Cricket Fever Strikes Hal Steinbrenner; Billionaire Yankees Owner Makes Major YES Network Move Into Growing Global Sport

2024 has been filled with a bunch of surprises. However, there is one thing that was not on anyone’s bingo cards. And that thing is watching a cricket game (or match as the Brits call it) with enthusiasm. But that’s exactly what has happened. As Team USA makes its way to Super 8, the cricket fever is starting to run wild in America. And now the New York Yankees’ billionaire owner Hal Steinbrenner has read the room and decided to take advantage. 

With the ICC T20 World Cup slowly gaining traction, fans in the US are starting to understand the nitty-gritty of the sport. It’s quite ironic that the country that played the very first international cricket game (US vs Canada) has taken so long to come on board. But the underdogs USA beating last time’s finalists Pakistan was enough to create intrigue in the fans. But the cricket story won’t end with the World Cup, as the Major League Cricket League is starting soon.

And that has led to the Yankees-owned YES Network to take a bold decision. According to The Sun, the YES Network has just announced a broadcast deal with the on-demand streaming platform Willow. Through that deal, the network will be televising 7 Major League Cricket games to the fans in New York. Naturally, the games will be of the New York-based MI New York – who also happen to be the defending champs.

“The recent triumph of the US cricket team over Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup has ignited a nationwide cricket frenzy,” said Todd Myers, the COO of Willow. Later, Yankees’ YES Network’s CEO Jon Litner also explained the objective of the deal. He also looked highly pleased with the situation.

 “As sports fans around the world currently enjoy the ICC T20 World Cup,” Jon Litner said. “YES is delighted to partner with Willow by Cricbuzz to capitalize on the growing interest in the sport of cricket in the New York area by showcasing MI New York to sports fans throughout our territory.” 

When will the Yankees’ YES Network broadcast these games?

The YES Network will broadcast seven games of the MI New York. Fans of Cricket will be able to MI New York’s season-opener against the Seattle Orcas on July 5. From then on, the Yankees’ YES Network will continue to broadcast some of the team’s games. The last MLC on the YES Network this season would be MI New York vs Los Angeles Knight Riders on July 21.

MLC came into existence in 2019. As of now, six teams are in it – the other three being, San Francisco Unicorns, Texas Super Kings, and Washington Freedom. Certainly, with cricket gaining popularity, this league seems to have a bright future. So in a way, this could turn out to be a visionary step by the New York Yankees that could pay dividends in the future.