THERE is an episode in The Simpsons where the crowd taunts baseballer Darryl Strawberry.
Lisa Simpson justifies the taunting by saying: “They’re professional athletes, they’re used to this sort of thing, it rolls straight off their backs” before it cuts to a shot of Strawberry with a tear rolling down his cheek.
While the episode is almost 30 years old now, little has changed in the world of watching professional sport.
In fact, with the introduction of social media, the way audiences treat the athletes who are paid to entertain them has arguably got a lot worse.
We were reminded of that this week when Indian cricketer Mohammed Siraj was heckled by a group of blokes sitting in the SCG stands.
Whether the comments directed at Siraj were racist or not, that the heckling upset and offended a visitor to our country who was doing nothing more than his job should embarrass all Australians.
Sadly, in this country, sledging in sport is embedded in our culture, whether we are playing or watching.
It’s as if we see it as a badge of honour to be the best sledgers in the world.
But if the intention of sledging is to provoke an angry reaction from your targeted victim, then is it something we should be proud of?
Australian cricket commentator Kerry O’Keeffe labelled sledging the “most overrated aspect of Australian sport”.
“I’ve been involved in the game for over 60 years,” he said this week.
“I have never seen a more overrated aspect of cricket than sledging. As a nation, we are absolutely consumed with it.”
O’Keeffe is right. I’ve played cricket for most of my life and sledging your opponents in Australia is just seen as part of the game.
But that leaves a very blurred line as to what is and isn’t acceptable. And that line is too often crossed.
I once played with a Sri Lankan import who was subjected to monkey noises from slips that were just quiet enough for the umpire not to hear. He didn’t want to issue a formal complaint, but wanted to return to his home country that night.
Other games have descended from on-field banter to childish name calling to physical threats. All over a country game of cricket.
Fortunately, in Sunraysia, my experience has been much better. For the most part, cricket is played the right way in these parts.
Any sledging has not been personal or boorish, but based on the game, such as the certain shots a batsman is playing. There’s nothing wrong with that.
That culture stems from good leadership. From senior players and club officials setting behavioural standards.
If children see their fathers or senior players acting poorly, on or off the field, they feel that is the way to conduct themselves.
Some clubs in the Geelong league where I played had terrible reputations for sledging and abusing opposition players, making it a horrible day out at the cricket. But that was the standard of behaviour they set for younger players coming through and it perpetuated from there.
We are lucky in Sunraysia to have clubs with well-established cultures. It’s something we must not only hold on to, but continually improve.
Part of that is educating our kids that sledging and abuse adds nothing to sport. Being competitive is one thing, being an oaf is another.
As in life, it is a matter of respect. Respecting your opponent. Your teammates. Your supporters. Yourself.
In my experience, when you play and act that way, you can always walk off a field with your head held high. Win, lose or draw.
And the drink after a competitive game with an opponent never tastes bitter.
