Peter Siddle is an Australian cricketer who primarily bowled at test level for his country from 2008 to 2018. Playing internationally for Australia in any sport is a huge achievement, even more so at the country’s national sport of cricket. Another accolade for Siddle is that a vegan animal rights activist.
Having been a vegetarian since 2020, Siddle went vegan in 2013, being inspired to do so by his now wife Anna, also an animal rights activist. The two married in 2017 and ensured that their wedding day was vegan-themed, including, of course, their wedding cake.
Siddle has stated that the benefits of going vegan were quickly apparent. As for his cricket, he said:
“The difference in my recovery time and energy levels has been the biggest thing I’ve noticed. In between matches, my recovery time has been fantastic and it has improved out of sight.” [1]
Siddle is another shining example of international athletes thriving on a vegan diet, putting paid to the idea that vegans are somehow undernourished and weak. However, his improved sporting prowess was not the only factor for Siddle going vegan – he became increasingly horrified by the cruelty and exploitation of animals by the meat, dairy and egg industries.
“Animal cruelty played a huge part in my decision to go plant based. After learning a lot more about the processes of factory farming, battery hens, abattoirs etc, I realised that the meat industry was something I wanted nothing to do with…One year later the same thing happened as I learnt about the dairy industry, which I now think is probably the worst of them all. The intolerable cruelty, which is predominantly hidden from the public is disgusting.” [2]
Siddle retired from all forms of cricket in 2019. The sport has a huge global following and it is inspirational that Siddle continues to be an advocate for veganism. Definitely knocks the critics of vegan sports men and women for six!
[1] & [2:] https://www.greatveganathletes.com/peter-siddle-vegan-cricketer
