Research project- Is cricket still a gentleman's game?

[GusPrideaux]

Dear cricket enthusiasts

I am a year 11 student at Urrbrae Agricultural High School in Adelaide, Australia. I am conducting a research project and my question is: To what extent is cricket still a gentleman's game? how does this relate to the recent Australian ball tampering scandal? I have put together a few questions that you can choose to elaborate on if you want. And you can voice your opinion on them if you so wish. Don't feel pressured to answer them

Are we putting too much pressure on our cricketing heroes to meet these ‘gentlemanly’ standards?

What is your opinion on the recent ball-tampering scandal? Do you think the players were treated fairly?

Do you think there is a certain uniqueness about the way Australian cricket players act, compared to the rest of the world?

Should others be held responsible for the way players act? (e.g. coaches, media, ICC)

Is player behavior getting worse, or just changing?

Do you believe that cricket is still a ‘Gentleman’s game’?

Thanks and kind regards, Gus Prideaux.

 

[ankitj]

Watch 2 minutes of football and you will know.

 

[CricAddict]

Dear cricket enthusiasts

I am a year 11 student at Urrbrae Agricultural High School in Adelaide, Australia. I am conducting a research project and my question is: To what extent is cricket still a gentleman's game? how does this relate to the recent Australian ball tampering scandal? I have put together a few questions that you can choose to elaborate on if you want. And you can voice your opinion on them if you so wish. Don't feel pressured to answer them

Are we putting too much pressure on our cricketing heroes to meet these ‘gentlemanly’ standards?

What is your opinion on the recent ball-tampering scandal? Do you think the players were treated fairly?

Do you think there is a certain uniqueness about the way Australian cricket players act, compared to the rest of the world?

Should others be held responsible for the way players act? (e.g. coaches, media, ICC)

Is player behavior getting worse, or just changing?

Do you believe that cricket is still a ‘Gentleman’s game’?

Thanks and kind regards, Gus Prideaux.

Hi, good to know that you are researching on something cricket.

1. Are we putting too much pressure on our cricketing heroes to meet these ‘gentlemanly’ standards? Do you believe that cricket is still a ‘Gentleman’s game’?

Cheating and sledging has existed across all sports and so its quite difficult to find any sport/game not tampered by allegations. I would first like to know how you define 'gentleman's game' which will help a long way in us answering these questions.

2. What is your opinion on the recent ball-tampering scandal? Do you think the players were treated fairly?

I think they were treated quite harshly. Match-fixers who cheated to lose sometimes had a very similar or lesser ban. So, the ban for cheating to win should have been lesser than that imo.

3. Do you think there is a certain uniqueness about the way Australian cricket players act, compared to the rest of the world?

4. Should others be held responsible for the way players act? (e.g. coaches, media, ICC)

Definitely. If coach can't restrict a player from cheating, he is a very weak coach. ICC is also to be blamed for not providing definitive guidelines for punishment in so and so cheating.

5. Is player behavior getting worse, or just changing?

I don't think it has changed for the worse. There have been sledgers and cheaters throughout the cricket history.

 

[R!TTER]

Dear cricket enthusiasts

I am a year 11 student at Urrbrae Agricultural High School in Adelaide, Australia. I am conducting a research project and my question is: To what extent is cricket still a gentleman's game? how does this relate to the recent Australian ball tampering scandal? I have put together a few questions that you can choose to elaborate on if you want. And you can voice your opinion on them if you so wish. Don't feel pressured to answer them

Are we putting too much pressure on our cricketing heroes to meet these ‘gentlemanly’ standards?

What is your opinion on the recent ball-tampering scandal? Do you think the players were treated fairly?

Do you think there is a certain uniqueness about the way Australian cricket players act, compared to the rest of the world?

Should others be held responsible for the way players act? (e.g. coaches, media, ICC)

Is player behavior getting worse, or just changing?

Do you believe that cricket is still a ‘Gentleman’s game’?

Thanks and kind regards, Gus Prideaux.

I don't think it's about putting pressure on individual players, eventually the true nature of a person gets displayed on the field of play more often than not. International sports is more competitive than ever before, add to that certain tactics like sledging which puts undue pressure on the sledger to constantly badger the opponents. Cummins for instance is probably the best behaved Aussie I've seen in that team, consistently so. There are obviously others, but if the team tactic is to look aggressive then it stands to reason that they may not all be that well behaved on the field.

Pretty bad, like really really bad. The elephant in the room ~ was this the first time? Are other teams getting away with it because the host broadcaster isn't playing too much attention to them? Ball tampering is like an onion with multiple layers & has a rich history dating back to early 80's IIRC?

Yes, Aus for me is the team that never gives in till the last ball is bowled. That's what I love about them & hate it when they're facing India.

Yes, but to what extent is the billion dollar question.

It's about the same, however there are certain extremes that we didn't see back in the day.

No, not anymore IMO.

 

[Adders]

Hi Gus, I'll have a crack but this is all opinion of course.

