Cricket at Sydney Olympic Park & on Television

This past Saturday I went to the Sydney Olympic Park and observed countless families playing cricket on the open grassy areas. I watched one game in particular where parents or older children threw the ball to younger children who then made their best attempts at swinging to hit the ball as far as they could. While some played cricket, others cooked and talked as they either ate barbeque or picnic foods. Watching this, I was reminded of barbeques in America where many families gather to talk, eat and play a game of wiffleball – a game strikingly similar to baseball but the bat and ball used are both made of plastic. From my experience at Sydney Olympic Park, I realized that sport in Australia is not only practiced in a competitive and professional setting but also in a family and leisurely context, one that is very similar to American recreational sport. Over the past two months, I have also watched cricket numerous times in both restaurants and bars. Viewing cricket matches on television reminded me a lot of watching professional golf because both games are very slow-moving and highly based on skills. Tatz (2011) explains how cricket was once used as “a civilizing force in some colonies” (Tatz, 2011, p. 139) in Imperial Britian by encouraging positive behavior and is now a sport most often played by the elite. Similarly, golf is a game with a written code of etiquette which demands good behavior and golf is most often played by wealthy individuals who work in the business world. Although I do not yet understand all of the rules of cricket, from my experience seeing cricket recreationally at Sydney Olympic Park and professionally on television I can tell that it is comparable to both baseball and golf in America. I hope that while I am in Australia I will be able to see a professional cricket game live, and learn more about the Australian cricket culture!