Cricket’s problems go beyond gender
‘It is not that females (teachers) are otherwise not interested, it is that they have been prevented from knowing the history, and at one stage told the sport was not for them.’
CRICKET WEST Indies (CWI) President Dave Cameron’s latest comments published in The Gleaner on February 25, 2018 under the headline ‘Too many female PE teachers hurting cricket’ has once again caused a firestorm. For me, some of the comments attributed to the regional cricket boss are troubling, as they make assertions without sufficient evidence. At a time when most people think the issue with West Indies cricket is the administration, this does not help the relationship with fans.
Cricket has always been a space for males whether on the field of play or in management. Women were discriminated against and isolated for centuries. Only recently have some clubs opened up their doors to accept women, and even to date, there is little encouragement for women to be involved as umpires, match referees, coaches, club/board members, etc. Therefore, it is not that females (teachers) are otherwise not interested, it is that they have been prevented from knowing the history, and at one stage told the sport was not for them.
A GENTLEMAN’S GAME
The art of cricket that C L.R James so eloquently spoke about in Beyond a Boundary was not being taught to girls, and they remained outside of that boundary rope as mere spectators for a long time. The history of West Indies cricket, including its territorial affiliate Jamaica, is one devoid of women; one told of the great men of the region. Hardly ever is credence given to any support by women and girls to develop the sport as it was, and it still is ‘ The Gentleman’s Game’.
There are many male PE teachers who are not interested in cricket, not knowledgeable about the game, and not willing to learn. Since majority of the PE teachers who are responsible for cricket are indeed males, then maybe this is the area we should address first. Additionally, in Jamaica, there are no school competitions for girls; neither is there any at the tertiary level to enhance development. The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) has managed to host women’s competitions, but without the drive at high-school level, it is then difficult to sustain a competitive cricket competition. If we are not fostering interest in the game in young males or females, then those students will not be interested when they enter institutions of higher learning.
Local PE teachers continue to play pivotal roles i n our countr y ’s development, and schools try to have a balance of at least one male and one female. In many cases, males teach the traditionally male - dominated sports (football, cricket, basketball, even track and field), while females cover netball and the female section of the other sports. There is no statistical data to indicate that female PE teachers outnumber men; and it is worse to suggest that all the PE teachers are females. In fact, in most schools, cricket coaches are males, as females are still not seen as ideal to ‘teach the boys’.
So while I do agree with President Cameron that some gaps in the physical education system contribute to the issues facing cricket in Jamaica, I don’t think it has much to do with the sex of the PE teachers but is more about structural flaws in the organisation of cricket, as well as management issues over the years at the local board level.
I do agree with Cameron that “schools do not give cricket enough attention because it is an expensive sport that requires too much space to play”. That is an issue with which the sport has to contend. Until we find ways of supporting schools, it is then difficult for those with limited resources to invest in a sport that some, sadly, see as no longer important to our nation.
The education system has its weak areas, but if we single out female PE teachers then we lose sight of the bigger problem. The decline of interest in cricket in general has little to do with female PE teachers or their increasing participation in sport. In a track and field crazy place like Jamaica, cricket is no longer the number one sport and may struggle to ever get there as the slide continues.