- I'll deal with the "Gentlemanly standards" in the later questions because I think it is a total crock. But the standards we hold our players too should be no more or no less than any other sport or walk of life, I just expect them to act like decent human beings........y'know, don't get in drunken brawls outside of nightclubs at 2am in the morning and don't blatantly go out and cheat.

- No I don't think the players were treated fairly, I think the punishment was excessive to the seriousness of the crime. There have been similar incidents in the past and the players involved were punished far less severely.

- Ha!! No I don't think the Aussie players are unique and I don't think they collectively act any better or any worse than any other nations players. But what ****s me (and the rest of the cricketing world outside of Aus) about them is they think like they are better and above that sort of thing. It's not the behaviour of the Aussie players especially, it's the hypocrisy of them acting like buffoons and then bleating about "crossing the line"when they get a little sensitive about the oppositions behaviour.

- Yes definitely, especially the coach who sets the team culture and should certainly be held accountable if the team goes rogue. Darren Lehmann should have been sacked for the debacle of the SA tour......I'd have supported that over the banning of the players involved in sandpapergate.

- No I don't think it's getting worse. Some human beings are just ****s, that was true a hundred years ago and it's true now.

- Cricket never was, never will be and never should be a "Gentleman's Game" I hate the term with a passion and I believe it is to the games detriment that some people still talk about this mythical standard. Why do we think a better class of people play cricket compared to rugby or football for eg? Why should our sporting ethics be higher than those found in other sports? It is the worst kind of snobbery IMO. Cricket is a hard competitive sport and the stakes are high, I want to see hard competitive players competing and laying everything on the line for their club or country........this is not always conducive to "Gentlemanly behaviour".

 

[jimmy101]

Are we putting too much pressure on our cricketing heroes to meet these ‘gentlemanly’ standards?

- Perhaps a better term for this might be "role model" rather than gentlemanly standards. And yes, we are, the public's overreaction to the sandpaper-gate is evidence of this.

What is your opinion on the recent ball-tampering scandal? Do you think the players were treated fairly?

- No, they were treated rather unfairly due to Cricket Australia bending to external pressures.

Do you think there is a certain uniqueness about the way Australian cricket players act, compared to the rest of the world?

- Yes, or at least there is/was a perception in Australia that they do. Hence the undue penalties handed out to the players involved and the large-scale public uproar.

Should others be held responsible for the way players act? (e.g. coaches, media, ICC)

- Absolutely. Coaches are very much responsible for the actions of their team. The ICC are responsible as an authority to provide concrete laws & guidelines. Asking the media to be responsible for anything is asking a bit much though.

Is player behavior getting worse, or just changing?

- It's about the same.

Do you believe that cricket is still a ‘Gentleman’s game’?

- Of course not. And it hasn't been officially recognised as such since 1962.

 

[cnerd123]

The problem with calling cricket a 'Gentleman's game, is that the very history and nature of the sport doesn't necessarily attract those that fit the definition.

To start with, Cricket was very much the past-time of the rich, and we all know how questionable their ethics are. Businessmen and the independently wealthy have kept the sport alive for the most part, because they're the only ones able to take time off to play a multi-day game, or who have means to fund the ground, kit and logistics required to run a cricket team. It's why money and cricket have been closely intertwined for basically all it's history - from WG Grace to Kerry Packer to the IPL. That's always going to breed a certain level of corruption and politicking.

On top of that, Cricket's history involves a lot of class/social discrimination. As mentioned before, it was the hobby of the rich, and so it became an Elitist club in a way. We've had things like Professionals and Amateurs in English County Cricket, to the British colonizers using Cricket as a way to 'civilize the natives', to them even barring women and non-whites from entering clubs. We all know about the struggle black/coloured players had to go through in West Indies and SA, for instance, and even in India the cricket was divided by religious lines for a long time. Discrimination has long been a part of the sport, and while we've made big strides to alleviating this in recent history, it doesn't sit well with the image of being a 'Gentleman's Game'. If anything, that word serves to further reinforce it's posh and elite perception.

And finally the very nature of Cricket as a sport doesn't lend itself to very 'gentlemanly' behavior. Successful bowlers have to be deceptive, successful batsmen have to be selfish. There is no physical contact allowed on the field, which gives the mouthier personalities free reign to chirp on and on without facing any consequences. Almost all of the decisions during the game are made by two humans standing on the field, and so players do whatever they can to influence how they decide. On top of that, the demands of elite sport require a level of aggression and desire to win that doesn't fit in with being a 'Gentleman'.

I don't think cricket has ever really been a 'gentleman's' sport. We've had some great human being play the sport, and there are some great people still playing it, but I don't we are any more or less 'Gentlemanly' than any other sport out there.

 

[ankitj]

Such long posts, much impressed.

 

[jimmy101]

The problem with calling cricket a 'Gentleman's game, is that the very history and nature of the sport doesn't necessarily attract those that fit the definition.

