On Monday, I had breakfast with Adam Goodes. Me and a couple of hundred other people he doesn’t know.
Listening to him in conversation with Adam Spencer, I was glad I hadn’t chosen a career in Aussie Rules, or any professional sport, with all the training and the injuries and the diet and the rigid regime. Not to mention the ice baths.
As a two-time Brownlow Medallist, Goodes is very good at his job. One of the best. No doubt he’d love to just get on with that job. But circumstances demand otherwise.
The discussion inevitably turned to that bleak moment almost a year ago when a 13-year-old girl called the Sydney Swan an ape. And of how, just a few days later, his friendship with Eddie McGuire ended over some poorly chosen words suggesting Goodes could promote the King Kong musical.
“Friends don’t say those kind of things,” Goodes said.
It can’t be easy to keep rehashing these episodes for audiences such as ours. You could understand if he wanted to lash out like a frustrated Bondi billionaire.
But Goodes has chosen a more dignified path.
For all the terrific things he does on and off the field, it is in the way he has tackled the pernicious thought-bubble of racism that has seen him rise to greatness, and part of the package that made him Australian of the Year.
Racism makes idiots of some and reluctant heroes of others. In the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen plenty of both.
Exhibit A In the idiots corner is David Campayo, a Villareal football fan who threw a banana at Brazilian international Dani Alves as he lined up for a corner.
Alves picked up the banana, peeled it, took a bite, discarded the skin and kicked the ball. He turned ridicule into a snack. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he later called for leniency towards Campayo, who faces jail time, saying, “I don’t believe in paying evil with evil.”
When club and country teammate Neymar posted a photo on Instagram of he and his son holding bananas under the heading ‘We Are All Monkeys’, it sparked a global stampede to the fruit shop and a string of copycat selfies. One girl who didn’t quite get it took a picture of herself with a yellow dildo. Maybe she was being ironic. And maybe I’m giving her too much credit.
Back in the idiots corner, Los Angeles Clippers owner (at the time of writing) Donald Sterling is our Exhibit B. Banned from the NBA for life after telling his girlfriend not to associate with black people or bring them to games, did he take the time to reflect and chow down on a big bowl of contrition soup? Hell, no.
“I wish I had just paid her off,” he said, more concerned his sweet had leaked the tape than for any offensive content it might contain. Meanwhile, Sterling’s wife sits at home playing ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ on a continuous loop.
While we can, and should, lament ongoing incidents of racism, we should also grab the opportunity they present to shine a light in dark places, as Goodes has done, as Alves has done, as Neymar has done, as Sterling’s players have done, as the NBA has done.
We may never eradicate racism. But thanks to the efforts of these guys, we know a lot more about it and the harm it causes. Their example empowers them. It empowers us all.
Damien
Guest
Evolution is only fact if you believe the assumptions, speculation and excuses it is based upon. There is not one single "proof" that isn't based upon the original assumption that evolution is a fact.
Bayman
Guest
Agreed.
Shmick
Guest
That's an alarmist comment if I've ever read one.
Knoxy
Guest
To be fair to Goodes, he wasn't the one pointing the cameras at the girl as she was being walked out of the stadium, nor did he plaster her face all over the newspapers the following day. He just pointed her out to security when she made what he interpreted to be a racial insult. After speaking to her and accepting her apology, he then came out and told everyone to leave her alone. I don't think the girl meant to racially abuse him but Goodes didn't know that when he heard the insult.
Axle an the guru
Guest
Evolution is a fact Damian unless you really think we all came from Adam and Eve.
Aransan
Guest
In the context of what happened that week the best that can be said of McGuire's comment was that it was silly and greatly diminished a really good message from Adam Goodes.
Tad
Roar Rookie
I did post something that was moderated, but google 'LeBron James and Gisele vogue cover King Kong'. Perhaps this was what Eddie was alluding to, i can see some people taking offence, but i can see many more ( grown ups) seeing way past that.
Tad
Roar Rookie
I dont think Eddie is a racist by any stretch, if Goodes did something similar to this what would you say?, and perhaps he would be a good candidate for this shot. http://thestartingfive.net/2008/03/28/lebron-james-and-gisele-bundchen-vogue-cover-causes-racial-stirand-no-one-understands-why/
Cat
Roar Guru
stupid, just stupid.
alicesprings
Guest
ha..what the??
alicesprings
Guest
Well said.
DJW
Guest
Goodes should of used his position of Australian of the year much better IMHO. If he is really against racism he should be trying to bring all Australians together regardless of heritage, race, religion etc as one Australian. Yet recently whenever he comes out it's all "them" and "us" and "my people". All this does in cause Aboriginal people to see themselves as against the rest. Surely the goal is to have every Australian equal not divided.
Bryan
Guest
All this discrimination of any type is childish You can not legislate against it. It should be treated as it was after the second world war when there were heaps of people who were called names and wore them with pride because they worked and became a credit to this country Its a pity that those who complain are basically encouraging the problem suggested cure get over it and become a true Australian and you should be accepted by the majority Further the minority do not matter
Ret
Guest
A bit depressed after reading many of these comments. It seems whenever a sportsperson complains about racism, they suffer a backlash. Goodes was the victim here, not the perpetrator.
Aransan
Guest
Brendon, your comment might have made some sense if racism didn't exist. The point is that it does and to call an indigenous person an ape won't be taken by them as just an observation on their appearance. The more we know, the more we realise we don't know. If we don't know much we think we know everything. Is it better to just leave people in their state of ignorance?
Aransan
Guest
I accept that the girl may not have known the meaning of what she said but it did need to be explained to her what the meaning was. The unfortunate aspect is that it always seems to be the Collingwood football club involved dating back to Nicky Winmar and subsequently Michael Long. Two further instances in one week from the same club suggests that there may still be a problem. I am sure Adam Goodes did feel discomfort about the whole situation, obviously personally in the first instance and then subsequently with regard to the young girl and he did as much as possible to mitigate the situation. It all unravelled with the silly comment from McGuire.
Ringo
Guest
Well said Brendan and shifty, he does have monkey like features, and who can tell me they have never made a derogatory comment about a player from the opposing team??
Brendon the 1st
Guest
The bloke does look a bit like a Monkey though, nothing to do with colour at all, I have big ears and am often called a wingnut, my best mate has red hair and is called a ranga, I know another person we call a rat and also someone we call horse because of his enormous head. Without knowing what that little girl really meant by calling goodes an ape, then to pass judgement is precious. I guess that's the society we live in though, people like to throw stones and feign indignity, perhaps it's as much of a reflection on the people that seem to get off at vilifying a young girl as anything else.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Jack I don't disagree with that as a general proposition, but in this particular instance, it remains unclear whether the girl in question truly understood the meaning of what she said. That being the case, it's debateable whether frog-marching a 13 year old out of the ground in such a public manner is an acceptable response. I'd say that both Adam Goodes and the AFL would have felt a bit of discomfort afterwards about the whole situation.
Gyfox
Guest
How would he know who it was? It was a voice from the crowd uttering something you expect from a 25 year old bogan. It was only after he pointed that the culprit turned out to be a kid, not her mother. Goodes' remarks afterwards showed he was concerned for her & being so young. He was as shocked as we were.