Ross Taylor claimed that he and some other New Zealand players were casualties of racism in New Zealand cricket. In his autobiography, Black and White, Taylor composed that the game in New Zealand was a ‘pretty white sport’.
Ross Taylor claimed that he and some other New Zealand players were casualties of racism in New Zealand cricket. In his autobiography, Black and White, Taylor composed that the game in New Zealand was a ‘pretty white sport’.
“Cricket in New Zealand is a pretty white sport,”
Taylor wrote in his book, an extract from which was published by the New Zealand Herald.
“For much of my career, I’ve been an anomaly, a brown face in a vanilla line-up. That has its challenges, many of which aren’t readily apparent to your teammates or the cricketing public. Given that the Polynesian community is dramatically under-represented in the game, it’s probably no surprise that people sometimes assume I’m Maori or Indian.”
Taylor, who resigned from international cricket earlier in the year in April after 16 years, has a Samoan legacy from his mom’s side. He further added that it was without a doubt considered ‘banter’.
“In many ways, dressing-room banter is the barometer. A team-mate used to tell me, ‘You’re half a good guy, Ross, but which half is good? You don’t know what I’m referring to.’ I was pretty sure I did. Other players also had to put up with comments that dwelt on their ethnicity.
“In all probability, a Pakeha [white New Zealander] listening to those sorts of comments would think, ‘Oh, that’s okay, it’s just a bit of banter.’ But he’s hearing it as a white person and it’s not directed at people like him. So, there’s no pushback; no one corrects them. Then the onus falls on the targets.
“You wonder if you should pull them up but worry that you’ll create a bigger problem or be accused of playing the race card by inflating harmless banter into racism. It’s easier to develop a thick skin and let it slide, but is that the right thing to do?”
Subsequently, NZC told the New Zealand Herald:
“NZC deplores racism, is a staunch supporter of the NZ Human Rights Commission’s ‘Give Nothing to Racism campaign, and is deeply disappointed Ross has been exposed to this type of behavior. We’ll reach out to Ross to discuss the matter.”