English cricket’s damning report, Wimbledon’s new digital spaces, Lego’s grown-up communities and chess photography all feature in the latest Trippant Takeaways, our weekly round-up of stories on communications trends in sport, tech, media and entertainment.
ESPNCricinfo on English cricket’s inclusion crisis
With the men’s and women’s national teams locked into Ashes series with old foes Australia, English cricket at large was this week thrown into a battle with its own demons.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket released ‘Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket’: a landmark 317-page report into the structural inequalities across race, gender and class in the game in England and Wales. It does not make for comfortable reading, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) moved to issue a full apology upon its publication.
Despite pushback from a few expected sources, many in cricket accept the need for effective, positive change. How they fare will be of interest to anyone trying to build more open communities in sport and entertainment.
The Drum on the Wimbledon Fortnite
The Championships at Wimbledon form a pillar of the English summer, as well as the pinnacle of elite tennis, and the organisers at the All-England Club are constantly seeking a balance between tradition and innovation to project a timeless quality.
This year, they are exploring digital spaces as never before, recreating the SW19 experience in the massively multiplayer gaming environments of Fortnite and Roblox — which has itself just launched a new offering targeted at those over 17 — in a bid to counter the effects of changing media consumption habits.
The Economist on an opportunity for women’s tennis
One player who will not be appearing at Wimbledon is seven-time singles champion Serena Williams. But while the American’s retirement last year left a colossal gap, there have been signs in 2023 that new rivals can emerge to regenerate the women’s game.
Reuters empties the bar at Paris 2024
Introduced in 1991, France’s Loi Evin prohibits the sale and promotion of alcohol inside sports venues. The Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics will be no different — unless, that is, you find yourself in a VIP section.
It promises to be a point of some debate, especially with the men’s Rugby World Cup having secured an exemption to the law for the autumn.
Dwell on the grown-up Lego scene
A beloved children’s toy for over 90 years, Lego has become a cultural phenomenon in the 21st century through a series of powerful licensing partnerships and media projects.
Meanwhile, building with those little plastic bricks has quietly established itself as a pastime for adults. Sales have quadrupled in the last decade to grown-up fans who have found a source of mindfulness or a quirky way to demonstrate their tastes, and that has transformed the brand’s reputation in spaces like art and architecture.
CNN on capturing moving chess
Few games can be as rich in emotion and intrigue as chess. The thing is, of course, that most of that is internal.
Photographer Maria Emelianova explains how she finds the images to express all the drama and tension.
Fast Company on the talk of Miami
Urban dialects are evolving all the time and researchers in Southern Florida have found locals combining Spanish conventions with English vocabulary in their use of language. What could that tell us about the future of communication?
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