To start with, Cricket was very much the past-time of the rich, and we all know how questionable their ethics are. Businessmen and the independently wealthy have kept the sport alive for the most part, because they're the only ones able to take time off to play a multi-day game, or who have means to fund the ground, kit and logistics required to run a cricket team. It's why money and cricket have been closely intertwined for basically all it's history - from WG Grace to Kerry Packer to the IPL. That's always going to breed a certain level of corruption and politicking.

On top of that, Cricket's history involves a lot of class/social discrimination. As mentioned before, it was the hobby of the rich, and so it became an Elitist club in a way. We've had things like Professionals and Amateurs in English County Cricket, to the British colonizers using Cricket as a way to 'civilize the natives', to them even barring women and non-whites from entering clubs. We all know about the struggle black/coloured players had to go through in West Indies and SA, for instance, and even in India the cricket was divided by religious lines for a long time. Discrimination has long been a part of the sport, and while we've made big strides to alleviating this in recent history, it doesn't sit well with the image of being a 'Gentleman's Game'. If anything, that word serves to further reinforce it's posh and elite perception.

And finally the very nature of Cricket as a sport doesn't lend itself to very 'gentlemanly' behavior. Successful bowlers have to be deceptive, successful batsmen have to be selfish. There is no physical contact allowed on the field, which gives the mouthier personalities free reign to chirp on and on without facing any consequences. Almost all of the decisions during the game are made by two humans standing on the field, and so players do whatever they can to influence how they decide. On top of that, the demands of elite sport require a level of aggression and desire to win that doesn't fit in with being a 'Gentleman'.

I don't think cricket has ever really been a 'gentleman's' sport. We've had some great human being play the sport, and there are some great people still playing it, but I don't we are any more or less 'Gentlemanly' than any other sport out there.

You've just earned this kid an A+

 

[Engle]

To what extent is cricket still a gentleman's game?

To a much lesser extent than we aspire to - and that's the challenge, to continuously work towards a higher level of sportsmanship.

It's much better than it's cousin baseball, what with their penchant for bench clearing brawls, kicking dust at the umpire, yelling and screaming at local ball games

how does this relate to the recent Australian ball tampering scandal?

Ungentlemanly, unacceptable and un Australian, which is why it was so newsworthy

Are we putting too much pressure on our cricketing heroes to meet these ‘gentlemanly’ standards?

Yes we are and why shouldn't we ? Cricketing heroes are the role models for the club cricketers.

What is your opinion on the recent ball-tampering scandal? Do you think the players were treated fairly?
If you look at other institutions like finance, insurance, auto - if the penalties imposed do not result in better behavior, then they have to be increased so that the message gets through.
So, yes the players were penalized more than previous players - but that's because they did not get the message, despite so much warnings

Do you think there is a certain uniqueness about the way Australian cricket players act, compared to the rest of the world?
Yes, they play tough which is good. But frankly, this sledging business is starting to grate


Should others be held responsible for the way players act? (e.g. coaches, media, ICC)
Yes. Coaches, captains should be held responsible. They have an influence on their players and should insist on nothing but exemplary behavior.

Is player behavior getting worse, or just changing?
It's changing and hopefully for the better. As each new transgression is dealt with, players should learn which type of behavior is unacceptable and strive to stop it.

Do you believe that cricket is still a ‘Gentleman’s game’?
I have to believe it. In spite of what happens in a few matches at the international level, there are many more matches at the lower levels where players still behave and treat it as a 'Gentleman's Game'

 

[Starfighter]

Are we putting too much pressure on our cricketing heroes to meet these ‘gentlemanly’ standards?

In some ways yes. I think that players are public figures and should act accordingly but I don't think the prime minister should be sticking his nose into things, for example.

What is your opinion on the recent ball-tampering scandal? Do you think the players were treated fairly?

It was a massive storm in a teacup. A poorly executed, hare-brained, unsuccessful attempt at cheating did not require the lupine media attack that followed. The penalties were quite ridiculous and only happened due to said media storm.

Do you think there is a certain uniqueness about the way Australian cricket players act, compared to the rest of the world?

No, they're no better or worse than India or South Africa for example.

Should others be held responsible for the way players act? (e.g. coaches, media, ICC)

In some ways yes, the coaches etc are responsible for the players. Nonetheless it should be acknowledged that some will beyond anyone's real control.

Is player behavior getting worse, or just changing?

I think physically yes in terms of abuse, exchanges, ridiculous bravado and so on, but that's been a decades long process. In terms of cheating, no, that's been going on for as long as the game itself.

Do you believe that cricket is still a ‘Gentleman’s game’?

I think it's a bit of a false concept. Cricket has always had unpleasant things going on in it, if you consider these things 'gentlemanly' (and it was often the amateur 'gentleman' doing them) then yes it is, but if you don't then it never really has been.

 

[cnerd123]

The thread we had on here during this saga is well worth a read

http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/cri...g-bancroft-smith-aussie-leadership-group.html

 

[vcs]

Cricketers are doing pretty well overall on the "gentleman" scale, I'd say. For a sport in which trying to knock someone's head off with a rock is a legitimate pursuit, most players behave quite respectably.