We all know Australian sport has suffered a sharp decline over recent years. It began back in September 2005 at The Oval with the Poms pinching the Ashes urn after 16 years of cricketing misery.
We may have beaten them 5-0 the next year but doubts were already emerging. Why wasn’t that legendary Aussie spirit working anymore?
Perhaps Australian sportspeople got complacent, forgot how to maintain the Aussie Spirit, and the English subsequently found the blueprint. It would explain the fruitful rewards the Poms have reaped over the last year or two.
They’re buoyed by so much success at the moment, they’re practically levitating. For once, the English have a genuine reason to refer to their home as “Great Britain” without being tongue in cheek. Although this might have more to do with taking credit for Andy Murray.
When you boil it down, England and Australia’s roles have been reversed and we have now had to come to terms with a humbling reality.
The old custom of barracking for the underdog is a popular one as the pay off if they win is all the more surprising and satisfying.
We see it in the tennis every January; I remember when at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, a semi-packed Telstra Dome went into hysterics when the Tongan Rubgy Sevens team clinched victory against the Sprinkboks in the dying seconds.
It’s a nice touch and you’d think we would be able to afford the same grace to our now current cricket team, but no.
Most of those who would say they support the baggy green, these days, are just as likely to reprimand or turn off as a result of their perceived struggles.
Of late, the public and media have become experts (if they weren’t already) in drumming up negativity, expressing open ridicule and impatience at their failures, and critiquing every sniff of off-field irregularity.
If not explicitly said, the implied commentary has run along the lines of, ‘since when did we become a bunch of hacks?’
With Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, the Waugh brothers, and the rest coming out of a phenomenal gene pool, the Australian cricket team got very very lucky.
Now that luck has run out and we have a young team trying to work through ongoing confidence issues, owing to unreasonable historical comparisons and kneejerk selections.
And yet they are still battered from pillar to post for not delivering the goods while we lambast their pastimes in the process.
Only now are we seeing signs of the trough becoming a peak but that won’t be due to outside influence or commentary, it will be despite it.
The cacophonous negativity towards our current cricketers, among others, has come from public forums and mainstream media alike, the Twittersphere opening up the road for abuse like never before.
This thoughtless coarseness has betrayed a sense of entitlement, a mentality whereby athletes are despatched purely to succeed as a favour to us, the public.
Undoubtedly, the indulgence of winning had become self-serving by 2005 and 16 years of success (with cricket, swimming, tennis, golf, and other sports also feeding into it) had created an unhealthy reliance on winning to define what Australian sport is all about.
Perhaps this is what is really meant at the mention of “Aussie Spirit”: that we can be a good humoured lot when our guys are doing well but when the tide turns, it is apparently alright to accuse athletes of not pulling their weight.
Maybe it isn’t but it sure looked like it at last year’s Olympics, and has again this year at times with the Australian cricket team.
Surely these people have a right to enjoy their occupation like anyone else and the relentless public opinion can’t be helping their confidence.
Whatever you think of Shane Watson, I’m amazed he was still able to knock that century to temporarily silence the critics. Despite the bashing from all sides, he finishes up the Ashes with an average of over 40, even if that’s a little skewed.
We shouldn’t expect our new crops to be world beaters from day one and sports fans might have to put up with mediocrity for a while before the trough becomes a spike. Believe it or not, it isn’t impossible to support a struggler.
Look at the poor old Melbourne Demons, whose diehards would happily throw a festival in honour of a contested mark on the half backline.
Perhaps ungrateful cricket fans among others should take a leaf out of their book and admire effort and persistence that little bit more. Then our cricketers and other athletes might have some reasons to be cheerful.
JimmyB
Guest
It's not a myth TT, depending on which day of the week it starts, the first four days are pretty much always sold out. If you want to get really petty about it then Yes, English fans are better supporters than their Australian cousins, how do you like them apples?
MC
Guest
That series was electric, from the 1st test at Lord we knew there would actually be a competion.
