Over the past year, I’ve been employed at a bar in England that features all the major sporting events.
The unwavering support that English fans display for their teams—be it a local squad or the national team—continues to astonish me. Even when admitting that England was poor during the 2010 World Cup, fans still showed up to rally behind them.
It was pointed out to me that I hadn’t previously noticed this: “Why is it that when Australia appears to be on the verge of losing a test match, as has occurred twice in this Ashes series, Aussie supporters leave in large numbers?”
One Englishman even remarked that the song ‘You only sing when you’re winning’ was specifically penned for us… and as much as I dislike acknowledging it, it’s tough to argue against that.
A strong illustration for me arose when our last two batsmen at the MCG were putting together a few runs; the English fans were cheering, not out of sarcasm but because two players were trying hard and showing determination, even acknowledging they must have realized the game was lost.
An elderly gentleman I spoke with referred to Ricky Ponting as a whining, graceless dwarf. It’s challenging to contest that statement. However, he surprised me during our discussion about the 2005 series by stating his belief that Brett Lee deserved the man of the series title, rather than Flintoff.
What a display of sportsmanship!
So come on, Aussies! Get your act together, or the response to the earlier question will be a resounding YES.
by Terence Johns