Why is the India vs. Pakistan cricket match bigger than the Super Bowl?

Here's why the ICC World Cup matchup between India and Pakistan tomorrow is considered to be a bigger deal than the Super Bowl..

Why is the India vs. Pakistan cricket match bigger than the Super Bowl?

India vs Pakistan and Super Bowl (Images via IMAGO)

The Super Bowl has become nothing short of an annual festival in nearly every household in America. The final game played for the NFL Championship attracts upwards of 100 million viewers making it one of the highest-streamed events of all time. The 2022 Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles brought in an estimated 113 million views as per Nielsen’s report.

While it may be fair to assume that the Super Bowl is in all likelihood the highest-streamed sports event of all time, it cannot compare to the viewership that is brought by the cricket matches between India and Pakistan.

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The age-old rivalry between the two South Asian nations can be traced back to 1947 following the partition of India which resulted in the creation of Pakistan. The ties between the two nations have been sour ever since and the wars between the nations in 1965 and 1971. There exists a lot of animosity and a competitive urge between the citizens of both nations. This can be clearly seen during cricket matches between the countries.

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What do the numbers say?

In order to understand the magnitude of viewership of cricket matches between India and Pakistan in comparison to that of the Super Bowl, one must look at the numbers. The T20 World Cup 2021 finals matchup between the two nations attracted a record viewership of 167 million with the match garnering 15.9 billion minutes of viewership just within India.

The World Cup matchup between India and Pakistan is expected to be viewed by billions. (GETTY IMAGES)
The World Cup matchup between India and Pakistan is expected to be viewed by billions. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Superbowl last year had 113 million viewers with nearly 50 million households tuned in to the most anticipated game of the year. The difference in numbers is quite significant, however, while addressing the importance that a cricket match between India and Pakistan has, it is the emotional aspect that makes it much bigger than the Super Bowl.

The biggest rivalry in all of sports?

There are definitely a LOT of rivalries between NFL teams, in the NFC East, it’s between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, and in the AFC, the rivalry between the Steelers and the Ravens. But these are individual rivalries on a much smaller scale when compared to the cricket matches between India and Pakistan. A World Cup matchup is a dream come true for every cricket fan of the two nations. In many ways, the pitch is the emotional battlefield, the outcome of every match determines who the superior team is.

The India-Pakistan rivalry in cricket has attracted sky high viewership numbers consistently. (IMAGE: Getty Images)
The India-Pakistan rivalry in cricket has attracted sky-high viewership numbers consistently. (IMAGE: Getty Images)

Another big reason for the magnitude of these matches is due to uncertainty. That word also happens to accurately describe the nature of the relationship between the two countries in recent times. India and Pakistan go head-to-head only in tournaments, the teams have not played one another on their home turfs in a long time. The World Cup match scheduled between the two teams on Saturday, the 14th, will mark Pakistan’s return to India after seven years.

Sports unites the two nations. Despite India being a diverse nation and a melting pot of cultures, when it comes to cricket and supporting the national team, the fans come together to vouch for the home team. The rivalry arises out of the pride and love the fans have towards their respective nations. Cricket is much bigger than a game in India, and a matchup against Pakistan is the ultimate showdown.

Compare this to the rivalries in football, they just appear so much more friendlier. In a matchup between India and Pakistan, there are legitimate reasons to sense an air of bad blood among the teams. Indian fans have been warm to the Pakistan cricket team up until this point in the World Cup but when the team is scheduled to face off against the home team, the stadium is bound to be louder than a Taylor Swift concert.

All these factors will result in the upcoming World Cup match between India and Pakistan surpassing the Super Bowl and easily becoming the highest-viewed spectacle in sports this year. The Super Bowl is the event that all football fans circle on their calendar every year and look forward to with utmost devotion. It is a special event with stars performing at half-time and brings the nation together in the spirit of sports. A cricket matchup between India and Pakistan does the same, bringing people together, but when it is in the World Cup, the stakes are the highest and the stage is the biggest.

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