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Sport is a significant part of Bahamian culture. The national sport is cricket, which has been played in The Bahamas from 1846[138] and is the oldest sport played in the country today. The Bahamas Cricket Association was formed in 1936, and from the 1940s to the 1970s, cricket was played amongst many Bahamians. Bahamas is not a part of the West Indies Cricket Board, so players are not eligible to play for the West Indies cricket team. The late 1970s saw the game begin to decline in the country as teachers, who had previously come from the United Kingdom with a passion for cricket, were replaced by teachers who had been trained in the United States. The Bahamian physical education teachers had no knowledge of the game and instead taught track and field, basketball, baseball, softball,[139] volleyball[140] and Association football[141] where primary and high schools compete against each other. Today cricket is still enjoyed by a few locals and immigrants in the country, usually from Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados. Cricket is played on Saturdays and Sundays at Windsor Park and Haynes Oval in Nassau, Bahamas.[142] Whiles the main and only cricket grounds on Grand Bahama is the Lucaya Cricket Oval.[143]

Source: Wikipedia

I wonder if Bahamas have had 'the best of both worlds' in terms of sport, with their proximity to the US possibly influencing the popularity of baseball and basketball (and even gridiron; they've hosted a college bowl game in recent years).

On cricket: Bahamas will be competing in the Americas T20 Qualifiers in February, but they'll be rank underdogs to make the finals.

Historically, there may have been a bit of cricket played in the Bahamas by the English in Nassau (which generally refers to the the entire island of New Providence) but cricket is not part of Bahamian culture. Its designation as national sport is certainly ceremonial. Growing up we played basketball and volleyball because the islands are small, rocky and there are not really any open grass fields. Any schoolyard I ever saw including mine had a bit of asphalt, and some rocky open area. This is what my high school yard looks like and that's pretty typical.

There is a ground in Nassau across from Arawak Cay (which as far as I can tell sees more use for concerts and rallies than anything else), but that's the only one I know of. The few times I've popped my head in there when the clubhouse was open they were Guyanese, or some other kind of West Indian. I'm sure there are a few more around now, but it's not something locals are playing in any great numbers.

In reply to Arawak

Belize although located in Central America acts more like a Caribbean island than the Bahamas, which behaves like it is not part of the West Indies, I had a few verbal altercations with a few of my Bahamian friends while in Med School, they pretty much told me that they really do not need CARICOM, cricket, etc.

In reply to Slipfeeler

That's kind of sad considering the shared history and whatnot.

In reply to Slipfeeler

Not much cricket is played in the Bahamas but there is a Bahamas Cricket Association and a HQ and a cricket ground.

It's a good thing I asked about it because they may not play much cricket but some of the best Caribbean seafood is available at the clubhouse at reasonable prices.

Some people tend not to care about their neighbours until disaster strikes. Bahamas was devastated by a previous hurricane, I didn’t see any US rescue missions, it was the Jamaica Defence Force helicopters that came to their rescue.

The Bahamas national cricket team is the team that represents The Bahamas in international cricket. The team is organised by the Bahamas Cricket Association (BCA), which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1987 and an associate member in 2017.[1] The national team is first recorded as playing in 1983, but did not feature in an international tournament until 2001, when it played in the inaugural Americas Affiliates Championship.[5] Since then, the Bahamas have regularly participated in ICC Americas tournaments, as well as on one occasion in a World Cricket League event (the 2010 Division Eight tournament).[6] The team was also invited to the 2006 and 2008 Stanford 20/20 tournaments, where matches had full Twenty20 status.

So the Bahamas is going it alone, which might be a test case for all those islands which are considering to go it alone.

In reply to Slipfeeler

LOL, Bahamas, Cayman, and Bermuda have been 'going it alone' for decades. It's why I warn the pro-breakup (WIexit?) folks on this board to tread carefully. Life in the Associate World is cruel.

In reply to bdaTryangle

They all have big dreams but without the clout of CWI, you are just a small fish floundering to survive, despite the many problems with CWI.

In reply to Slipfeeler

well...the CWI doh really have any clout....and we have even less since we've been losing, but i get what you're saying. Cricket in the region will be dead forever if WI breaks up. Is like the dudes who were saying brazil were better without neymar. makes no sense. Its actually easier to work on our problems now than to have to start over

In reply to Jumpstart

even a broken clock is right twice

1. iranian women
2. now the above

In reply to sudden

especially number one.