Race relations, Indigenous Australia and the social impact of professional Australian football

Abstract

We consider how Indigenous athletes have become symbols of what is perceived by white Australia to be progressive race relations. In particular, the men's professional sports of Australian football and Rugby League draw the most heavily mediated attention as well as significant numbers of Indigenous players. We draw upon the narratives of key advocates of Indigenous participation and performance in professional Australian football: journalists and recruiting managers. The emergent theme of white privilege is used to examine how their advocacy of Indigenous performance masks shortcomings in access and opportunity beyond playing roles. We conclude with the idea that race relations progress fulfils the needs of white Australia but fails to sufficiently deliver genuine opportunity for Indigenous Australian participants.

Notes

¹ Herald Sun, May 24, 2002, 108.

² Demetriou, ‘Above and Beyond’.

³ P. Smith, ‘Sodden League dries out as AFL expands’. The Australian, March 21, 2009. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25217464-12270,00.html.

⁴ Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The Beautiful Game’, 4.

⁵ Hall, ‘The Whites of Their Eyes’; Jhally and Lewis, Enlightened Racism.

⁶ Australian Bureau of Statistics. It should be noted that here is considerable discussion concerning the meanings of these figures. For example, Spaaij and Westerbeek have noted that a person only needs to play sport once during the 12 months prior to interview to be included in the participants category. Spaaij and Westerbeek, ‘A Healthy Active Australia?’

⁷ Godwell, ‘Playing the Game’.

⁸ For extensive discussion and analysis see Hallinan, Bruce and Coram, ‘Up Front and Beyond the Centre Line’; Hallinan, ‘Aborigines and Positional Segregation’; Tatz, Obstacle Race; Coram, ‘Race Formations’; Hallinan and Judd, ‘“Blackfellas” Basketball’; Judd and Hallinan, ‘Hoop Dreams’; Bruce and Hallinan, ‘Cathy Freeman’.

⁹ Mulvaney, Australian Aboriginal Prehistory.

¹⁰ Chesterman and Galligan, Citizens Without Right; Broome, Aboriginal Australians; Broome, Aboriginal Victorians.

¹¹ Australian Bureau of Statistics, Online Resources.

¹² Australian Bureau of Statistics, Online Resources

¹³ Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council, Online Resources.

¹⁴ Langton, ‘Well, I Heard it on the Radio’.

¹⁵ Attwood and Arnold, Power, Knowledge and Aborigines.

¹⁶ Hallinan, Bruce and Coram, ‘Up Front and Beyond the Centre Line’.

¹⁷ Turner, ‘Media Texts and Messages’, 203.

¹⁸ Phil Mercer, BBC Sport Online, 19 August 2001.

¹⁹ Hand, ‘Sheedy Shoots Down Idea of Indigenous AFL Club’.

²⁰ Interview data.

²¹ Michael Long's position as the AFL's manager for Indigenous development is a notable exception. However, in this role there is relatively little power in decision making of the AFL. Chris Johnson is an assistant coach for Brisbane. There are approximately 150 assistant coaches in the AFL.

²² Hall, ‘The Whites of Their Gyes’.

²³ Interview data.

²⁴ Ibid.

²⁵ Ibid.

²⁶ H. Heard, ‘Police Reach Out To Youth on Melbourne River’. Melbourne Leader, February 10, 2009, 12.

²⁷ Bonilla-Silva, Racism Without Racists.

²⁸ St Louis, ‘Sport, Genetics’.

²⁹ Johnston, Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody .

³⁰ M. Sheahen, ‘Perkins Looks a Right Charlie Now’. Herald Sun, May 25, 2000, 65.

³¹ M. Sheahan, ‘Perkins Looks a Right Charlie Now’. Herald Sun, May 25, 2000, 65.

³² Hand, ‘Sheedy Shoots Down’.

³³ C. Munro, ‘No Chance for ‘our’ own Team Without Sheedy’. National Indigenous Times, July 23, 2008, 20.