Some athletes are able to be bigger and more interesting than the sport they happen to play. Ultimately, you don’t even need to understand the game to realize their talent. In that sense, Stuart Broad transcends cricket. And that makes his recent retirement announcement all the more sad.
The first time I watched cricket was at a random pub in Croatia during my Semester at Sea experience. It was 2009 and I had no clue as to what I was unfolding on the television. Part of that was due to the sport’s unintuitive nature and part was because of the general chaos of being a college student in Dubrovnik during the summer.
Despite this, it was impossible to be impressed by Stuart Broad who transcended the cricket match being played. This was, of course, the second day of the 2009 Ashes series fifth test at the Oval. He would collect five wickets in a stunning performance that left me impressed even if I didn’t fully comprehend it.
It wasn’t enough to get me into the sport. But over the course of his career, I would check up on Broad every now and again. Very few athletes can do this. Maybe a handful of golfers or tennis players over the years. The And1 Mixtape guys. But that’s about it.
What makes Broad unique isn’t simply what he does as a cricketer. It is how he does it. There is a certain amount of cheekiness in his game that makes him a must-watch athlete. Everything from jawing with the Aussies to flipping the bails is entertaining. The dude is out there simply being mischievous.
In a sport that is boring and pretentious, the Englishmen is one of a small few who makes it watchable. You know something interesting is going to happen when Broad is out there. Sure, that makes him a divisive figure. But a little controversy not involving the ball or rules that aren’t actually rules would be good for the sport.
The talent of Stuart Broad transcends cricket. It is a shame he is retiring, and it is an even greater shame the sport wasn’t able to capitalize on his presence.
