The frustrating and offensive thing about the ICEC ‘equity’ in cricket report is most people in cricket, like most in the country, are kind and welcoming. We can have a conversation about inclusivity that isn’t inflammatory and accusatory. The report fails for that reason.
We all know cricket isn’t quite the national sport it should be. Many elite cricketers went to private schools. For one reason or another many feel the game ‘isn’t for them’. Football has eaten sporting coverage, and cricket isn’t as prominent as it was.
There are lots of reasons for this. The loss of terrestrial TV coverage. The sale of school playing fields. The decline of state schools playing the game. The omnipresence of football, the competition from other rising sports.
It’s not the fault of private schools that state schools play the game less. It’s not the fault of the county clubs that the game is less visible. The ECB negotiates the TV rights for international matches and the games always end up on subscription channels.
One thing cricket is not is stuck in the mud. It adapted its format for one-day games, T20 and even the (despicable) H*ndred. It adopted TV umpiring and the use of technology before other sports. The game is always changing, and changing fast.
I don’t doubt there is racism, sexism and snobbery at every level of the game. Likewise I don’t doubt that certain clubs – Yorkshire most obviously – have had a problem with bigotry. I think Tendulkar was their first non-white player as late as 1992.
I don’t doubt that there are some dinosaurs with the wrong attitudes still involved in the game’s governance. But this does not mean the game itself is institutionally or systemically or structurally racist or sexist or prejudiced against working class people.
Disparity is not always discrimination, and where it isn’t the causes are often complex. Cricket is a highly technical sport. The later you start playing it the harder it is to break through. It’s no surprise many elite cricketers are children of elite cricketers.
Equipment is expensive. Indoor nets in winter. Decent nets in summer. Bats, pads etc. If people will pay for high quality coaching, it’s bound to go to those who can pay and not necessarily to those who can’t.
The money English cricket has accumulated from Sky over the years has gone mostly into elite player development, and the results are visible. We are much better than we were when I was a kid. But the game is far narrower and less visible than it was.
The sport can obviously do more to make sure it appeals to kids and families from different ethnic backgrounds. Warwickshire, my home county, does loads of outreach with Asian fans in Birmingham, and even calls itself the Birmingham Bears for T20 cricket.
Where the report today details specific acts of racism and sexism and snobbery those acts should be deplored, and those who want to stand up to such behaviour need to be supported.
But there is a lot to question about the overall approach. First, the Commission was asked to make recommendations to bring “equity” to the sport. This is a loaded and politically contested term, connoting equality of outcome.
Second, the report is stock full of language from American critical race theory and gender ideology. ‘Cisgender’ is mentioned 45 times in the annex. There’s a section on intersectionality and “intersectional advantage and privilege”.
There is even a constructed bogeyman, which the report calls “Type K”: “white men, educated in private schools, who are straight and cisgender, and do not have a disability.”
Some arguments are clearly absurd. The report criticises those who dislike the Hundred (forgettable cricket in a nonsense format with synthetic teams) and drums and music inside grounds, and presents them as part of the problem.
Equally it criticises the fact that many cricketers like to socialise over drinks and clubs making money from their bars as this might be difficult for Muslims especially.
Some complaints are downright odd. A parent said his son was a leading run scorer but didn’t get picked for the county team (sounds like he was in the squad) as he was told he wasn’t the best player. But the best technique at early ages does not always mean the most runs.
“Structural reasons” given for the relative lack of black players include “the heavy time commitment required from parents/guardians”, which itself seems pretty prejudiced about the commitment of black parents.
In sum, the report suffers in the same ways as a lot of modern political activism. Through its accusatory tone, American theories, flimsy arguments, dubious evidence and self-fulfilling terms of reference, it divides and polarises instead of bringing workable solutions.
If we had a less adversarial conversation it would be easier to understand one another and reach compromises and accommodations. And as Ebony Rainford-Brent has said, the big challenge is for cricket to reach everyone, across class divides more than racial ones.
Here the problem lies with the ECB not ‘Type Ks’. Put cricket on free-to-air TV more often, promote T20, invest in grassroots, do more with schools, do more outreach work in the cities, the minor counties, state schools and across ethnic communities and the white working class.
Nick Timothy writes for the Daily Telegraph and the Critic. He is a senior fellow at Policy Exchange and author of Remaking One Nation: The Future of Conservatism. This article first appeared on his Twitter feed.
Stop Press: Allison Pearson in the Telegraph lays into the “fatuous” report as well, saying that “a report written by politically correct bores isn’t going to convince me that cricket is racist”.
