Sydney wins award for the most disgusting viewers of cricket

Every year, visiting teams experience terrible spectator behavior in Australia and complain about it, but we seem to normalize or even belittle what they are experiencing. Several English captains have commented on it in the media, but we choose to ignore their nuanced background message instead of considering it, even if it is humor. I think it’s much easier to dismiss these players as whistling bombs than to keep the mirror on ourselves.

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Australian cricketers have told me that they also do it sweetly in some places in England and South Africa (Johannesburg is a shock) and some afternoons in New Zealand. But it does not justify this behavior and does not allow Australians to engage in it or do anything about it. The tour teams are guests in our country and deserve the warmth, dignity and courtesy we reserve for the guests in our homes.

The poor behavior of viewers does not reflect poorly on SCG or its governance, but about us as a society and as individuals. When people complain, the SCG starts acting. When I know the chairman and CEO of the SCG, I am sure that their investigation of such complaints is not a sign, but the problem is worrying. It is time to unpack the cards of all the members or their guests whose behavior at the SCG makes this consecrated place bad.

There has been research on the concept of “encloted cognition,” from which it can be concluded that people behave better when they dress better, so that, too, is ripe for testing. It’s also time to do some serious academic research on how to improve viewer behavior at sporting events. Federal and state governments, police, venue authorities, and sports governors should act in accordance with the conclusions.

Change does not happen or it does not happen fast enough. More radical measures are needed. Women and colorful people need to be put in positions where they can lead, express and influence the conversation, and not just be heard, occasionally and uncomfortably when they were influenced by them. Our presence in the crowd is not just the cashier of the gaming authorities. We have the right to entertain and support the team we choose in peace, without the unwanted comments or insults we normally receive, and certainly without intimidation or bullying.

Some Anglo-Saxon Australians may think I’m some dude with a chip on my shoulder that is teasing or squeaking because this magazine accepts an alternative opinion. I don’t just have a chip on my shoulder – there’s an entire rainforest out there. It comes from 34 years of “experience” I would not have preferred in this country. This includes me being beaten regularly by a drunk when I return to the car after cricket or being called a drug dealer driving home. Let’s stop the stupid and throw out the idiots. Zero tolerance. They interfere with the enjoyment of the participants and keep many others at bay. The prosecutor is resting.

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Darshak Mehta leads the Chappell Foundation and has a long association with Australian cricket. He has been an Member of the SCG for almost 30 years.