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

He that is without sin ….

theworriedwell I'm surprised you can't see the connection.

welbeck

i'm not saying that cricket is an elite sport, not like polo or skiing, but it is niche.
there are cricket clubs around.
but it is not played in schools.
so unless a youngster knows someone who plays, it is unlikely that they will find a way into it.
it is not on their radar.
may be different oop north, and in country villages.
but i am speaking of cities/burbs.
and remember most people posting on here are middle class, so not representative of the population as a whole.
middle class people are more likely to be acquainted with cricket.
football is the mass sport in uk.

I used to live in a big city in the midlands. My kids played cricket at school, in summer they would be playing at the cricket club at the end of our road along with all their local friends.

Aveline

*worried well* something was eventually said about the Muslim grooming gangs but not before many young girls had been very cruelly abused.

Nothing to do with Azeem Rafiq or cricket.

Having recently had a building labourer working on our extension who was cricket mad and had his sons and granchildren playing it and having read the village Facebook page with all the news about the social club on the green where the crcket and fotball club are based, I see nothing to support your conviction that cricket is a middle class game.

welbeck I assume you have spent your life in urban environments, but villages, even big ones like the one I live in, are more democratic where people from all backgrounds in the village mix in social activities and children from all backgrounds will join village sports club where they play football in winter and cricket in summer.

Children from all backgrounds attend the local state schools, primary and secondary, even children from very well off homes, so they all have equal opportunities, or not, to play cricket at school, and happily mix in the playground and on the school bus.

25Avalon The racism complained off by this cricketer happened over the last 5 years and is/was still going on until he raised the issue. This is not something that happened a long time ago . it is happening now.

Zoejory

These anti Semitic tweets do him no good at all.

I think The Times unearthed them.

One day people will learn not to tweet

Tweeting seems to be a compulsion....when will they learn?

worried well something was eventually said about the Muslim grooming gangs but not before many young girls had been very cruelly abused.

i'm not saying that cricket is an elite sport, not like polo or skiing, but it is niche.
there are cricket clubs around.
but it is not played in schools.
so unless a youngster knows someone who plays, it is unlikely that they will find a way into it.
it is not on their radar.
may be different oop north, and in country villages.
but i am speaking of cities/burbs.
and remember most people posting on here are middle class, so not representative of the population as a whole.
middle class people are more likely to be acquainted with cricket.
football is the mass sport in uk.

Do we have to wear sack cloth and ashes (not The Ashes) for things that happened many years ago? The climate was different then. I can’t see the point in punishing someone for a past remark. What needs to be looked at is where cricket is now and where it is going so the past is learnt from.

Pot & Kettle

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pot, kettle, black?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

These anti Semitic tweets do him no good at all.

I think The Times unearthed them.

One day people will learn not to tweet

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.

Oh dear!

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