The Aussie tour of South Africa is set to go down in sporting history for all the wrong reasons. Our Australian team has undoubtedly copped a spray from the fans, and plenty on the field, throughout the tour.
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And using someone’s family to sledge and taunt them on the sporting field isn’t on at any level of the game.
But it begs the bigger question, where do you draw the line on sledging?
A little jibe to one person may cause major offence to another. Because those delivering the taunt can never know what’s hidden in the deep recesses of the mind of the person on the receiving end.
Mental pressure is a huge part of modern sport, particularly in the professional realm.
It is particularly evident in the test cricket arena. Trying to keep your cool and mental edge over hours of play, and over days, is a major challenge.
When teams are evenly matched and the normal pressure of tight bowling, clever fielding and an intimate understanding of a player’s weak points isn’t enough, the next step is to break them mentally.
It’s long been known that the combination physical and mental intimidation is a winning combination on the cricket pitch. It goes back to the days of the infamous Bodyline series, and well before.
Australia has been well known to employ mental tactics durings its games.
Some of the legends of Aussie cricket have been also known to be some of the best at giving a bit of lip to the opposition.
But again, where is the line?
Nobody could argue that family and friends are fair game. And whether it is players or spectators, it can’t be permitted.
Race, gender and sexual orientation are also totally off limits, and it doesn’t matter what sport it is.
It would be totally naive and also completely unrealistic to say any type of sledging should be banned.
That would leave us in the situation where a reaction to something said to one player could see another in serious trouble.
In the professional arena, those in charge of the sport must also recognise that this is a workplace, and they have a responsibility to protect their workers.
Drawing attention to the current situation in South Africa has put the Aussie cricket team right in the spotlight.
And it has also drawn attention to our own fans.
Former Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher reacted to the outcry from Aussie coach Darren Lehmann telling him to “...start cleaning up your own country first”.
He’s not the only South African to react strongly to the apparent new sensitivities of the Aussie team.
But one way or the other, the pressure seems to have had quite an affect.
The complete brain fade from captain Steve Smith and his side in the ball tampering incident has and will continue to cost them dearly.
They lost the test, but have lost a whole lot more.
But they’ve also lost a large slice of credibility, and Smith will need to work hard to maintain his position of captain, after taking responsibility for the move.
Whether the sledging and mental pressure from comments on and off-field has played a part in this massive error in judgement is hard to tell.
And it can’t be used as an excuse, but perhaps the pressure to win became too much.