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Cricket originated in the 17th century as purely a leisure activity in the rural areas around London. However, as this activity started gaining popularity it spread to the rich and wealthy areas in Hampshire where wealthy financiers started sponsoring the local working class to play for their own amusement. They often even placed bets on them and as this contagious expansion type of diffusion occurred, local experts were brought in to help develop the game and it began to be taken seriously as a sport. P.J Marshall talked about Britain as a world power in his presidential address saying , ‘Not only did she rule a great empire, but the reach of expeditionary forces from either Britain itself or from British India stretched from the River Plate to the Moluccas in eastern Indonesia’ (1997). Evidently, colonization was widespread between the 19th and 20th century which resulted in the diffusion of many Westernized traditions, practices and ideas throughout the various colonies in the world. Cricket was one of these practices and it is still very dominant in former British colonies like India and South Africa. Hence, the spatial diffusion of cricket asserts that this symbolic sport is an essential aspect of the national identity of the British Empire’s colonies.
Notably, the former British colony that has adopted cricket as its own national sport is India as cricket writer Gideon Haigh remarks: ‘It is no longer correct to speak of the ‘‘globalisation’’ of cricket … we face the ‘‘Indianisation’’ of cricket, where nothing India resists will occur, and everything it approves of will prevail’ (2008, p.13). It is very clear that there are strong relations between India’s national identity and cricket, it has become more popular in this rich, cultured country than it is in the country of its origin. The sport was first played in India by British military men and civil servants and it was the growth of the East India Company that led to the diffusion of this sport. The Company held power over India until it fought for independence in 1947 and the local population learnt aspects of English culture through British individuals who settled in India. It was encouraged by the wealthy British and Indian population because it benefited them both. The affluent Indian men gained the support of their local communities by establishing a relationship with them in endorsing their teams and the British were able to establish their authority by spreading their knowledge about the game. The national love for the game started with the grouping of individuals from different parts of the Indian subcontinent, regardless of their caste, class or religion. However, the elite of India wanted to distinguish themselves from the working class which is why most cricket grounds were built by Princes or sponsored by the Parsis (who were known to be rich, wealthy merchants). This need to distinguish themselves from the rest of the population stemmed from wanting to establish the authority that had been taken away from them when the British colonized their territory. This created feelings of inferiority that made them uncomfortable in their own country and the permanent establishment of this sport would help them gain some of their power and control back. Hence, ‘By 1947, when India became independent, cricket was a national passion, if not yet the national passion’ (Kaufman, Patterson, 2005, 102). However, to this day it defines who belongs and who does not. The common person in India has to be a cricket lover and it is heavily frowned upon if one is not passionate about the sport. Furthermore, the Northeast part of India does not associate with the sport and no one from that side of the country has ever made it into the team. They are highly segregated from the rest of India because the East India Company did not have as strong of an influence in that area and so, the population never felt the need to prove their worth by participating in the sport. However, in places like Bombay, Madras, Calcutta and Delhi the sport has the most passionate viewers because that is where the British settlers had the most substantial influence. Consequently, cricket has become such a crucial part of Indian national identity that other parts of the Indian identity get overlooked such as their rich film industry, politics, food etc. and the overrepresentation of this sport stems from the need for the Indian population to overcome the feelings of inferiority that they still feel post-colonization.
The diffusion of cricket also brought along ideas of racism and racial discrimination during the time of colonization. This affected South Africa in particular because old African kingdoms were being abolished and this made room for new cities to grow. However, since these societies were relatively new, they were poorly organized and still unstable in terms of their political powers and alliances, therefore they were much more easily influenced by British thought and traditions. Similar to the way cricket was spread to India, “cricket’s development on the African continent began with the arrival of the British military between 1795 and 1802” (Allen, 2017). Shortly after their arrival, “The first Transvaal club opened in 1863” (London: Zed Press, 1982). The rapid spread of this sport created ideas in the minds of the weakly administered population of South Africa about ‘a white colonial exclusivity’ (Allen, 2017). The white, European teams were not only included but favoured over the local teams, creating dangerous prejudice within the South African community whose aftereffects are still evident today. The English language, culture and traditions began to be deeply integrated in South African society and a wide range of its population started to assimilate. Those who could afford to integrate into this British-influenced society felt and acted more superior and powerful. However, when the cricket team was made to go on international tours only the white players would be allowed to go while their black counterparts were made to stay back because they wanted to only represent the ‘gentleman’ of the team. The black men were extremely marginalized and were not granted the same opportunities as their white teammates. This created huge segregations that are still present today, evident in the fact that South Africa was also banned from the ICC World Cup (International Cricket Competition) in 1970 because of apartheid which was a system of legislation under which non-white South Africans would be involuntarily segregated from the ‘superior’, white population and would have to use distinct public facilities as to not create any contact between the two groups. The ICC board could not tolerate this level of racial discrimination and effectively suspended the South African team.