MC
Guest
I'm English born of Irish and Welsh background, so whats you point, we're all mongrels. I see a lot of people who perceive to understand a nation through some reason of historical connection, often buried in past attitudes. Did your parents live in a nation thats seen huge cultural change through influence from europe, africa, India and the carribbean? Thats gone through social change as a shift from industrialisation to a service economy. Thats had to find humility and understanding the global map is no longer pink. If not, I'd politely suggest your in no position to judge the Island I live. I'm more proud of my nation and its quirks more than ever, yes we've social issues, but theres healthy debate and a resolve to do better. The barmy army are there regardless of victory, sure we want to win, but its not a right.
Tall Timber
Guest
Shhh, this myth that England sell out all of their test matches is too funny. Don't ruin it. ;)
Tall Timber
Guest
At the end of the day if Cricket wishes to stay relevant in Australia this century its going to have to get more out of its national team than it has of late. End of story.
ChrisUK
Guest
I bet they don't notice how reading the reports about Dan Evans win overnight, all the reports talk about the BRITISH number 2....
Bayman
Guest
Fair weather fans? We must be, I know I was very annoyed when the rain came!
nickyc
Guest
As you're in a good position to comment perhaps you could give us some examples of this alleged fair weather attitude towards Irish, Scottish and Welsh athletes. In years of both attending and watching sporting events in the UK in my experience - with the exception of the most partisan of all sports, ie. football - English crowds always go out of their way to support sportsmen from other parts of the UK not to mention our cousins from the Irish Republic.
expathack
Guest
England v. Bangladesh tests "sold out"?? What at Old Trafford which had a capacity for about 5 men and 1 dog at the time?
nickyc
Guest
So on that basis when Australia play at the MCG any players born outside Melbourne are presumably regarded as foreigners!
JimmyB
Guest
I would disagree with some of your points namely would we fill larger grounds? The answer is simply yes, particularly in the south. The fact is that England test matches get sold out when they play Bangladesh let alone when they play Australia.
comtede
Guest
I don't think Ausses are fairweather supporters any more than any other nation i.e England /Scotland/ Ireland/ Wales. If you take the test matches prior to 2005 in England for instance. Whilst you could say they were generally well attended and mostly sell outs for the fitst three days, there wasn't the clamour for tickets and having to book 12 months in advance etc (this is mainly because our grounds are much smaller). That has only occurred since 2005 and England have been winning. So yes you will always get the die hard supporters but the people who now clamour for tickets be there when England are getting stuffed again by Windies,SA and dare i say i you lot? Also your larger grounds will also show up the gaps greater than ours , how often is the MCG fully sold out ? Would we sell out an equivelant sized arena in England on the 4th day ? Also i'm old enough to remember skiving school back in 1971 to see Zaheer Abbas destroy England at Edgbaston paying to get in on the gate about 50p i think with the ground only half full. Similarly when i came to Australia for 82/83 tour i never had to get tickets in advance just paid at the turnstile (even on Boxing day) The grounds were fairly full for first couple of days then empty for last days, even MCG when Thommo and Border (?) almost made it over the line. So it s ever thus. Cheers
JimmyB
Guest
Mel Gibson, now there's a man to bring a divided world together, we can all unite in thinking that he's a horrible tosser!
JimmyB
Guest
So you're not British then, right ok, got that.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
I am most certainly not British. I would sooner consider myself as French than British. I have no British heritage outside of my great, great grandfather who lived their for 12 years after migrating from Palestine and not as a British citizen before he left for Australian in his late teens.
ChrisUK
Guest
They laughed, then spotted the opportunity for some tourist dollars!
vebie
Guest
Were they just not laughing at Mel Gibson's accent?
ChrisUK
Guest
It's not going to happen. There's no desire for it. The SNP got into office essentially because they were the only alternative to Labour up there, not because of a desire for independence. People knew they could safely vote for them because at worst they'd get a referendum. Support for independence is around 25-30% and the reality is that you can get that kind of support for more or less anything in an either/or vote. The Scots aren't stupid, and they laughed at Braveheart as much as anyone else did.
vebie
Guest
Yes - great article..and sums it all up very nicely Oh what fun if Scotland becomes independent....
JimmyB
Guest
You must be in the minority I would of thought Spooky. Although competition is appealing to everyone really, I think that's why 2005 will always be fondly remembered, even by Aussies because it reinvigorated the Ashes as a contest. Heck, England really awoke the competitive spirit inside that Aussie team, as witnessed in the series that got cancelled.