Cricket Isn’t Soccer: Where Are The Ads?

In my third installment of cricket versus soccer/football, I want to ask: where are the commercials in a soccer game? Has anyone else noticed this? Isn’t it amazing to watch a sporting event for 45 minutes straight (before half-time) without all those noisy interruptions? (Or does this only happen during the World Cup?)

Contrast this with cricket coverage, and you realize which game holds the advantage in this case. Part of the problem here is cricket’s format — ball, by ball, by ball — which allows for the interruptions. Soccer flows much better (if we’re dealing in metaphors, cricket progresses sentence by sentence, soccer by free verse). Moreover, cricket stoppages are rampant (rain/bad light; wickets; drinks breaks), while soccer picks up on its own (stopping only briefly for a foul).

Whatever the case, it’s lovely to see the whole game unfold.