It took me a while to write about Adam Goodes.
It took me a while because I was trying to come up with a good opinion about the subject, given that opinions are, generally, regarded as an integral part of opinion pieces.
Not that I didn’t have an opinion on Adam Goodes. I had an opinion on him when he was playing – as a Swans fan it’s not hard to guess what it might’ve been. I had an opinion on him when he retired. I had an opinion on him when two different documentaries were released with him at the centre.
And I certainly had an opinion on him when it was reported he had declined induction to the AFL Hall of Fame.
Whether my opinion was interesting enough to justify an article… Well that’s a different question.
While trying to sort out my own opinions on Adam Goodes, my mind started to drift. It drifted to many times and places, but one in particular: Adelaide, 2003. The qualifying final.
That day the Swans – a scrappy young bunch of bouncy upstarts fast-forwarding their club’s rebuild – were given next to no chance against the imposing Port Power, the minor premiers who seemed destined for even greater things. On their home ground, the Power were expected to overwhelm the brave young Bloods.
But they didn’t. In fact, in the first half, Sydney absolutely brained Port. They ran over the top of them like a steam train over a stoat. The lead ballooned to over 40 points at one stage. The Power came back hard late, but the exhausted Swans hung on desperately in the final quarter to record an astounding victory.
From that day, two images stick indelibly in the mind, as strong now as they were in the moment. The first was Brett Kirk being ironed out by a fearsome bump from Byron Pickett in the centre square, and immediately bouncing back to his feet like an invincible mop.
The second was Adam Goodes being… Everywhere.
His game that day was football at a level to which few human beings can ever aspire. He flew spring-heeled in ruck contests, he leapt and dived for marks, he hurtled into contests like a reckless pinball, and came gliding out like a swallow with the ball in his hands.
He swept back to repel enemy attacks, he bobbed up in the forward line to split the defence, he flew through the midfield and bounded out of the back half to spearhead Sydney’s assault on the minor premier’s fortress.
He ran and he ran and he ran, and at game’s end, when the rest of his team was out on their feet and it seemed impossible that anyone had the energy to keep the rampaging Power at bay… He kept running.
He won the game and then he saved it and he did it all with the breathtaking grace that he brought to 372 games across 17 years.
He won the Brownlow that year, and another three years later. In 2005 he won a premiership with the Swans, and in 2012 another. He won three best-and-fairest awards, four All Australian guernseys, and a Rising Star medal. He was chosen for Victoria in 2008, and for the Indigenous Team of the Century in 2005, before his career was even half over.
His statistics are monumental: you don’t need to have seen Adam Goodes play to know that he was some kind of footballer.
But if you did see him play, ah, you were lucky. He played with such freedom, such joy. He did things small children dream of doing in their backyards. His athleticism was phenomenal, his touch with the ball sublime. That final against Port Adelaide was just one occasion when he astonished with his ability to make everyone else on the ground seem slow and dull-witted by comparison.
For 17 years he gave the AFL not just talent but commitment and love. He was preternaturally skilled, yes, but also as wholehearted as anyone could wish from a footballer. Nobody could run as far and as long as he did that day in Adelaide – and so many other days – without total and utter dedication to the game.
Football was Adam Goodes’ job. It was Adam Goodes’ art. It was Adam Goodes’ life.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Other people have, and have always had, different opinions on Adam Goodes. When he was playing, when he retired, when he starred in those docos, when he turned down the Hall of Fame, different people thought different things.
I don’t know all those people, and I don’t know for sure why they hold the opinions they do. I don’t know for sure why I hold my own opinions: it’s a dangerous game to try to read anyone else’s mind when your own is half-illegible.
But when I let my mind drift, and I see him sprinting down the SCG, ghosting through the packs, soaring over his opponents’ heads and threading the goals, I can’t help thinking our opinions don’t matter much. And I don’t want to argue with anyone whose opinion differs from mine.
All I would ask of those people is to think, like I am, about the man we watched put an unforgettable mark on the game of football. Remember the way he played, the way he threw himself into every game, the single-mindedness with which he chased excellence.
Remember him lifting his team to win games off his own boot, remember him celebrating premierships, remember him sinking to the ground, spent and shattered, after just missing out.
Think about that man, and what you saw him achieve. And now think about the fact that is the same man who has now declared the game he played for the better part of two decades holds no joy for him. He wants nothing to do with it. He doesn’t want to revel in the glory days or be celebrated for his accomplishments.
He doesn’t want to play it, he doesn’t want to watch it, he doesn’t want to think about it.
I won’t argue with your opinion on Adam Goodes. I’ll just ask you to think about that, and what it means for a man who did what he did as a player to be doing what he’s doing now.
I’ll ask you to think about what it means for all of us, and whether, when this happens, the world might not be a colder place than we always thought it was.
