It occurred to me at 3:30 this morning that, while I’ve written about Argentinian tango dancing and food from the southern US, fast facts on Vanuatu and a plenty of other stuff, one thing I really haven’t written nearly enough about is Australian culture. I’ve been here over a decade now. I’m a bloody Aussie citizen for chrissake. I should be sharing more observations.
Last night I was out for drinks with my fellow countryladies and we visited two pubs. I thought about what I was going to write on Monday, and Josie the budding pharmacist (formerly known as Josie the bartender) told me to write about watching the Cricket at the Young Street Hotel.
Ah yes, cricket. A thing that happens here a lot that I have hardly ever paid any attention to, but actually is REALLY important to a lot of Australians. I don’t understand the game, but I do know that people stop for lunch breaks during it which is adorable and highly civilized. It strikes me as golf but less posh and more multicultural. Not as universal as soccer though.
On Sunday afternoon Australia was playing the West Indies. My friend Beth (whose son is getting really good at the game) was watching keenly, pointing out the players’ gold chains and other details about their appearance. All the guests in the pub watched collectively; we all commented together.
My first boyfriend in Australia played cricket. I remember going to one of his practices and being aware that it was taking a while and not much was happening. I remember hearing him tell me on a few occasions “Nice catch, does your mother play cricket?” when I caught something he threw.
It’s important to acknowledge how little I cared about sports in my own country growing up. My dad and brother got really into basketball in the 90s and I would follow along, to a degree. I knew the rules, I could play a game of one-on-one, but sports have always just been this funny thing that some humans (often men) care a lot about. I do have a mild curiosity around Dennis Rodman and a few other rebels. As a kid I did love sport movies like Space Jam and Angels in the Outfield.
But sports give clues to culture. I remember when my Italian friend Andrea’s football team lost. We were with others on a road trip when he found out, and he sat quietly in the backseat for hours. (I can’t even remember the team name but I can see the logo and the shirt he wore. Were they national? regional?) I could never understand feeling so upset about a loss like that. When I waited tables in Melbourne I pretended to go for Collingwood for a night to try to make a guy like me. Collingwood are Aussie Rules football, whatever that means, but let me tell you, people have strong feelings about them.
Last year during the women’s world cup, Australia’s Matildas were doing quite well at first. I sat with a girlfriend at Method Brewing while the rest of the bar (many of them men) sat glued to the screen.
Never in my life had I seen men cheerlead women, collectively, so emphatically, and because of their skills, not because of their sex appeal. It was actually really cool.
The next week I watched as hundreds of people came to the central plaza in Newcastle to watch their game against the UK. A clear feeling of unity and excitement was in the air. I still didn’t really care about sports, but I was sad when they lost. It was cool to feel like everyone was on the same team for once, although of course across Britain people were uniting against us.
Sports offer cultural insights. There’s a theatrical element about the crowd. Darker sides exist too. Domestic violence rates go up when games are on. It’s interesting that the onlookers feel so invested and impassioned even when they haven’t touched a ball or a bat.
I don’t think I’ll be checking the cricket scores myself anytime soon, but I am really glad Josie encouraged me to reflect on the game and the environment. The West Indies won, by the way. I watched the players all shake hands at the end, one team clearly peppier than the other. The people of our pub didn’t seem to fussed that we’d lost though. Afterall, it was 6pm. Time for a raffle draw and another round.
Here are some things I’m learning about this week:
This video ranking southern states cracked me up! They left off West Virginia!
This Guardian article on how to take care of yourself when the world is in chaos has some really good points and tips.
I finished the FIRST season of White Lotus. I think the second season had better, more realistic dialogue and plot, but Aussie actor Murray Bartlet, who plays Armond the flamboyant, bitter, trying-to-stay-sober hotel manager in season one was an absolute star.
Also I really find the Instagram account @workingclasshistory really intriguing. I loved this recap on Queen Liliʻuokalani. I learned about her on my first (and recent) trip to Hawaii.
I think sport was invented so we don’t go to war quite so often. Thanks Alex, I enjoyed the article on taking care of yourself that you mentioned too.