that's an interesting bet/theory. i would never have expected that as a description. like, even after hearing the description, i can't imagine how it could have come to be.
My attempt at a succinct explanation would be “football (American) but they start plays all bunched up instead of in lines”.
I’m sure it’s very wrong.
Cricket would be “baseball, but the home plate umpire is made of sticks”.
in Cricket, the Bowler
I usually learn rules and terminology to sports I’ve played little or not at all, by playing sports video games. I’ve yet to find ones for rugby or cricket that I liked, so continue to barely understand them.
It’s not impossible to find, and exactly where you’d expect: the closer you are to a major population center, and the larger & more internationally-prestigious the nearest university, the more like you are to see it in the wild.
But over most of the US, yeah, you could easily go your whole life and never even see a cricket bat in person, let alone a match being played.
Rugby seems to be a significantly more popular than cricket, though still uncommon, considered over the whole geography of the country.
In terms of perception - American Football is simply better known. I bet if you stood on a street corner and asked 50 people to tell you something about Rugby, they would describe it as soccer but you get to carry the ball.