Is English cricket, not just Yorkshire cricket, institutionally racist?

Remember the government Sewell report?

No institutional racism in the U.K.

We knew it was wrong.

Racism in cricket

Misoginism and sleaze in the Tory Party

Could this possibly be linked to the ethos of boys only private schools?

I once shared a house with a professional cricketer. I can't honestly say I thought he was racist, but he was one of the most amoral, self-centred, vain and badly behaved people I have ever encountered. He had absolutely no regard for other people or their property. He eventually married a woman who was an out and out racist.

If he's anything to go by I can imagine professional cricket is a cesspool.

It's just "not cricket" Is it Scones?

I listened to an hour of Azeem Rafiq’s testimony as I was driving a distance yesterday. I wasn’t surprised at the casual racism but it was shocking to hear that white players told the Asian players - you lot, sit over there (near the toilets). Called them elephant washers, used the P word frequently. For Yorkshire to claim in its initial response that calling someone a P is ‘banter’ speaks volumes about institutional racism.

20 years ago, my 5 year old grandson was in trouble with his mum for ‘using a very bad word’ in a row with his brother. They lived in an area with a large Pakistani Muslim population. He called his brother a P because he’d heard this insult at school and knew it’s power. His mum was right on it, neither boy ever used the word again. How come 20 years later, some people claim not to understand.

he has actually named people too

Good for him but it is awful he and others are subjected to this. Instead of people (high profile) sweeping it under the carpet, it needs to be dealt with properly

I watched it live yesterday morning. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and I’m not naive where racism is concerned.

The three named people should stop denying it and apologise.
Hopefully they would not do it these days but back then it was rife and the victims were afraid to make a fuss in some cases as Azeem himself said, not realising it should not be occurring.

Cricket may be 'old boy' at Lords, but I bet the Yorkshire management are just ordinary guys exercising ordinary racism. Remember, it included all the coaches, and other staff.

I think it is a distillation of the racism that is prevalent at all levels poured into the very English culture of cricket at every level. Azeem said it happened at local club level.

In Claggthorpe, Coaltown and Cottonville, club adminstrators are state school and labour voters to a man - and they were just as racist as the those running the county club.

Rafiq has just apologised for anti Semitic tweets he made a few years ago. So that’s alright then?
www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/12471808/rafiq-apologises-for-antisemitic-comments-he-sent-in-2011

Oh dear!

Imo a lot of sports clubs revolve round the bar and hours of drinking. Anyone who doesn't drink will be perceived as an outsider from the start. Excessive drinking will always lead to unpleasantness.
I could have cried watching Azeem's testimony.

These anti Semitic tweets do him no good at all.

I think The Times unearthed them.

One day people will learn not to tweet

Yes, perhaps they will, Zoejory, but is he just a teensy weeny bit hypocritical??

When he said that he was young and only 19 when posting those tweets, were the people he named not young in 2012 when he states racist remarks were made to him. It seems that a lot of remarks were made to and from him.

I do believe that more bad press about him will come out.
He is a hypocrite.

Hopefully people will realise that any tweets, posts etc will come back to haunt them.
Don't post nasty racist, homophobic, anti Semitic and anything else that will hurt someone.

Does it matter if they are gay, straight, trans, black, white, young or old be kind that is what we teach our children. Be kind to all.

Cricket may be 'old boy' at Lords, but I bet the Yorkshire management are just ordinary guys exercising ordinary racism. Remember, it included all the coaches, and other staff.

I agree with you, MOnica. Cricket just isn't 'Gentlemen' and 'Players' these days, it's people from all walks of life.

Lots of cricket played where I live. Just ordinary local lads.

Interesting to read that before the unearthed tweets by Azeem Rafiq, nobody question his integrity, it was just assumed he was telling the truth. He may be being truthful but there is always a chance he is not. Too many people won't question it for fear of being labelled racist.

Hurtful racist comments in cricket widely criticized. Dozens of young girls groomed and abused by Muslim men but nothing said because it could be seen as racist. Hmmmm.

Pot, kettle, black?

My son played for the junior team for a county team. I was amazed when they did the selections. The county ground is surrounded by areas with high BAME population, loads of boys from Asian and West Indian backgrounds, lots of boys from local comps. All the boys who were picked were in school uniform, all from private schools or grammars and all white. I know nothing about cricket, despite being forced to attend many matches, so maybe they were just better. Or maybe not.

Aveline

Hurtful racist comments in cricket widely criticized. Dozens of young girls groomed and abused by Muslim men but nothing said because it could be seen as racist. Hmmmm.

They aren't connected unless you want to make some allegations?

You do realise that "something" was said or you wouldn't know anything about it.

cricket is not played by ordinary lads en masse.
maybe some ordinary lads of asian heritage play, because it is traditionally so big a game in the sub-continent.
but for the average white boy/girl, they would have to make quite an effort to find somewhere to play.
cricket is not played in state schools.
so unless you have family support to do so, it's beyond your experience.

welbeck club cricket is not an elite sport in Lancashire and Yorkshire, nor for that matter in many villages, like mine in the south.

Where do all these lads learn cricket? At their local club of course. Most village and town clubs encourage new, especially young new, players and run training and coaching classes for them.

I'm in Devon, every town and village I can think of for miles around has a cricket club with a junior section. Boys, like my GC, play for local football clubs in the winter (some do rugby) and then cricket in the summer.

I know only to well have done my share of transport to matches.