Arts and Sport
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MARK BUCKLEY. Booing is for babies.
In VFL/AFL football there is a time honoured tradition of the crowd being vocal during matches. Most of the watchers know the game, many have played the game, or aspired to do so. Continue reading »
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HANNAH PIERCE & MADDIE DAY. State and territory governments are taking on alcohol marketing
NSW and Tasmania are lagging behind the other states and territories in restricting outdoor alcohol advertising but no jurisdiction is taking action to restrict alcohol advertising in sports stadiums. Continue reading »
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TONY COADY. Bouncer barrages, Bodyline and the Laws of Cricket Revisited
In Pearls and Irritations ( September 2, 2019) I wrote about the way that the long-standing intimidatory bowling of bouncers in international Test cricket is both clearly in conflict with the Laws of cricket in spite of being widely practiced, relished by most commentators, and ignored by umpires. Continue reading »
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MEREDITH BURGMANN. No Black Man …
A bunch of decrepit old Australians had a particular interest in South Africa’s astonishing win at the World Cup in Yokohama last week. As a delighted and inspirational black captain, Siya Kolisi raised the Webb Ellis trophy high in victory, some of us had teary eyes. We are some of the survivors of a bunch Continue reading »
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TONY COADY. What price intimidation?
The recent serious injury to Australia’s outstanding batsman Steve Smith caused by a ferocious bumper from speedster Jofra Archer in the Second Ashes Test at Lords should have raised concerns about the status of cricket’s law against intimidation. I discuss why they and similar incidents didn’t and why they should. Continue reading »
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“We asked for footballers, but we got people instead.” (with apologies to Max Frisch)
It is said that if we misunderstand our history, we won’t solve today’s problems. Much in The Australian Dream– the new film about the booing of AFL star Adam Goodes and its aftermath – reminds us of the need for truth-telling, including the policies of indigenous extermination and “soothing the dying pillow.” Continue reading »
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JOHN BROWN. How Quickly They Forget – But I Don’t.
Some years back, one of my proudest acts as a Minister for Sport was that I introduced about 10 pieces of legislation into the Parliament to the benefit of sport which were the first pieces of legislation including the word sport introduced since Federation. One of the better pieces of this legislation was a taxation Continue reading »
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Booing is for Babies
In VFL/AFL football there is a time honoured tradition of the crowd being vocal during matches. Most of the watchers know the game, many have played the game, or aspired to do so. Many who watch, or listen, know the intricacies of the game, and how demanding and merciless it can be. Continue reading »
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The cup that slipped: Here are some cricket lessons my country of citizenship can teach my country of origin (Times of India 3-8-19)
As an Indian, after the semi-final loss in the Cricket World Cup, an old refrain from a 1948 song entered my head: ‘Ek dil ke tukde hazaar huye’ (one heart shattered into a thousand shards). As a Kiwi, after the final’s loss, came the second line: ‘Koyi yahan gira, koyi wahan gira’ (some fell hither, Continue reading »
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MICHAEL THORN. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept – sports’ addiction to alcohol, gambling and junk food advertising.
No ad breaks, declares Fox Sports of its coverage of the Boxing Day cricket test in Melbourne. Well none, if you don’t count the scoreboard endorsements, perimeter branding and other in-game adverts promoting one brand or another. All of them impossible to miss. Continue reading »
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Invictus Games, glossing over inconvenient truths – the arms trade and the British royals
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived and the media frenzy has erupted, fuelled by news of the royal pregnancy. As media coverage goes, the Invictus Games team couldn’t have managed it any better. Yet, when it comes to the actions of the royal family, all that glisters is not gold. Continue reading »
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JOHN INVERARITY. Do we have a higher priority as a society than the raising our children: We must end alcohol advertising in sport.
As responsible adults we need to do all we can to ensure that our young are provided with the best opportunities to live purposeful, fulfilling lives and are encouraged to partake of these opportunities. We need to strive to provide them with an optimum set of values and attitudes, and an environment in which they will Continue reading »
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RAMESH THAKUR. Why Serena Williams owes a triple apology.
CANBERRA – Serena Williams, a deserved legend in her own lifetime, owes a public apology to Naomi Osaka, match umpire Carlos Ramos and the world’s tennis fans. She was the perpetrator, not the victim, of unprovoked abuse. Women should be among the first to recognize and condemn blame-shifting from the perpetrator to the victim. Attempts to Continue reading »
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WILLIAM GRIMM. Japanese fans’ shocking behavior at World Cup games.
Fans cleaning the stadium after matches they attend is an example of how one must be conscious of the convenience of those around. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MacCALLUM. Integrating the events for the able-bodied and the disabled into the same Commonwealth Games program.
