These people must be stopped. Once again, corruption, large egos and rising salaries threaten to destroy a sport that we all know and love.
The images are all ingrained into our memories: the crack of the bat, the expansive green outfield, the perfect spin of an expertly thrown flipper or googly. Yes, cricket was once a game that flourished in the dreams of young fans. It could unite everyone no matter what religion, color or creed. Cricket was poetry in motion.
Lately though, the game has been rocked by allegations of match-fixing and attempts by players to elevate their already too high salaries. Recent efforts at contract holdouts are just ridiculous. These are just athletes after all. How much is a quality nightwatchman or a journeyman rabbit worth?
What would a cricket legend like Sir Donald Bradman say about the current state of the sport if he were alive today? Probably "By Jove." And then he would drink some tea.
In addition to spoiled and corrupt players, the rules committees are further ruining the sport by attempting to outlaw wicket tampering. What's next? The six-point try in Aussie Rules football? A live goat in Buskashi? Is nothing sacred anymore? If a man can't tamper with his own wicket, what can he tamper with?
Cricket at its best is a simple game. Take this excerpt from cnnsi.com recapping yesterday's match between South Africa and the West Indies: "Gayle struck two fours but was dropped head height at first slip by Cullinan off captain Shaun Pollock in the penultimate over." I mean, really, is this a sport that we should complicate with minutiae and confusing rules?
Ultimately, we must preserve cricket for what it used to be and the ideals it used to entail.
The Moral:
OK, I give up. I'll come clean. I've never really seen a match of cricket. I really do like saying the word "googly," though.
After doing some research, I've discovered that despite the cultural diversity there really is not much difference between American sports culture and cricket. Perhaps it is the effect of globalization, but cricket seems to face the same problems as professional basketball, football and baseball. An ardent fan base and an aggressive media are sick of whiny prima donnas, a declining rate of role models and corruption. Ticket sales are down. The competing realms of commerce, entertainment and sportsmanship threaten to tear the game apart.
So, if you're tired of the lackadaisical players in the NBA or the criminals in the NFL or baseball owners who move their franchise every year, you're not alone. The rest of the world sympathizes.
Maybe this global unity proves something about the modern sportscape. Maybe all professional athletes are just inherently selfish. Or maybe all sports fans are just inherently whiny. Maybe the urge to boo and throw things is one that crosses cultural boundaries.
The media can't be let off either. The above column really could be written about any sport and it would be acceptable for print in a major media venue.
By now, you're probably wondering if I really have a point in this theoretical rambling. In the end, the answer is I'm not sure. But I did discover one thing: Cricket is really, really stupid.
Oh, and one more thing: Googly.
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