Empire games at the cricket

ABC News online reports that:

Members of the crowd have been … racially abusing South African players during the first Test at the WACA in Perth … South African management has made a complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC) after several players were subjected to racial taunts during play on Sunday.

A statement issued by the team's management said racial slurs and chants were directed at Ashwell Prince, Garnett Kruger, Shaun Pollock, Justin Kemp and Makhaya Ntini during the third day's play.

What makes me sick is the ideas of Aussie yobs learning the racist taunts of the Africaans:

"The belief is that they were Australians, that they were using Afrikaans terminology that we have now briefed into security personnel around the country so that they can be familiar with the fact that these particular words that they might not be familiar with themselves are actually offensive to South African players out on the field," [Public affairs general manager Peter Young] said.

Uuhggh – I shudder at the thought of Apartheid language being used here in cricket bigotry – especially considering the upsurge of public racism lately.

The media has made much of Australia’s Captain, Ricky Ponting, criticising the racist attacks. Is this our white knight coming to our defence? Oooh. It's just not cricket.

Not my hero. Perhaps when Australia finally has black/Aboriginal players – or people of colour – and someone who will lift up his white shirt and show off his black skin and say 'I'm black and proud of it' a al Nicky Winmar of AFL Essendon v Collingwood fame circa 1995 (?), then I'll cheer.

Until then, it will still be the Empire games in Australia, and I'll still hope the Windies or Sri Lanka win.