A PITCH FOR CRICKET

 “Fewer kids than ever are playing hockey. What does this mean for Canada’s national identity?” Andrew Evans posed this question in The Hub Forum. “The loss of hockey isn’t merely about lost recreation. It represents the loss of something core to how we think about the country and our relationship to one another... As our country becomes more heterogenous – and possibly polarized – there’s a need for some familiar sociocultural markers or things that we do together.”

Hockey was one of those things. Street hockey and ice hockey on frozen ponds are so quintessentially Canadian, they make it on travel and tourism posters. As newcomers to Canada, we signed up our sons for baseball, hockey and guitar lessons. We were clueless about the sports, but eager to integrate. We may not know one base from another but our sons would. At least anecdotally, newcomers today are signing their kids up for cricket and tabla lessons. Not because they are “less Canadian” than those who came before them, but because those options are available now.

But does this translate to lower support for hockey?

According to the article, in 2021, Angus Reid reported that 62 per cent of Canadians felt a connection to hockey. In a 2022 Environics survey, 74 per cent of respondents felt hockey was important to Canadian identity, with – wait for this – more support amongst those from racialized backgrounds than not. So what is behind the year-over-year decline of nearly 8 per cent in the number of kids enrolling in hockey from 2021 to 2023?

Cost is one major factor, the article reveals, underscoring the value of shared experience and common identity which are so greatly needed.

Grant’s Desi Achiever Harnarayan Singh is responsible for popularizing the sport among desis with Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi. His efforts, lauded by most, met with opposition in some quarters. Why couldn’t everyone just learn English? Canada is a unique country with people from all over the world who speak different languages, come from different cultures, says Singh. “We need to find avenues to bring people together and this is one such avenue. So many more young people are now playing in minor hockey leagues and attribute it to the show. We’re not taking anything away, we’re contributing to the sport.”

And what of the burgeoning numbers of cricket players? On summer weekends, young men and women in white are a common sight in many city parks. Brampton has dedicated public pitches for the sport.

But again, if enough Canadians play cricket, doesn’t that make it a “Canadian” sport? 

New Zealand celebrates Rachin Ravindra as its star batsman.

My hope is that the hand wringing will be replaced by seeing it as a wonderful case of the more the merrier. After all, Leafs’, Blue Jays’ and Raptors’ fans are all equally Canadian. And for the record, cricket was first played in Canada in 1785. The first indoor game of ice hockey, which was developed in Canada, was played in 1875. Just saying.

Happy Canada Day!

Shagorika Easwar