Yeah that will decide the AshesJames said:
archie mac said:Yeah that will decide the Ashes
No but he hinted that was the reason they lost to Aust. No problem with the SA crowds making sheep noises when they play the Aussies.silentstriker said:He didn't say it would. He just said its something you need to prepare for. But if you're unable to handle it, it could doom the Ashes campaign because players would get caught up in it.
I was talking to a friend at work earlier today who was saying it's very common at the MCG when he used to live over there and head to matches.archie mac said:No but he hinted that was the reason they lost to Aust. No problem with the SA crowds making sheep noises when they play the Aussies.
The worst thing I have ever heard the Englishman called is 'Have ago ya Pommy *******'
Now that has been going on since who knows when. I have been at Tests in Aust involving India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka NZ, the Windies and England and I can honestly say I have never heard a racist remark. They have ago at Murali but not for his colour.
I am not saying it does not happen, but anyone would be forgiven for thinking it was a constant chant around the ground.
James said:I was talking to a friend at work earlier today who was saying it's very common at the MCG when he used to live over there and head to matches.
Obviously that's just his personal opinion, but thought I'd mention it.
I have not been to too many India or SL matches so that may explain that, very surprised by the experience of DasaSlow Love™ said:Smith certainly works hard to endear himself to Aussie audiences.
Archie, I don't think people (besides Smith) are insinuating it's the majority of the crowd - in fact, it's always going to be quite a very small minority. The problem is that that isn't that rare, particularly at the MCG. I've seen it before, and I believe a few journos made comments about it when India toured back in '03. And Murali has certainly copped racial abuse from crowds over here. Just something we have to tidy up and make clear it's unacceptable, which as far as I can tell, the ICC/CA is doing.
And no, I don't think the West Indians (in my time following cricket at least) cop much - but that kind of thing is focussed towards subcontinentals in recent times for obvious reasons.
Those sports aren't divided along national lines though...with something like cricket, there's bound to be some friction because it's country against country. Although I haven't been to an AFL match in a long time, I don't think I'd hear many racial taunts at a footy match because the rivalries have nothing to do with nationality/race.silentstriker said:Thats tough. In the US, I've never ever experienced a single racial taunt either towards me or the players in the literally hundreds of times I've been to the stadium (I have season tickets to a baseball team, and half season tickets to the hockey team, so thats 100+ sporting events in just one year, times about five years that I've been doing it).
He made Punter look like his master. Nuff said.howardj said:Geez Smithy made a right-royal goose of himself last summer.
He was a walking joke.
He totally over-rated the mental side of the game - trying to create divisions in the Aussie camp etc; trying to be the tough guy.
Yeah, that'll be a factor. But also, for all the criticism it gets, the US is surprisingly well integrated in many areas, racially, where the identification as "Americans" is particularly strong. With some notable exceptions, the political rhetoric over there frequently isn't as casually divisive as over here in recent years.Dasa said:^Exactly.
Those sports aren't divided along national lines though...with something like cricket, there's bound to be some friction because it's country against country. Although I haven't been to an AFL match in a long time, I don't think I'd hear many racial taunts at a footy match because the rivalries have nothing to do with nationality/race.
Yeah, the Aussies have 'done a job' on some skippers in their time, but they went all out with Smithy - left nothing on the table. Absolutely ground him into the footmarks.Slow Love™ said:He made Punter look like his master. Nuff said.
And he's been this way since his very first test. I actually don't mind him complaining about the psychological taunting, etc, but he looks a first rate tool when a) he's so happy to go there himself, and b) he's completely inept at it.
Well, frankly he deserved it. Instigated it, yapped it up but couldn't perform on the park.howardj said:Yeah, the Aussies have 'done a job' on some skippers in their time, but they went all out with Smithy - left nothing on the table. Absolutely ground him into the footmarks.