Written by The Australian Football League (AFL) has a long unfortunate history of systemic racism. Although the AFL was the first major sporting code in Australia to adopt a no-tolerance stance over racial-sledging on-field, the sport is proliferated with shameful incidences.
Australian sporting fans, it is theorized, struggle to include the indigenous figure in their vision of the archetypal Aussie hero. The core culture is Anglo-Celtic and the construct of sporting pride feeds this. In St Kilda player Nicky Winmar famously responded to hostility from the sea of white faces in the stands by exposing his chest against the not so subtle reminders that he was “…one of them rather than one of us”.
Adam Goode, one of Australian’s best, possibly the best indigenous, football players took a stand against racism in AFL after being called an “ape” by a 13-year-old spectator in 2013 and then being subjected to boos and racial slurs for years thereafter.
In 2016, Adelaide Crows superstar, Eddie Betts was also compared to a chimpanzee and had a banana tossed at him.
In 2017, a 19-year-old indigenous goal kicker in the West Australian Women’s Football League, was visibly hurt after being called “monkey” and “smelly black dog”.
In his very sensitive and responsive manner Goode declared his desire to ‘educate’ people who perhaps don’t know better and aren’t aware of the impact of the callously tossed out remarks. Sadly by 2017 he was driven out of the sport by “…an overwhelming and relentless culture of racism that the AFL failed to address”. He remains a figure of hope campaigning for a better more tolerant future.
The establishment of the Racial Discrimination Act in 1975 eased the discrimination embedded in national legislation but has done little to instill a steadfast culture of complete inclusivity and tolerance within the code and its fanbase. Beyond the public vilification too, it is rumored that indigenous players are often marginalized and excluded from leadership positions, placed instead in positions that rely solely on speed and agility.
In 2021 the “Do Better” report and subsequent campaign was commissioned by the Collingwood Football Club to address “…the culture of systemic racism” within the club. This follows claims of racial discrimination brought against the club by Heritier Lumumba dating back to 2014. Lumumba claims that there was a culture that supported racial jokes and ideals, and that he was vilified and ostracized for his disapproval of television personality and former Collingwood Club President Eddie McGuire’s racist comments about Goode. McGuire has chosen to resign following criticism of the way he handled the report and its subsequent press conference. Sports reporter Les Zig commented that; “Either he’s grown to believe he’s unfailingly right in everything he does, or he’s grown intolerant of being questioned about anything, failing to distinguish big issues from the small…. If we want to move into a better world, it’s not going to achieved by riding the prevailing attitudes of today.”
This statement epitomizes the origins of toxic cultures; the failure of leaders/managers/coaches to be mindful of their actions and the impact their behavior has on the general atmosphere of the team.
www.theroar.com.au/2021/02/18/the-fall-and-burial-of-eddie-mcguire/