In order to further understand how real this problem is to this day, Figure 1 and Figure 2 can be compared to emphasize the effects of colonization. Figure 1 takes into account the unemployment rates the year apartheid was abolished and as recent as 2018. It is evident that the highest rate of employment is amongst the Black Africans while the white population of South Africa has a relatively low level of unemployment. However, Figure 2 clearly illustrates the fact that as of 2017, the population of Black Africans is significantly greater than that of the whites. This discrepancy is due to the fact that Black Africans are still discriminated against while the white population still takes advantage of its privilege and has more access to the education and resources needed to secure a well-paying job.
Furthermore, this racialization and prejudice has become a part of South Africa’s national identity in the form of cricket observed with ‘the introduction of a new quota system in 2016, which stated a minimum of six black cricketers must be included in every national squad’ (Cox 2019). This quota emphasizes the racial segregation that was created during colonization because instead of the cricket players being chosen solely based on their talent, the team was being racially engineered to ensure that they were inclusive when they should not need a quota to do that. Cricket acts as a symbol of the marginalization that the black South Africans still face today that can be accredited to the racist ideologies brought over by the British when they first colonized South Africa in the late 18th century.
Historically, cricket has also been used as a means to unify an entire nation, particularly against their common enemy the British, who had taken away their power, authority and territory. The most relevant example of this is the expansion and growth of cricket in the West Indies. C.L.R. James writes:
Cricket was therefore a means of national consolidation. In societies, very conscious of class and social differentiation, a heritage of slavery, it [cricket] provided a common meeting ground of all classes without coercion or exhortation from above. (qtd. in Hector 2005, 163).
In 1960, the team was led by black captains all from the different independent islands in the West Indies. Their cooperation and teamwork represented the unification of these independent islands and was an aspect that they all had in common with each other. It gives them a sense of purpose and self-affirmation which helps them relate to each other as well. The average West Indian person knows the struggle of being oppressed by the British ideas of superiority and assimilation. The easiest way to escape from the class consciousness and ‘social differentiation’ created by the British was by finding common ground at the cricket field or in front of the television. Furthermore, this type of intergroup contact can eventually lead to the decrease of discrimination and class division that has been so deeply integrated into post-colonial society. This is because the teammates as well as the viewers have more exposure to individuals from different parts of the nation and they can slowly start to understand and accept their differences. Also, the West Indian team has a history of violence in cricket which stems from their need to bring victory home. This was one of the major ways they could ensure that the feud between political powers, as well as the rivalry that was created between classes and castes living on different islands did not arise. The common population of “…West Indians feared from their defeats … the symbolic meanings: long-term intellectual decline, cultural degeneration and the collapse of nationhood” (Beckles 2007). Thus, this heavy dependence on cricket as their national identity also stems from their desire to liberate themselves from the British and no longer feel the heavy burden of being more ‘white’ or being undermined because of white privilege.
The spatial diffusion of cricket undoubtedly is connected to colonization and the British having a strong incentive to westernize its colonies and assert their dominance on the populations of these colonies. Their discriminatory, racist thoughts are what started the diffusion of cricket. This game would help the white, wealthy elites separate themselves from the poor, local population. However, overtime these colonies tried to make this game apart of their national identity. Eventually, other parts of their national identities were overlooked and the participation in this sport started to determine a sense of belonging. Also, cricket acts as a symbol for the discrimination and racism that people from these colonies still face today because of their ‘race’. They are underestimated and often overlooked because of their physically inherited characteristics often by members of their own group who have adopted the racist ideologies of their oppressors that then become a part of their identity. On the other hand, one aspect of cricket that has asserted a positive mentality in the residents of these colonies is that it brings about unity amongst whole, entire nations. The belief and pride that these people have in their cricket team and the crickets men causes them to amalgamate and thrive as one, this is essential to their national identity. The spread of cricket through colonization has brought about a variety of nationalistic feelings and the fact that this sport is still dominant in so many of these colonies truly does indicate how the other ideologies and practices that the British spread will forever be engraved in the minds of the oppressed.
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