Desmond Tutu’s Cowdrey Lecture (MP3)

Will, I think it’s not just a sporting issue any longer. People say that politics should not mix with sport, but in the case of Zimbabwe, politics has transcended into cricket, and is in fact entrenched in it as well. Besides the moral and/ or political issues, I think countries should not tour Zimbabwe purely from a cricketing stand-point as well.

Make it a cricket issue- tell Mugabe and his cronies in the Zimbabwean cricket board that his team is shit, and that it has been relegated from international status (even odis) due to the fact that they don’t have decent team, rather than for political reasons.

[...] Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the legendary anti-apartheid leader from South Africa, delivered a moving and perceptive speech this week at Lord’s, as part of the annual Cowdrey Lecture series. So far, Tutu’s address has earned most attention for its call to boycott Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe’s “pariah” regime. That is as it should be, but a listen to the entire lecture yields many interesting points about the game’s “spirit,” and its face and role in society. I want to talk about a few tidbits, but be sure to listen to the full version (and Andrew Strauss’s reaction) here. [...]

Sport and politics are irrevocably intertwined, as is sport with business and as business is with politics.

I don’t think England should play Zimbabwe (for political and cricketing reasons), but I hope this takes a very public form of protest.

Why not invite promising young Zimbabwean cricketers to join the academy alongside a very public boycott?

It does set a difficult precedent though, in Pakistan, for example there is rarely a semblance of democracy, but the issues are less stark than with Zimbabwe.

Sports stars can carry a large public presence and though it’s not their job, perhaps people, whatever their job is, should be expected to take a stance on issues according to their ethics.

[...] Source:Desmond Tutu’s Cowdrey Lecture (<b>MP3</b>) [...]