Casual racism? The not so funny side to the Australian Football League

AFL is arguably Australia’s national game and it encompasses so much of the Australian way of life. It’s known affectionately as footy to its fans, and even ‘aerial ping pong’ to his haters.

National Pride: Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles line up for the national anthem at the 2005 AFL Grand Final. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Fans are passionate about their teams. Sport borders on religion for some and in many respects it is the glue that binds Australians together. There is a feeling that politics and real life can be left on the sideline when these titans take the field.

However, last week we had a very public reminder of the dark side of our sporting culture.

Racism.

It all started when Sydney Swans Indigenous co-captain Adam Goodes ran for the ball along the boundary line in front of Collingwood supporters at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. As the television coverage shows, Goodes abruptly turned towards the crowd and repeatedly pointed at a girl on the boundary. Initially it was unclear what provoked his actions – only later was it revealed that this girl had called him an ‘ape’.

Sydney Swans co-captain Adam Goodes celebrating his 2012 Grand Final win. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

The 13 year old girl, a Collingwood supporter who was sitting next to her grandmother and siblings, was subsequently taken from her seat by security guards alone and questioned for several hours. In the aftermath, the girl’s family raised questions about her treatment by security guards.

Her mother Joanne told 3AW “it was ridiculous that she was in there for so long. For two hours they interviewed her over her saying, ‘You’re an ape.’ … It’s not as if she swore at him.”

The MCC defended its reaction with spokesman Shane Brown telling the media “once informed that the patron was a minor, the guards immediately returned to the seating bowl to locate a parent or guardian… the guards escorted her out of the seating bowl and referred her to Victoria Police for further investigation.”

Goodes was understandably upset by the incident. He held a press conference the following day and demonstrated serious remorse that the 13 year old was singled out.

He said: “She’s 13, she’s still so innocent, I don’t put any blame on her. Unfortunately it’s what she hears, the environment she’s grown up in that has made her think it’s ok to call people names… I think the person that needs the most support is the little girl, you know. People need to get around her, she’s 13, she’s uneducated.”

Goodes said the incident took him back to his high school days, where he was bullied because of his Indigenous appearance. He said: “I didn’t stand up for myself in high school, I’m a lot more confident, I’m a lot more proud about who I am and my culture, and I decided to stand up last night and I’ll continue to stand up because racism has no place in our industry, it has no place in our society.”

The girl later apologised to Goodes for her actions and he explained to her why the word ‘ape’ was so offensive to indigenous people.

You would think that would be the end of the incident… but the saga continued.

Collingwood President Eddie McGuire was praised for his swift response to the incident, visiting Adam Goodes in the Swans locker room after the game to apologise on behalf of the club and told Adam not to let this incident ruin his leadership role within the Indigenous community.

Collingwood President Eddie McGuire (right) pictured with Collingwood player Harry O’Brien, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Sports Minister Kate Lundy. Image Credit: Senator Kate Lundy/Flickr

However this praise swiftly turned against McGuire after a questionable comment on radio. Alongside serving as Collingwood President, McGuire is also a colourful radio and television host. During a segment for his breakfast program, McGuire suggested Goodes could be used to promote King Kong the musical which is set to open in Australia in the coming weeks.

Recognising his error, McGuire tried to clarify the statement on the show but the comment was seized on by the media and widely reported.

McGuire initially claimed the comment was due to exhaustion and he also argued that it was a ‘slip of the tongue.’ Ultimately McGuire offered to step down as a ‘symbolic’ gesture however his club decided to stick by their president.

By Thursday a full apology was given with McGuire admitting his comments amounted to racial vilification. McGuire said “I’m not trying to look for excuses. Did I racially vilify? No, I had a slip of the tongue. But did what I say, was it racial vilification? Yes it was.”

There is no doubt that McGuire would take back the comment if he could, however it raises important questions about the culture of racism in Australia.

The racism is not necessarily overt – in fact in may be very casual. As Collingwood player Harry O’Brien indicated the racism he felt was ‘casual’ – arguing the racial discrimination he faced “has been hidden under larrikinism.”

Collingwood Player Harry O’Brien with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and young fans. Image Credit: Senator Kate Lundy/Flickr

Yin Paradies, deputy director of Deakin University’s Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation argues contrary to popular belief racism runs deep within Australian society. Paradies said, “of course, middle-class people are better able to disguise their racism. Maybe Eddie McGuire put into words what many keep hidden deep down.”

Even if both McGuire and the 13 year old girls comments were made without deliberate racist intent, are they indicative of a racist undercurrent in the broader community? An undercurrent which seems to condone these comments as acceptable?

Tom Heenan, lecturer in sports studies at Monash University, summed it up brilliantly: “The debate over whether McGuire is racist or not can never be satisfactorily answered, as there is evidence to support both sides. But his King Kong comments do throw into clear relief the existence of a culture within the particular subset of society that is the football media where casual racism is acceptable, even funny.”