Major brands and sports codes endorse statement condemning booing of Adam Goodes
A joint statement backed by a huge cross section of Australian brands and businesses has called for renewed efforts to stamp out racism in sport and in everyday life on the back of the abuse suffered by AFL star Adam Goodes.
More than 150 companies including Twitter Australia, Qantas, NAB and Lendlease and sports codes including Football Federation Australia (FFA), Cricket Australia, NRL and Netball Australia have shown their support for the message released today by ANTaR.
The call for action follows the much publicised booing of Sydney Swans player and former Australian of the Year Goodes during the West Coast Eagles match last weekend.
Separately Nick Cleaver, the CEO of full-service agency 303Lowe, is behind a campaign to get Sydney Swans fans to turn their back at half time in Saturday’s match at the SCG in a show of support for Goodes. The agency will be handing out 10,000 leaflets prior to the game against Adelaide Crows to promote the action.
National advocacy organisation, which focuses on the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, said it had witnessed the poor treatment of dual Brownlow medallist Goodes “for too long”.
In the 500 word statement, ANTaR said: “Today in advance of the weekend round of AFL, 150 organisations join together to call for renewed efforts to stamp out racism in sport and everyday life.
“The booing, which has snowballed out of control this year since Goodes proudly displayed his culture during the AFL Indigenous Round, appears to be in large part racially motivated.”
It goes on to state that Goodes is an “outstanding Australian” and that he should be celebrated for taking a “courageous stance” against racism.
The statement says the actions cannot be dismissed as “banter”, and added there are far-reaching health impacts on people who are victims.
In what is a clear show of support for Goodes and the struggles against racism across many sectors of society, the statement concludes: “Australia must and can be better than this.”
Kevin Bradford
The statement in full:
Following the weekend’s events when prominent Aboriginal AFL player and former Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes was booed at every turn during the Swans v West Coast Eagles AFL match.
Today in advance of the weekend round of AFL, 150 organisations (listed overleaf) join together to call for renewed efforts to stamp out racism in sport and everyday life.
For too long, we have witnessed the poor treatment of Sydney Swans star and dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes at the hands of fans during AFL matches. A proud Ambassador of the “Racism. It Stops with Me” Campaign, Goodes is a strong advocate for standing up against racism and for issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The booing, which has snowballed out of control this year since Goodes proudly displayed his culture during the AFL Indigenous Round, appears to be in large part racially motivated.
Adam Goodes is an outstanding Australian and should be commended for displaying a culture all Australians should celebrate and be proud of, and for taking a courageous stance against racism. The behaviour of the crowd that booed him is absolutely unacceptable and must stop.
To dismiss claims of racism as just banter is to use football as a shield for prejudice. Legitimate barracking for one’s team is a tradition that has been alive as long as the game itself but, when such behaviour coincides with cultural displays and Goodes’ efforts to stop racism, it is clear that a line has been crossed to racial abuse.
To suggest that this kind of behaviour does not have an effect is to deny the evidence about the known health impacts of racism. These are not diminished simply because the person being subjected to racial abuse is an elite athlete. It is deeply disturbing that this kind of racism may influence whether a player decides to take the field for one match or is forced out of the game for good.
If this isn’t stamped out, then we must ask what message this sends to future generations of Australians about the forms of behaviour that we find acceptable in this country. And what message does it send to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about their culture, and what they can expect should they want to excel in sport or other fields.
It is a great stain on our nation that the experience of Adam Goodes is the lived experience of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and there is ample evidence that demonstrates the negative impact on mental and physical health, as well as life opportunities.
Racism has no place in Australian sport or our society at large. We commend the actions that have been taken inside and out of the AFL, but call on all sports and sporting clubs to develop coherent and far reaching strategies in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people to stamp out racism in sport.
As a starting point, codes and clubs should encourage members and supporters to join the ‘Racism: It Stops with Me’ campaign at https://itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au(link is external)
Australia must and can be better than this.
This statement is supported by the following organisations:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda – Australian Human Rights Commission
Aboriginal Disability Network NSW
Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Services
Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of New South Wales
Advocacy Tasmania
Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation
All Together Now
Amnesty International
ANECSYS
ANTaR
Arab Council Australia
Arnold Bloch Leibler
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council
Australian College of Midwives
Australian Council of Social Services
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
Australian Football League Players Association
Australian Hellenic Council
Australian Human Rights Centre, UNSW.
Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association
Australian Indigenous Psychologist Association (AIPA)
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
Australian Medical Association (AMA)
Australian Physiotherapy Association
Australian Student & Novice Nurse Association
B’nai Brith Anti-Defamation Commission
Bisexual Alliance Victoria
Bond University
Catholic Education South Australia
Centacare South West NSW
Centre for Multicultural Youth
Chinese Australian Forum (CAF)
Coleman Rail
Commission for Equal Opportunity South Australia
Commissioner for Children and Young People Victoria
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Communication Rights Australia
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport
Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Craig Edmonds Consulting Services
CRANAplus
Cricket Australia
Deaths in Custody Watch Committee Inc WA
Disability Discrimination Legal Services
Diversity Council of Australia
Eastern Community Legal Centre
Edith Cowan University
Executive Council of Australian Jewry
Family Worker Training and Development Programme
Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA)
Federation University
First Peoples Disability Network (Australia)
Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre
Flinders University
Football Federation Australia (FFA)
Goldfields Land and Sea Council
Healing Foundation
Human Rights Council of Australia
Human Rights Law Centre
Indigenous Allied Health Australia
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, UTS
Justice Connect
Know the Game
KPMG
Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation
Lendlease
Liberty Victoria
Marrickville Council
Melbourne High School
Menzies School of Health Research
Mildura Rural City Council
Misschu
Muru Marri, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Australia
Naracoorte Lucindale Council
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership in Mental Health
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Health Worker Association
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (NACCHO)
National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Association
National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Physiotherapists
National Association of Community Legal Centres
National Australia Bank
National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE)
National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples
National Native Title Council
National Rugby League (NRL)
Netball Australia – Julia Symons
Northside Community Service Association
NSW Aboriginal Land Council
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
OCTEC
Office of the Lord Mayor, City of Sydney
Oxfam Australia
People with Disability Australia Incorporated
Play by the Rules
Podmore Foundation
Professor Tom Calma AO – founding Chair of the Close the Gap Campaign
Public Health Association of Australia
Public Transport Ombudsman VIC
QANTAS
Queensland Anti Discrimination Commission
Queensland Association of Independent Legal Services (QAIL)
Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Tim Soutphommasane –
Australian Human Rights Commission
Randwick City Council
Recognise
Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation South Australia
Red Dust Role Models
Refugee & Immigration Legal Centre
Refugee Council of Australia
Richmond Football Club
Save the Children
SBS
SCALES Community Legal Centre
Scanlon Foundation
Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care
Settlement Services International
Shire of Katanning
Sisters Inside
Skilled Migrant Professionals
So Change Inc
Softball Australia
St Vincent de Paul Society
Table Tennis Australia
TCL Drilling Australia
The Armenian National Committee of Australia
The Bridge of Hope Foundation Inc
The Castan Centre – Monash University
The Challenging Racism Project, University of Western Sydney
The Chinese Australian Services Society Ltd (CASSGroup)
The Construction Training Centre Qld
The Fred Hollows Foundation
The Lowitja Institute
The National Welfare Rights Network
The Passion of Purpose Group
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
Transgender Victoria
Twitter Australia
Unions NSW
Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress
Uniting Church In Australia
University of South Australia –
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
Victorian College of the Arts
Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture
Walpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation
Welcoming Intercultural Neighbours
Whyndam Community and Education Centre
Wilin Centre
Wirrpanda Foundation
Women in Prison Advocacy Network (WIPAN)
Women’s Legal Services NSW
Yarraville Community Centre
YWCA
A cluster of privileged, inner-city bourgeois Lefties, who are rich enough to not be affected by anything they advocate, are buying into a nonsense non-issue, using their employer’s funds. It will fail.
Brands and organisations listed above are in it for the money and influence, and nothing else – everyone knows that.
Goodes is a fine footballer. He tried to build his personal brand by using race politics as a wedge. A pretty cheap and nasty tactic, unworthy of him. Clearly, people with vested interests have influenced him with poor advice. Now his “brand” is seriously damaged.
The footy fans saw straight through the ruse, and let him know it.
In the same breath they cheer and roar approval for all other players of Aboriginal background.
So where does this end? If they boo someone or Irish descent, it’s racist too?
Do European opera fans who love to boo their disapproval need to check the racial background of everybody on stage?
Is booing to be banned by the PC Police?
Everyone needs to get over themselves, leave their pretentious, ostentatious virtue at the door, and get back to enjoying sport.
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Nice work to everybody involved.
Nick and 303, well done and take care.
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Mike: Nonsense.
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MIke… If it is a “non issue” – why do you care? Why did you write this?… What are you contributing to society? The Right to Boo? … congratulations. You’re winning.
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^^ wow so much hate.
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This one has me stumped. I understand the ‘turning your back on racism’ marketing direction but isn’t a whole supporter crowd turning their backs towards the field considered a show of disrespect and contempt by the supporters for what’s happening on the field?
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So these companies promote grown men using a 13 year old girl as their own personal vilifcation to supposed racism? They cry over generic words used by white man, yet feel free of any negative emotions when they use those same words amongst and about themselves? Adam Goodes is a decent man, however, he is a product of supporting reverse racism….and companies support that? Adam Goodes needs to be educated about racism…..it is treating everyone equally, so what is good for him and ‘his people’, as such, is good enough for the rest of us! Or does racism only work, if a non white states it is so?
