OVERRATED: Sports Records (but not always)

Sadly, Michael Clarke has given up on the long-standing record for most ridiculous cricketer's mustache. (Photo courtesy of the New York Public Library.)

 

Yes, I include this one in the book – basically saying that all the hype when someone breaks a sports record (with the help of the latest technology) is a little OTT, because it happens all the time. (It would be more of a big story if a sports record stood for years without being broken.)

Of course, there are some exceptions. Australian cricketer Michael Clarke has just broke the latest one: the highest batting score at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The previous record: Englishman Reg ‘Tip’ Foster’s 287 against the Australians in 1903. 1903!!! I won’t try to explain to those across the ocean who don’t understand cricket (mainly because I don’t understand it myself), but for those who don’t understand basic math, Clarke has just broken a 109-year-old record!

For the record, the Sydney Cricket Ground is important enough for the record to be significant. (Think of a Wimbledon record being broken in tennis.) Unlike most sports records, this one is very exciting. (Well, “exciting” in cricket terms, at least.)

, , ,