Club or Country?

[Dujon]

I'm not too sure, hisroyalgingerness. I can only look at the change in emphasis that has occurred where I live. Of course there will always be the die-hards who attach to any sport and who will attend a game or event come hell or high water, but a greater number (and this is a subjective view) seem to be fair weather 'fans'. In the years that this country's rugby union team was bulldozing everyone like a snow plough through a snow drift 'fans' were in evidence everywhere, all games were sellouts and the press full of themselves (as usual). Since their fall from grace the whole atmosphere has changed.

At the moment the West Indies cricket team is touring the country. I haven't seen figures, but I understand that the crowds for the first test in Brisbane were, to put it kindly, woeful. Perhaps the poor attendance was because of a perceived weakness in the W.Indies or that the Australian team being in the throes of a reconstruction wasn't appealing. I simply don't know. What I do know (or at least sense) is that the general ethos of the country is changing. In days of yore there was a strong underlying emotional tug which compelled people to support the so-called underdog and then, win lose or draw, applaud their effort - provided that in the end they tried.

I am not suggesting that this trait is particular to this country, far from it, but I do regret that we are, or seem to be, changing to a group who follow winners and who let the devil take the hindmost.