Did Harry Thompson get it right?

The man behind both Have I Got News For You and Monkeydust.

I am slowly reading his Penguins Stopped Play. Excellent reading BTW.

He claimed this (p230):

For me, the near-complete absence of racism is one of the things that make cricket such a wonderful sport. The all-time great players, for instance, have earned international reverence in equal measure. White cricket fans would be as excited to meet Vivian Richards as black fans would be to meet Sachin Tendulkar, as Asian fans would be to meet Shane Warne. I can't think of another sort where this attitude would so comprehensively apply.

FWIW, despite the playing up of racism (or "racism") on certain cricket fora, and despite some understandably hopeful overstatement (by a dying man), I think he had a good point.

Perhaps it is the more febrile pace of other sports. But I don't think it's just that.

That's a load of bollix is that.

Really?

I suppose it depends at what level.

Whilst I don't want to draw up some education to ignorance(such as racism) ratio I feel that, in general, they'd be more understanding about differences in cultures/lifestyles than, say, the more secular end of the football world.

However, as has been seen, cricket isn't exclusively an educated 'place' therefore there's still the more bigotted types.