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https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/brits-forced-give-fingerprints-travel-27202053?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
Fingerprinting to travel.
My holidays abroad are finished.
Mine too, HP, mine too…for now. These shysters will not win this. So many cracks are beginning to appear even though they seem to be ramping up their plans. They’re worried even if it doesn’t show. We will prevail.
If I’ve understood it correctly this only applies to the EU so still some options open. But I may have misread it- as so often it wasn’t clear.
Yes, for now anyway.
Ireland and Cyprus exempt in the EU ….. so looks like my plan to drive to NI and on into Eire will be OK.
Perhaps this Commission could also carry out a study into why so few (ie zero) white English private school/Oxbridge boys are getting to play in English Premier League football?
Or the anti-white racism apparent in Indian, Pakistani or West Indies cricket?
The question that needs answering is – why was an “Equity in Cricket” report considered necessary in the first place?
The cricketing authorities need to STFU and enjoy the cricket. The less they do the better the game will be.
A useless report designed to stir trouble until cricket itself is ground out of existence. Now why would that be I wonder? Perhaps because cricket is so quintessentially English and therefore must be removed from the national consciousness. Strange that….
“We all know cricket isn’t quite the national sport it should be.”
I don’t “know” that. It is what it is, like all sports. Different sports appeal to different people and groups and have different costs, barriers to entry etc. In general if you’re rich then you have more choices. Sport NGBs and professional organisations are welcome to spend some of their earnings on grass roots involvement as it benefits them.
There is some racism and snobbery and clannish behaviour everywhere. I am tempted to say that the solution if a club doesn’t suit you is to found your own, though I accept that this can be problematic for logistical reasons.
The writer says that the report “fails” which assumes the objective was the one stated. One could argue that the intention was yet another attack on English culture and people.
Will Jones writing about Hancock said “we are doomed if…”. The “if” can be omitted. There will either be total capitulation and the death of European civilisation, or bloodshed.
“There will either be total capitulation and the death of European civilisation, or bloodshed.”
Your conclusion is inevitable tof. A middle way is impossible. Totally impossible.
Death or victory
I feel we are being deliberately pushed into a corner
Correct in your analysis about corners. That is their biggest mistake, yet to be realised.
I’m not sure it’s a mistake. The tactic seems to be working. The objective is not peaceful coexistence, it is domination.
Spot on Hux.. spot on..
Thanks Will.
“reach compromises and accommodations”
What’s the compromise between a queuing culture and a pushing in culture?
Very well put and there isn’t one. This will end with victory for one side and defeat for the other.
Well it looks like mandating staff in care homes to take the death jab was a waste of time. That’s just not cricket!
”Laws mandating vaccination against Covid-19 as a condition of employment in health and care sectors were commonplace during the pandemic. Using weekly data at the local authority level, we examine the impact of the vaccine mandate for elderly care homes in England on vaccine take-up, staffing levels, and mortality. Our identification strategy involves (1) comparing take-up and staffing in English elderly care homes relative to other social care settings unaffected by the mandate; (2) comparing take-up and staffing in English elderly care homes relative to those in Wales where the mandate also did not apply; and (3) comparing Covid-19 mortality among English elderly care home residents relative to mortality in domestic homes in England and to care homes in Wales.
Our results suggest that the mandate substantially decreased the proportion of care home workers who remained unvaccinated (equivalent to between 28,000 and 41,000 fewer unvaccinated staff), but this came at the cost of a reduction in staffing levels of between 3% and 4% (equivalent to 14,000 to 18,000 staff). We observe this effect most strongly in areas of low unemployment. Our results do not provide evidence that the vaccine mandate was successful in its primary aim of reducing care home deaths. Relatively wide confidence intervals mean inferences regarding mortality are more uncertain than for vaccination uptake and staffing.”
https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4832
“primary aim of reducing care home deaths”
Purported aim.
All those care home staff who were coerced into taking the bioweapon may well have given consent by rolling up their sleeve but if they told the injector that they were only consenting to keep their job, go on holiday, go to a sporting event etc then the consent is not valid. The individual who injected them knowing that the consent was conditional are guilty of medical battery. Plus nobody could give informed consent as no detailed information re risks/benefit, ingredients, long term health risks were given. Plus the information was given after the injection happened & if anyone was told that it was “safe” &/or “effective” then that is not allowed in law to be used to describe any pharma product under a temporary or emergency use authorisation.
Yet because the whole system is captured by the evil cabal, no-one will be held accountable.
