Obviously, cricket is not the most popular sport in Ireland, and therefore, some background is necessary here. Quinton DeKock is not only a star cricketer – he’s easily the best player in the South African team. An explosive batsman, capable of taking the opposing team apart in the span of a few minutes, he is one of the highest paid players in the Indian Premier League, and the backbone of his national team. So, it is extraordinary, then, that he was effectively banned from playing in South Africa’s 20/20 Cricket World Cup match yesterday, against the West Indies. Why? Because he refuses to take a knee before games:
Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock made himself unavailable for South Africa’s T20 World Cup match against West Indies after refusing to take the knee.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) issued a directive before the match that all players should make the gesture.
De Kock, who has previously declined to take a knee, said in June: “My reason? I’ll keep it to myself. It’s my own, personal opinion.
“It’s everyone’s decision; no-one’s forced to do anything, not in life. That’s the way I see things.”
The CSA statement read: “All players are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup.
“After considering all relevant issues, including the freedom of choice of players, the board had made it clear it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a stand against racism, especially given SA’s history.”
Let’s consider the implications here.
First, this is an explicitly political test. The policy of South African cricket now is that you can only play for your country if you agree to make an explicitly political gesture, whether you agree with the gesture or not.
Second, this makes a mockery of the idea that “taking a knee” is a “brave stand against racism”. It is no longer anything of the sort: It is now little more than a gesture of conformity enforced ruthlessly by the authorities. Taking a knee says absolutely nothing about what a player believes, any more. It speaks only to what his club or country believes, and what the media covering the sport in question believes.
It is worth tracing the origins of taking a knee, to remember how far we have come. It was initially a protest by the NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, who refused to stand for the US National Anthem in protest at police brutality. It was an explicit protest against the US Government, fraught with reputational and career risk in a country where respect for the flag and the anthem are considered foundational. Indeed, Mr. Kaepernick lost his career over it – in the years that have followed, he has not found a new team. The protest likely cost him millions of dollars. Agree or disagree with him, he was willing to take a stand (or in this case, not stand) at personal cost.
Fast forward half a decade and nobody really knows what “taking a knee” is actually about. The most common explanation is that it is to demonstrate opposition to racism. But why is such a demonstration required? Shouldn’t it simply be the case, in 2021, that most people are simply assumed not to be racist? In any case, when the gesture is as ruthlessly enforced as it has been in this instance, it demonstrates nothing of the sort. It’s perfectly possible that all kinds of racists troop out onto professional sports pitches every week and take a knee without meaning it.
Nor is there any evidence that it accomplishes anything for the audience. Again, the basic idea is that these people are role models, and by demonstrating that they oppose racism, they are inspiring goodness in their impressionable audience. But once again, they are demonstrating nothing of the sort. The only thing that “taking a knee” now demonstrates is that your role models comply with authority, whatever that authority asks of them. No wonder, then, that it is so popular with those in power.
As for Quinton DeKock, what does he believe? We do not know, although, because of the brutality of enforcing this mandate, some will now assume him to be a racist. That’s the way this is enforced: Do it, or your character is suspect.
All of this is absolute nonsense. It is a form of religious observance, and a way for those in power to impose their will and their cultural mores in public. It accomplishes nothing, in this case, but to deprive Cricket fans of one of the best players in the World during the World Cup. As for bravery? Quinton De Kock is the one losing here. He is much closer to Colin Kaepernick than any of the sheep who troop out onto pitches to kneel down and demonstrate their compliance, every single week.