptations

Venue and production design also created expenses:

• They incurred added costs to build TV stands/camera platforms and related infrastructure because the venue wasn’t designed for proper broadcast production.
• VIP revenue plans underperformed:
  • VIP spaces were difficult to sell at expected pricing.
  • Those spaces were later repurposed/discounted.

Security costs were unusually high due to geopolitical fallout

Lockerbie attributes unusually high security and policing expenses to geopolitical developments:

• After Sri Lanka was attacked, US government and law enforcement involvement increased (including references to DoD/FBI/SBI and multiple local police charges).
• Sri Lankan players were reportedly kept under tight protection, reducing fan interaction until after matches ended.

An investor bailout helped prevent collapse

Despite losses, the event survived:

• Lockerbie says that when he told people the event “lost money,” an Indian investor ultimately bailed out the operation to cover bills.

Comparison to NFL in London shows why “international” doesn’t automatically mean “full stadium”

Lockerbie challenges a common assumption: world-class international players would guarantee turnout.

• He describes his initial belief that cricket’s star quality would draw crowds automatically.
• Then he compares it to NFL games in London, where:
  • Local and broad fan interest helps fill stadiums.
  • Many attendees go specifically because it’s an international venue—even if they aren’t from the host country.
• His takeaway: US cricket may not generate that same “general event curiosity.” National/regional allegiance appears to drive turnout far more strongly.

He expected Caribbean-related interest but found it wasn’t there

Lockerbie expected strong South Florida attendance from Caribbean diaspora:

• He anticipated support from Jamaicans, Trinis, Guyanese, and others—especially for West Indies-related matchups.
• Instead, evidence suggested some groups were not interested in watching the US or other non-preferred teams, even when they were from the region.

Overall takeaway

Star talent alone didn’t solve the core challenge. Lockerbie argues that international cricket events in the USA must overcome:

1. Scheduling and climate/fan experience issues
2. Limited, country-specific fan demand
3. Heavy production/TV, venue, security, and budgeting costs—often requiring strong financial backing to reach profitability.

Presenters / contributors

• Don Lockerbie
• Peter (name not fully given in the subtitles; referred to as “Peter” during the discussion)