Instead of simply a celebration of perfectly presented superbeings the games have had a texture that has not been there in the past. We have seen inclusive, even human overtones that have transcended the usual pageant of brawn which can and should be admired, but seldom produces the emotion and empathy we have seen in Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Reforming the governance of Cricket Australia.
Yesterday, I wrote about giving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft a second chance. The focus has rightly been on them, but deliberately hidden from sight until forced out into the open has been Cricket Australia and its Board . Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Are we still the land of the second chance?
This is a slightly amended repost from Australia Day this year which I recalled when thinking about the cheating of Australian cricketers. We all make mistakes. We all need a chance to put things right and happily Smith ,Warner and Bancroft have decided to cop their suspensions. The Macquarie legacy is still with us. It Continue reading »
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SUSAN RYAN. Cricket cheats and Australian culture.
The big question for Australian culture is not which of the three cheats is most remorseful, but why this bad behaviour by cricket heroes, once exposed, has apparently caused greater distress to Australians than any other cheating currently in the public domain. Banks cheating their customers is the subject of a current Royal Commission. The Continue reading »
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IAN McAULEY. A warning about “team players”
Bad behaviour by young cricketers in South Africa has unleashed strong reactions, including references to a decay of moral standards in the wider society. It should also prompt us to realise that team loyalty is not an unmitigated virtue. Continue reading »
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MUNGO MacCALLUM. Sledging on and off the field.
As what is left of Australian cricket segues from its dismal autumn into a miserable winter, there is at least a tinge of irony in the disaster. Last week, Malcolm Turnbull, still drooling with spittle and bile after another session of parliamentary question time, gave the world a homily about the evils of sledging before Continue reading »
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PETER DAY: “Crucify him! Crucify him”
This Good Friday there will be two Passion ‘plays’ proclaimed throughout the world: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John, and The Passion of Our Lauded Cricket Captain According to Us. Continue reading »
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MICHAEL THORN. Cricket Australia crisis is an opportunity to remove the booze culture.
Australia loves to cut down its tall poppies. Just a few months ago, Australian cricket captain Steve Smith was being compared with the Don himself, Donald Bradman. In the aftermath of the weekend’s ball-tampering controversy in Cape Town, the Australian media were after his head, with a fervour normally reserved for murderers and sex offenders. Continue reading »
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JOHN MENADUE. Our cricketers The Ugly Australians. A REPOST
Repost from 01/04/2015. Things have only got worse with the cheating in South Africa.. We need a clean out not just of players but coaching staff,Cricket Australia and the media . They are very good cricketers, but the behaviour of our cricketers leaves a nasty taste. Continue reading »
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MICHAEL THORN. The cricket pay dispute and how broadcast deals drive unhealthy product marketing
After the series of serious drug and alcohol incidents involving rugby league players and officials in May, some quite reasonably made the argument that sports that so closely embrace alcohol brands can hardly be surprised when the behaviour of players clothed in these brands act badly. This was cited in support of the argument that Continue reading »
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PETER DAY. Show me the money!
Cricket’s two most powerful bodies have reached an impasse over pay. The enmity between the two runs deep – blinking first ain’t an option. Thus, all our elite players (230+) are currently unemployed. HOWZAT for a dilemma? Continue reading »
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MICHAEL THORN. Cricket Australia throw Aussie kids to the Lion
Alcohol and sport sponsorship is a toxic marriage, an ill-fitting and dangerous partnership. Like sport and tobacco sponsorship before it, it is anachronism; a throwback to a less enlightened era. Continue reading »
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STEVE GEORGAKIS and JADE WARD. The first week in February 2017: A Landmark for Women’s Football Codes
Histories are silent on any real influence that women have had on their respective sport. This is because involvement in these sports have historically emerged from the connotations that such sports were about providing opportunities for men to develop a masculine character. Continue reading »
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STEVE GEORGAKIS. Gilchrist and Australia’s national sport, Cricket?
Until recently cricket is a sport that has rarely engaged other minority cultures, such as Indigenous Australians or newly arrived migrants. In fact, unlike other sports such as Australian Rules football, cricket has been resistant to broaden its base. … The more multicultural Australia became, the more insular cricket became. … The integrity stops with the baggy Continue reading »
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THOMAS BABOR, DAVID JERNIGAN, CHRIS BROOKES. Alcohol marketing: the simple truth
According to the World Health Organization, there are 3.3 million deaths attributable to alcohol use worldwide each year. Alcohol marketing, promotion and sponsorship are widespread in most of the world today and marketers are moving increasingly to digital and social media, where efforts at regulation have fallen far behind industry innovations in producing audience engagement Continue reading »
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STEVE GEORGAKIS. How professional sport handicaps youth sporting culture.
The recent spate of incidents and reports of doping, match-fixing and wall-to-wall TV coverage of betting, alcohol and junk food advertisements has stimulated considerable debate about the impact of commercialised sport on Australian youth. Continue reading »
