Research reveals there can be a ‘positive’ aspect to some jokes but there needs to be more education to eradicate bullying
Of all the distressing stories to emerge from the racism scandal at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, one of the most shocking was an independent panel found the repeated use of the P-word against Azeem Rafiq was delivered “in the spirit of friendly banter”. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. “It’s just banter,” has long been a get-out-of-jail-free card to excuse laddism, sexism and much else besides. Yet speak to anyone in sport, and they stress that it is also vital for bonding and team-building.
The question is: when does banter cross the line into bullying? On the surface, it doesn’t sound that complicated. When Gary Ballance admitted he had used racist language towards Rafiq during their time as teammates, but said it was a feature of their “friendly” two-way verbals, few supported him. On the other end of the spectrum, few would take offence at a mild joke about, say, missing a full toss while batting. However two recent academic studies into banter in British sport suggest the terrain in the middle can be more complex to navigate than many think.
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