Basically, make Cricket the sport that is played in US rather than baseball, Seeing the similarities between the two sports, i am curious what it will take for Cricket to be popular
As a mass spectator sport rather than as a sport played locally its hard to say.
As an answer involves speculation on what Americans dislike about the game particularly at its highest level the test match.
Can Americans ever take to a 3, 4 or 5 day game particularly one that ends in a draw? (yes a draw not a tie !)
possibly an earlier version of the pyjama game bright colours funky names and all over in a day rather( or even a few hours in the 20 over format).
pitches that favour the bats man and encourage big hitting.
Even in the U.K the tension and nervous excitement of nos 10 and 11 doggedly resisting for over after over, the clock ticking down men clustered round the bat until at last the final ball is bowled and a team out played for 5 days triumphs in a draw is an acquired taste.
From the U.K my (possibly highly ignorant) impression is that american sport likes a winner preferably on the day.
I suspect that the first American team to figure in the later stages of the World cup will be a T20 team.
These are largely post 1900 differences, pre 1900 no revolutionary war but rather a more amicable and gradual divorce, dominion status and then full independence. More English settlers with a love of the game I'm not sure just what percentage of America can boast English rather than Scottish Welsh or Irish lineage, off the top of my head only Glamorgan remains the only non English county to play first class cricket, When you consider other European settlers why would they adopt cricket?
I'm sorry if this doesn't meet the challenge but in order to find ways to make cricket more popular I would need to better understand what turns Americans off cricket.
Dave
I perhaps phrased that poorly and is based of a limited understanding of American sports. Test cricket with its 5 day draw, lunch break, tea break etc is somewhat of a freak sport and I can't think of any other sport where the distinction between a Draw and a Tie mattersI mean, unless we think American tastes are genetic, we can change the history. Why do American prefer 'big hitting' and are apparently impatient sports fans? Not saying we aren't, but tackling that is the main job here.