Well done Ben Dunk for not following team to support the BLM movement

Hats off to cricketer Ben Dunk for taking a stand. It’s about time we left politics out of sport, argues Sophie Elsworth.

Hats off to cricketer Ben Dunk.

He refused to follow the mob and take a knee alongside his fellow teammates who publicly threw their support behind an on field Black Lives Matter stance.

It would be interesting to know if the Melbourne Stars players who did get down on one knee actually understood what the divisive and radical movement BLM stood for.

They’ve made headlines globally, led by race-baiting activists who want to defund the police and end capitalism.

It must be questioned whether some of the players did bend a knee simply because they bowed to peer pressure.

What 33-year-old Dunk did took courage.

The players at last week’s Big Bash match were given the option to either take a knee or stand and remove their cap to show respect for their teammates who did choose to protest.

It was the Stars’ wicketkeeper who did the latter and it certainly raised some eyebrows.

And Dunk didn’t just stay standing once, he did it twice within 24 hours.

Dunk stood tall at a second Big Bash match where again players got down on one knee.

But what would have been better is if politics could be left out of sport.

Since the inception of the Big Bash League back in 2011 I’ve loved heading to the cricket to watch the fast-paced nature of 20/20 under lights which comes with some great on field entertainment that gets crowds buzzing.

A Yes sign is posted in front of the AFL logo outside their headquarters in Melbourne, Wednesday September 20, 2017. The AFL threws its weight behind the pro-gay marriage campaign.

I’ve spent many hours watching my beloved Brisbane Heat over the years but can the cricketers resist the urge to become political activists and stick to playing cricket?

Sport is the one place many people can go without having activism shoved down their throats.

It used to be almost guaranteed a spectator could go to any footy, cricket or tennis match and not have some sort of social justice lecture or form of virtue-signalling taking over.

Back in 2017 controversial football identity Sam Newman slammed the AFL for taking a stance over same-sex marriage.

The AFL changed its logo outside its Melbourne headquarters to “Yes” to show their support of same-sex marriage – a topic that caused contentious debate.

Newman said the AFL had “no right” to get involved in political messaging and try and tell footy fans what to vote for.

And he was right on the money.

Sporting codes and organisations should leave their political persuasions out of sport’s great games, let people make their own minds up.

Many fans want to be able to enjoy a wonderful game of live sport – whichever code it is – without politics coming into play.

@sophieelsworth