Why Is Australia So Outraged At Steven Smith's Team?

Osvaldo Hernandez

15 June 2023 What was thought to be a normal game turned out to be the spark that outraged many Australian fans, and consequently the nation. Why is Australia so outraged at Steven Smith’s team? by Brydon Coverdale contends what a professional Australian representing cricket player did on the international stage, and how his mistake is a “ . . . stain [that] will never fully disappear . . . .” Moreover, Coverdale tells a brief history of sports in Australia, and why cheating in sports is publicly deplored.

Cricket is a sport deeply rooted in Australian culture, with its initial Test captain in 1877, before Australia became a country in 1901. (Coverdale, B., 2018) Additionally, because most Australian of the Year individuals

In 1876, Ned Trickett, a first-time Australian world champion, won the World Sculling Championship in England. (Coverdale, B., 2018) Trickett’s unprecedented victory drove twenty-five thousand Australians to celebrate his victory, demonstrating a vast amount of public support. (Coverdale, B., 2018) Another example includes Don Bradman whose name cannot be used legally by companies unless granted permission by the Australian government, similar to Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first Catholic saint. (Coverdale, B., 2018) This sum of support and reinforcement for cricket players—and momentous figures alike—holds great weight in Australian culture and

Athletes on the playing field get the upper hand—more points and better performance; the aftermath of their actions, however, goes beyond maintaining the veracity of the game. Steven Smith, a professional Australian cricket player, was caught using a substance, similar to Spider Tack used illegally in baseball, to cheat. (Coverdale, B., 2018) After doing so, an outcry from Australian supporters to government figures broke: Jim Maxwell, an Australian cricket commentator for the ABC, turned emotional and felt significant disappointment at Smith’s team; Australia’s then Prime Minister condemned such an act. (Coverdale, B., 2018)

Smith’s actions anchored onto the Australian public, causing them to bleed disappointment and pride. As Coverdale argues, “ . . . [cricket] is about [athletes] representing 25 million people . . . [, but now] it is about the fans who trusted the wrong people.” (2018) Despite Smith’s deplorable flaw in the eyes of Australians, cricket’s official punishments, over time, forgives players alike; there are, however, repercussions that are challenging to avoid, outside of official boundaries, such as public shame and humiliation. (Coverdale, B.,