A sport known mostly in Europe has a home in the Bay Area.

The Bay Area Cricket Alliance (BACA), is a non-profit organization that provides cricket players an opportunity to play in an organized league along with some of California’s most talented.

BACA’s biggest leagues include the Premier League for those ages 40 and up and the Super League for players 30 and up.

A sport first played in the early 16th century is now forgotten by much of the public today, with few spectators at every game. With such a low turnout, many begin to wonder why and how cricket ceased in relevance.

Cupertino Falcons team member, Sultan Sabuktagim believes there are several factors that contribute to these low numbers. As a veteran cricket player, Sabuktagim believes that his 45 year experience has led him to believe that the lack of fans and supporters for the game begins with ‘lack of familiarity’ with the sport.

“American people don’t know about it (cricket) growing up,” Sabuktagim said.

As a native of Bangladesh, Sabuktagim grew up playing the game since the age of ten. Noticing the lack of public attention the game receives from sports fans in the Bay Area answers the question as to why there aren’t many cricket fanatics.

Besides the lack of publicity, criket’s complex rules also turned people off from learning the sport. The game involves several mechanics and regulations that require concentration and a dedication to learn a difficult game.

“It’s a very disciplined game,” said Sabuktagim.

While the public may not be aware of the many cricket games BACA organizes, the true fans are the players themselves, who have dedicated countless weekends to participate in cricket games.

Nearby spectators of a baseball game occurring across a cricket game on Sunday, August 8, described their feelings toward cricket and how they perceived the sport in the midst of over-popularized sports like basketball and baseball.

“It’s just a boring sport not involving enough physical talent,” sports fan Daniel Brumbaugh said. “That’s one of the reasons why a lot of people don’t pay attention to it.”

Despite the scant support cricket receives from the media and the public, cricket players and fans hope the game continues to progress and develop further, so that one day it can be in the ranks among baseball, football and basketball.