And as for the booing…..get it right….if anything…it is bullying, not racism! Although bad sportmanship comes under the heading of ‘right to show disgust’, which has been around since ancient times.. Adam has been taught to feel ‘gutted’ if a white person says ‘ape’ to him….God only knows why….try teaching him to stand tall and be proud of who he is, without trying to race beat people into respecting him….he has the respect for who he is, not what race he is…..if I only had respect for him because of his race, I would, indeed be racist!
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@Mike – in footy, crowds boo a player when they do something perceived to be unfair (like a cheap head high shot on an opponent), or because they want to put a player off (lining up for a kick at goal), or think they are unsportsmanlike (like taking a dive to get a free kick), or because they switched teams (like how Hawthorn boo their ex-player Buddy Franklin). This is all part of a footy atmosphere, and the booing goes for about 10seconds at a time, or perhaps till the end of that game in the case of a cheap high shot.
The mass booing of Adam Goodes falls into none of these categories. He gets booed just for touching the ball. Tell me any player, in any sport, anywhere, who gets that sort of relentless treatment.
Some FACTS on this issue, for you to digest:
* Adam Goodes has been playing AFL for around 18 years.
* For about 16 years, he was just another player going around
* No mass booing of Adam Goodes occured for these 16 years.
* The mass crowd booing started – immediately AFTER he pointed out a racist comment from a girl in the crowd
* The mass crowd booing has continued ever since.
* There are no other instances of mass booing of any player, ever that extends over matches and seasons.
This is not about banning people’s right to boo at the footy. This is not political correctness gone mad, as you believe.
This is about respect for a fellow human being, who is being bullied by the continous mass crowd booing every time he touches the ball. It is clearly affecting him, and a decent thing to do would be to stop contributing to the mass booing.
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It’s all goode
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Mike, So Goodes is called an Ape and calls out the person in the crowd. He shows great empathy to that person nevertheless, like the true sportsman and gentleman that he is. Then, at another game where booing (mainly because white, rich influential bigots have influenced the mob to do so, via their media and broadcasts), oh and more racist remarks, Goodes displays an indigenous war dance, after scoring a goal. Mike, you say Goodes is using ‘race politics’ to define his brand?
Mike, Adam Goodes is on the receiving end of what Australia’s indigenous have been on ever since white Europeans arrived. Continually ostricised by influential bigots. Mike, I can’t comment on how influential you are, however you are racist. If you cannot see that Goodes is one of the good guys, then the propaganda machine has worked wonders on you.
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“Goodes is a fine footballer. He tried to build his personal brand by using race politics as a wedge. A pretty cheap and nasty tactic, unworthy of him.”
Oh, I see. So Goodes is doing all this for his personal brand? He’s not doing it because he recognises racism and wants to make a positive difference in the world?
Corporates bandwagoning the issue, may well be “A cluster of privileged, inner-city bourgeois Lefties”, but you’re [edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
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There is still a debate out there as to whether the booing was racist or not. It’s certainly not a done deal that the targeting of Goodes is racist, although that certainly arguable. Given that, should SBS as a taxpayer funded broadcaster be taking a position on this? The statement goes beyond just condemning racism, it is stating as a fact that the crowd’s actions were racist. The latter is a matter of controversy.
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The crowd’s own chosen show of support — a standing ovation in the 7th minute of the 3rd quarter — was a 1000x more positive and authentic than 303Lowe’s odious “turn your backs on the Auskick kids at half time” campaign. But the pamphlets made great paper planes, so cheers for that.
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Thanks Steven – you’ve just summed up exactly what I wanted to say but couldn’t articulate!
Turn your back on the halftime entertainment to show support for Goodes? Huh?
This was a nonsensical and embarrassing protest idea.
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Steven, you are pretty much spot on.
I arrived shortly before the bounce and had received the “Turn Your Back on Racism” flyer outside the ground. I thought it odd, but thought it good that action had being organised.
At half time we stood with our backs to the field then thought … what next. A bit of a let-down.
Then 7 minutes into the third quarter there was this noise building. I thought something was happening out on the ground, but couldn’t see what it was.
Having arrived pretty late I had no idea about the #37 campaign for the third quarter and the seventh minute. Then it clicked – it was a show of support for Goodesy. Many around me hadn’t heard about it either (I think it was just one guy and handmade placard), so I stood up was yelling to those around me out “Stand Up, Stand Up and show your support”. To see and hear 38,000+ people standing and applauding Adam Goodes was pretty spine-tingling. Seriously, it was up there with 2005 and 2012.
So maybe lessons have been learnt. Maybe things may change a little quicker. One can only hope.
Then we get comments like Mike and DA’s. 469 years ago John Heyward wrote “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” How prescient that all those years later Mike and DA demonstrate just how right Heyward was. Mike, you must really miss the days when you could not only boo, bully and abuse, but also throw your beer bottles and cans.
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