Yes you’re right. Apparently the only weak spot in Big Pharma’s ‘indemnity from liability shield’ is if fraud can be proven, so this is what lawyers are having to focus on in these lawsuits that are currently underway. This should not be difficult on paper. We all on here can think of numerous examples in which they are guilty of fraud. The promises that were never delivered. The way people rocked up to be jabbed under false pretenses. But you can bet your bottom dollar it won’t be anywhere near as straight forward is it appears and as it should be. The manufacturers cannot afford to lose a single court case because that would affect all the many other mRNA jabs coming down the pipeline and all that rests on this new tech platform. They just won’t allow it to happen because it would be too ruinous to their business model. Look at Brooke Jackson’s trial that came to nothing.
Another problem lawyers defending vax inured people or the relatives of those killed by the injections will face is proving causation. Again, the evidence is overwhelming as far as I’m concerned, but the Pharma lawyers will presumably just fall back on the ”correlation does not prove causation” line. Much like when police have a murderer in for interrogation and they just keep replying ”no comment”. Everyone knows he’s guilty but the police lack the forensic evidence and there was no video footage/witnesses. It sounds extreme but I agree with you, I cannot see anybody from Big Pharma being held to account either. And perjury isn’t a thing when you’re that crooked.
The crooks have the ultimate weapon to use against anyone in the judiciary who steps out of line – sudden unexplained death. It won’t be the first time that someone strays from the approved narrative & inexplicably ends up dead.
That is one powerful method of coercion & control.
But the incoming International Health Regulations, which I am sure any responsible government would reject – oh well – will be “legally binding.”
I see….
They can’t leave anything alone, can they? They want to find fault with all we hold dear and change it to suit their world view. More than anything, they can’t stand this idea of white men of a certain age and race simply enjoying a quiet game of cricket. They see it as ‘white’ privilege and it must be dealt with. The thing is that there are an awful lot of races and religions already represented throughout the cricketing world. The English team – yes that nation still exists – has many contract players of different skin colour, religion etc on its books. What more do they want? Transmen players i.e.women in the men’s game? Gay players? I’m sure there are some. Chinese players? Well, if they’re good enough, bring ’em on! The trouble with reports like this is that they look for problems and areas of perceived inequity so the report compilers can feel justified and smug and the whole woke circus and its clown army can continue to undermine our society. That’s basically what they want, to bring the whole society crashing down so they can mould it in their own warped, fascist image.
Have you read Douglas Murray’s book ‘The War on he West’?
Is there any racial diversity in India in Indian cricket, or in the West Indies in West Indian cricket? How about Sri-Lanka?
One reason why one group or other is not represented is because there are those with influence, such as teachers, that do not encourage such games as Cricket or Rugby and will tell their charges that this or that is not for them or they won’t be interested in it. This problem has nothing to do with money and investment, because some of the greatest footballers or cricketers (for example) have come from poor backgrounds where they learned their skills on dirt roads or scrubland using anything to hand that would resemble a bat or ball. Did any of the great Indian, Pakistan or West Indian cricketers go to posh and well equipped schools in their countries?
I used to teach woodwind around London some 20 years ago and nearly all of the inner city schools had steal bands while there was a general inference that classical music was not for the kids especially if from an ethnic immigrant background, but these values were also projected onto the indigenous ethnic kids too. In one school there was no football because the headmistress considered it competitive, but there was a steal band.
Knocking on wood, doesn’t this report also suggest a solution to the problems it claims to have found and doesn’t that prominently include hiring consultants and/or buying training materials from certain companies?
Indeed
Identity politics could get as big as Big Pharma. Invest now!
Some time ago, there was a woke offensident somewhere in the USA where the supposedly offended parties specifically demanded that money must be spent on certain certified courses and training to prevent further mischief.
Shakedown!
The trouble is that well meaning people like the author of this article concede far too much to the race hustlers.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-being-pushed-towards-long-term-indebtedness-subservience/5824021
I have been warning of this for months.
I was an ECB qualified coach,,worked with county, district and academy players for many years.
Never saw a trace of this. Anywhere.
ECB top brass, just like every other wokist organisation, have been infiltrated, supplanted and captured.
Vote with your feet folks.
Don’t give your hard earned cash to people who hate you.
“Never saw a trace of this. Anywhere.”
Straight from the horse’s mouth, although I would have been surprised if you reported otherwise. Thanks Neil.
Saw the opposite actually. Kids of every race, creed and colour enjoying each other’s company.
Just as it really is. Wokeists aren’t interested in reality.
All enquiries using crt as a metric are designed to divide. There is no middle way