'Howzat', the story of how Kerry Packer revolutionized cricket, scored 2 million viewers for Channel 9 on two nights. That was in the 1970s, when men were men and women were sheilas. But cricket, compared to other sporting codes, is looking distinctly seedy.
Several factors need to be considered. First, AFL and of course soccer, have always have a strong strong following in the ethnic communities. Cricket in Australia has yet to produce a true champion of South Asian origin, a natural target market. So many AFL champions have come from non-Anglo Celtic backgrounds that it would take all of this blog and more to list them.
Second, women have always formed one third of all AFL spectators. If you find a woman at the cricket, she is probably reading a book to stave off boredom. The AFL women's competition is said to be the fastest growing female sport in Australia. Women's cricket is overlooked, even though it has had an important role in the development of the sport.
Third, access to major events often requires membership of a club such as the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC). Now, I have no intention of casting aspersions on the probity of the MCC's membership selection process, but I will say that in the near-on 20 years that I and my children have been on the MCC waiting list I have heard nothing at all from the MCC. When I made a telephone inquiry, all I could find out was that was indeed on the list. The club categorically refused to offer any estimate on when I would be offered membership.
Fourth, a great many people share my memories of cricket -- some lout in the nets throwing a very hard ball at you as fast as he can; sitting in the sun getting third degree burns; looking away as a relief from the aching boredom, only to hear a shout go up as something actually happens for the first time in half an hour. In other words, unless you were brought up in a cricket culture, like the South Asians, cricket is awfully boring. This is not helped by the fact that the Australian Test team is in a slump. Cricket rarely even rates a mention on the TV news any more.
AFL, on the other hand, has bravely struck out where many marketers might fear tread, by launching the Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney Giants. A very long time ago, I owned shares in a company that was taken over by Qintex Australia, which was controlled by Christopher Skase. After examining the annual report in some bewilderment, the only businesses Qintex Australia appeared to own were a small boatyard and the Brisbane Bears football team. One of my peculiarities is that actually take an interest in the businesses I hold, so when we were holidaying on the Gold Coast I went to Carrara to inspect the Bears' ground. It was in the middle of nowhere and the seating looked distinctly temporary; jerry built, one might say. But the AFL did not give up -- the Bears became the Lions, moved to Brisbane and won three premierships in a row, unmatched in the post-war era. The Suns were recently relaunched on the Gold Coast and on the second last fixture in the home and away round not merely beat, but humbled, the might of Carlton, one of the most successful AFL teams of all time.
As for the Giants, what marketer worth his salt could pass over 2 million people? Sure, it's in Sydney's west in what is coyly called a 'lower socio-economic area' and it's the heartland of rugby league but those people have considerable spending power; if you're offering an advertiser blanket coverage, it's a gap you have to fill. Expectations were perhaps a bit high but membership sales were good. Kevin Sheedy, the Giants' mentor, is a one man walking press release as well as being one of the outstanding coaches of the modern era.
Will Western Sydney be a bridge too far for the AFL's Andrew Demitriou and his marketing department? Every major market now has the requisite two teams. The ACT, the Northern Territory and Tasmania hold promise but are commonly judged to be too small (or poor) to host their own teams. Hawthorn is very popular in Launceston, not least for the business the Hawks draw on their regular visits to northern Tasmania. Do we discern the siren call of foreign shores?
If cricket is danger of missing the cut, the AFL is alive and kicking -- hard.
It is pleasing to learn that some other Australian of approximately my own age shares my lack of enthusiasm for cricket. (Not that the AFL thrills me either, but at least one can move interstate to avoid the most wild-eyed AFL obsessives.)
ReplyDeleteOne respect in which Australian life during 2012 is a great improvement on Australian life during the HOWZAT era of 1977-79 is that increasingly most Australians are as uninterested in cricket as I. Back in 1978-79 it was almost more than my life was worth to admit in public places that cricket inspired in me acute and nauseated boredom. During the summer months there was literally no escaping it, and the entire country seemed to fall into a coma of cricket-TV-watching. If the Indonesians had decided one summer to invade us the way they had invaded East Timor, I don't suppose the Australian population would even have noticed their arrival until about March.