Cricket

Professor Herschel was the most Anglophile of all Americans. He drank tea and subscribed to the online edition of The Times. But, most of all, he watched Cricket. He had long followed the fortunes of the English county sides and of their national team by reading the reports in The Times. But when an obscure cable station started showing matches, he was lost. He would stay up late in the night watching his beloved Gloucestershire and then relate the highlights to the captive audience of his bewildered students. Professor Herschel was happy.

But then something unexpected happened. Cricket became fashionable. Some late-night shows started covering the game and, suddenly, cricket was everywhere.

Professor Herschel was in his element. He played the "of course, I was watching this way before everyone else" card at every opportunity. But, somehow, it wasn't the same. Professor Herschel stopped talking about cricket and ceased inviting people to tea.

And then, the professor was reborn! Professor Herschel now drinks pastis and subscribes to Le Monde. And he follows pétanque.