FEW THINGS BRING people together like sporting activity. When West Indies cricket is on top we rejoice across the Caribbean. When Usain Bolt flogs the field in both the 100 metres and 200 metres we are ecstatic. Lewis Hamilton has Caribbean roots so when he wins in Formula One we are all overjoyed.
Even when it is not a Caribbean team or personality, we are strong in our support and loyalty. So Barbadians, Jamaicans, Grenadians, Trinis, Guyanese, Vincentians, “all uh we” line up behind Chelsea, Manchester United or City, or Barcelona or Real Madrid in football. The same thing applies in basketball whether it is the Heat or Bulls or for Serena Williams or [Rafael] Nadal in tennis.
Sport attracts people like a magnet. Race and class issues often disappear when it comes to sport. Of course you will have people enjoying certain privileges not available to the majority; the private boxes whether at cricket, basketball or even polo, a sport now attracting a new class of Bajans. Yes, sport can unite us.
This unity was very evident on April 3 when the West Indies cricket teams, men and women, pulled off those thrilling victories in the World T20 in India. The outcomes were the kind of joyous event we all wanted all across the Caribbean.
The winning ways of our teams took the spotlight away from the many troubling events evident in almost every island and on mainland Guyana.
Take the skyrocketing number of murders in Trinidad that are as worrisome to people across this region as it clearly must be to the residents of the twin-island republic. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi have a big problem on their hands. The economic woes caused by the drop in oil revenues, only makes a bad situation in T&T worse.
As the West Indian players were beating ball, many Barbadians were still with their mouths open after hearing or reading about the latest downgrade the island received from Moody’s, the international rating agency.
It may not be a big thing to most Bajans, but for businesses, which must maintain a rating grade when doing business with international clientele, well, it is a crucial situation. Well, it is true that junk is junk and not much can change.
And even as the celebrations of the two T20 teams’ successes, the uncertainty grew about the proposed Cahill waste-to-energy project at Vaucluse, St Thomas. Time will tell with both the downgrades and Cahill.
The cherished West Indies victories allowed the Guyanese to take their minds at least briefly away from what really went wrong with that recent devastating prison fire there which claimed so many lives, and the political intrigue that followed the recent local government elections. Sharing the fatted calf following a political victory is always intriguing and can create divisions amongst friends far less those in a marriage of convenience.
To create more confusion was the real last-class welcome home for the two Guyanese female players Tremayne Smartt and Shemaine Campbelle. It was a big disgrace to see these two players greeted by two officials while their colleagues in every other territory got a welcome fit for the queens they are. To save grace, a post-event reception is being planned. 
The Jamaicans are obviously bowled over by Stefanie Taylor’s leadership of the female players and the courageous innings from Marlon Samuels that they displayed some initial parochialism. Perhaps, this was caused by the frustration surrounding the delay in delivery of the promised tax relief for many at the bottom of the economic ladder. After all it seems as if that big election promise may not be so easily kept and people are vex while the politicians point fingers.
In St Lucia, with real crime problems, including a serial rapist on the prowl, and where a general election is due soon, it was a golden opportunity to big-up the men’s captain, Darren Sammy.
Just so, the Beausejour Cricket Ground was renamed in his honour. Thankfully, Johnson Charles also gets a pick with his name on a stand.
This entire episode of jubilation over our cricketers’ exploits was clearly a good distraction from the many problems. But, the challenge is to ensure the thrill of victory is not short-lived and that the other problems, the bigger ones, including those related to cricket, both on and off the field are resolved.
We need to get on top of the 50-over version as well as to winning ways in Test cricket. This means we must blood new talent and be a disciplined outfit if West Indies cricket is to remain a unique brand such as champagne or Roquefort cheese of France or Georgian wine. After all the merriment we must ensure we have a corps of young cricketers on the horizon ready for the major league.
So we want the long running disputes between cricketers and administrators resolved if we are to be seen as a truly united force. The situation must be such that neither the players nor the board officials should be lambasting each other publicly, while all our players must be so smooth and adept at public speaking that whenever and wherever they open their mouths, we will pleased.
The players themselves must be united so the West Indies Players Association must be a vibrant body with the leaders being people competent and capable of negotiating contracts and image and other rights expected in modern collective sporting agreements.
The dispute between the regional administrative body, the West Indies Cricket Board, and the regional heads of government must also be resolved with the administrators needing to appreciate that they must also be accountable.
Yes, we need to rally around West Indies cricket. As individual societies and a region we need to do much more and much better because we simply have too many gaping openings.