In this lesson, we will explore how a major international sports event can connect with local communities. We'll look at a unique, temporary stadium built in the U.S. for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup. We will discuss the benefits and trade-offs of hosting such events and practice language for making comparisons and talking about large numbers.
Warm-up: A Sport in My Community (5 mins)
Think, Pair, Share
Think about a sport that is popular in your city or community. How does this sport tell a story about the people who live there? Consider history, local heroes, or special traditions.
Discuss your ideas with a partner. Then, be prepared to share one interesting connection with the class.
Reading: A Stadium in a Suitcase (10 mins)
Read & Understand
Read the short article below about a special kind of stadium built for the 2024 Cricket World Cup.
The temporary 34,000-seat cricket stadium in Nassau County, New York.
Pop-Up Pitch: Cricket's American Experiment
For the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup, something unusual appeared in a park in New York: a 34,000-seat stadium. This wasn't a permanent structure. It was a modular stadium, built in just a few months for only eight matches. After the tournament, it was completely dismantled. The goal was to bring a globally popular sport to a new audience in the USA, where cricket is not a mainstream sport.
Why build such a large, temporary venue? The location was strategic. New York has a large South Asian diaspora—communities of people from countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, where cricket is incredibly popular. The high-profile match between India and Pakistan sold out almost instantly. This temporary stadium provided the necessary capacity for a major global event, while avoiding the high cost of building a permanent cricket ground that might not be used often in the future. It was a test to see if cricket could capture the attention of both dedicated fans and new spectators in America.
Culture Brief: Bat, Ball, and Business (25 mins)
This event was more than just a series of games; it was a cultural and economic moment. For the local South Asian communities, it was a chance to celebrate a piece of their identity. Local businesses, from restaurants to clothing stores, saw a huge increase in customers. Media from around the world focused on New York, not for baseball or basketball, but for cricket.
However, hosting such an event involves trade-offs. While it brings money and excitement, it also causes disruption. Building even a temporary stadium in a public park means that space is unavailable for local residents for several months. The city has to manage traffic, security, and waste for thousands of visitors.
Cricket fans from different nations often celebrate together at major tournaments.
Language Focus: Making Your Point Clear
When we discuss the pros and cons of an issue, we need language to compare and contrast ideas. We also need to be comfortable using numbers to support our arguments.
Comparatives & Contrast
We use words like whereas and however to show a contrast between two ideas.
Whereas is often used to compare two facts directly in one sentence.
A permanent stadium is a long-term investment, whereas a modular one is a short-term solution.
The event brought in global media, whereas local residents lost access to their park.
However is used to introduce a statement that contrasts with the previous one. It usually starts a new sentence.
The pop-up stadium was a brilliant way to host the World Cup. However, it was very expensive to build for only a few games.
Local businesses benefited from the thousands of fans. However, the increased traffic created problems for people living nearby.
Talking About Numbers
Being precise with numbers makes your argument stronger. Let's review how we say large numbers related to events.
- 34,000 → "thirty-four thousand"
- $30 million → "thirty million dollars" (The estimated cost)
- 106 days → "one hundred and six days" (The construction time)
We use this language to describe key data points, or fixtures (scheduled matches), and capacity.
The venue had a capacity of thirty-four thousand people.
The stadium hosted eight fixtures over two weeks.
City Room: Your 60-Second Brief (15 mins)
Prepare & Present
Work in small groups. Imagine you are advisors to your city's mayor. Your task is to prepare a 60-second brief answering this question: "Should our city host major events using temporary, modular venues?"
Your brief must:
- State your group's position (Yes, No, or Yes, but with conditions).
- Use a contrast word (whereas or however).
- Include at least one number (real or estimated) to support your point. You can talk about cost, number of visitors, jobs created, or days of disruption.
Choose one person to be the spokesperson. Be ready to present your brief to the class.
Exit: Building Bridges (5 mins)
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