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I loved Jason Gillespie’s article on The Roar about sledging being a sign of pride and passion more than ill-will within the sport of cricket.
I have interviewed Jason in my role as a sports reporter many times, and he was always obliging and polite. He’s a good man and knows his cricket and his sledging.
I do not have a problem with sledging out on the field, as long as it doesn’t cross boundaries and everyone understands that it’s part of the game, and that once the match or the day is over, it’s all forgotten.
In fact I would love to see sledging become a part of other sports in order to spice things up a bit. But more on that in a moment.
It does need to be said that I am a little biased, as I work within a sport where abuse and sledging is the staple diet. I am part of Australian Pro Wrestling, and during any Saturday night event there’s more lip being given than you would see at a dress-up like Mike Jagger party.
But sometimes it gets out of hand. One night I was guest ‘time keeper’ and the national heavyweight champion, Brett Jag, became very aggressive toward me and threatened to break my back – a part of my body which over the years I have become quite accustomed to.
Nasty, but all in the spirit of the game.
Anyway, thanks to some inspiration from the great Muhammad Ali and Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, here are two sports that should introduce sledging as mandatory.
Imagine this: golfer Rory McIlroy striding confidently to the first tee at the US Open. As he passes Adam Scott, he hears this coming from the Australian’s mouth, “I’ll beat you so bad, you’ll need a shoehorn to put your hat on.”
Or cyclist Anna Meares not just eyeballing rival Victoria Pendleton prior to one of their sprint battles, but actually turning the screws and coming up with this gem, “Get ready to have your f***ing arm broken.”
Yes sledging is here to stay and let’s celebrate it.
After all, as Jason Gillespie said, “It is a sign of pride and passion more than ill-will.”
Unless of course you get your back broken by a big, tough wrestler in the process.