Swanee
Roar Rookie
You're a racist, look in the mirror and you will see a racist.
Swanee
Roar Rookie
Joel Selwood, captain of the Geelong Cats has been guilty of diving, ducking his head in order to get free kicks, and he's not the only one. He doesn't get booed, which makes me think that the booing of Adam Goodes was racism! With Shaun Burgoyne recently achieving the 400 games milestone, it brought back to me the fact that Adam Goodes should have been in that club, the fifth player in that revered group ahead of Burgoyne, because I believe Adam could easily have achieved that goal, he was only 28 games short of that tally at the time.
Gavan Iacono
Roar Rookie
I reckon this article is pretty poor, with due respect. And I agree with nearly all of it. Except the premise that you can cut out and ignore the most significant event in the man's footy career when talking about his footy career. It's dishonest, though I'm sure it comes with best intentions. And it doesn't serve Goode's interests either. Goodes might be top 10 player I have seen, and I have been paying attention since the early days of Alex Jezza, Sam Kekka, Rolls Royce, Ian Stewart etc. That's how very good Goodes was, in fact, despite the props, still heavily under rated. He was a rare phenomenon. But footy was just the setting of the most significant event of Goode's footy career. Ignoring is looking the other way, and looking the other way is cowardly. There was a suggestion Goodes is keeping to himself, like a "good" boy. I laughed out loud. He is most certainly not.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
You’re obviously way too young to remember the likes of Rod Grinter, Ron Andrews, David Rhys Jones, Mal Brown, & the grand daddy of em all, Carl Ditterich.
Jorge of Brisvegas
Roar Rookie
Happy to help you. He has almost never been booed but has been trolled regularly and in disgusting ways over the years in social media regularly. He hasn’t always “stood up” for racism. There are a lot of shows, articles and some docos, talk shows over last 2 years clearly documenting Eddie Betts transformation from “keeping his head down and mouth quiet like a good black fella “ to deciding to not stay silent anymore, mainly for his kids. He had an emotional interview on AFL 360 over a year ago talking about his struggle and that he was sick to death of abuse that was directed at him and racism in Australia, both playing for Crows and now Blues . How his grandfather, also named Eddie Betts, was very sick and went to a hospital but the police decided he was drunk and locked him up in jail instead, where he died. Eddie discussed how he and a lot of indigenous young players were too afraid of recrimination and further targeting of abuse. But now as a veteran of game and in his last years, it was time to stand up and speak up. Also the AFL and clubs(since the Adam Goodes saga ) had become more supportive and encouraging for this action.
Jorge of Brisvegas
Roar Rookie
Goodes was publicly and immediately supportive and protective of girl. Right wing media turned on Goodes and twisted the narrative. “Court of public opinion” was allowed to thrive on misinformation, not enough high profile people weighed in to change/correct it.
Jorge of Brisvegas
Roar Rookie
Yes Wally was. Yes Paul Gallen was booed too. But this was not every time he touched the ball. This was not becaiuse of a specific incident or a specific gesture to crowd. Rugby League crowd throwing full beer cans on ground at Lang Park because of terrible umpire decision. Does not mean every can thrown was for same reason before that! Wally and Gallen were booed because they were larger than life, great players for their team that opposition fans loved to hate. It was a type of pantomime . The Goodes booing was more like the calling out of people in medieval days as they were marched to gallows. In “Game of Thrones” context it was the ‘walk of shame’ through the streets. The booing was not for what Goodes did, it was booing him, the man , the black man, ho dared to speak up against his country. It was dismissing him, it was cancelling him , out of the game !
AdamDilligafThompson
Roar Rookie
Correct me if I'm wrong but Eddie Betts has never been booed like goodes was has he and he's always stood up against racism.?
nics
Roar Rookie
Noone is saying everyone who booed is racist. However do you think a percentage who booed might have been motivated by racism? If so do you think that's problem?
Former roarer
Guest
You are lying through your teeth. I went to stacks of Goodes game. Pockets of booing, maybe. Stadium wide? No. Retract the comment or get off the website. Either way, I'm reporting all your comments for blatantly lying.
Former roarer
Guest
I reckon I've seen about 130 of Goodes' games live, including about 20 interstate. I never once heard stadium wide booing of him. You sir, are a liar.
Chivasdude
Guest
Ben, I’m glad you waited so long to write this. Time gives perspective and this is spot on. At the end of the day, those who questioned him and his motives need to appreciate that his stance on footy today shows how much he has been affected by what happened to him. For that, many should be ashamed.
Maxis Pastit
Roar Rookie
Jason Akermanis. I was at a game between the Western Bulldogs and West Coast and I think most of the boos were coming from Western Bulldogs supporters. He was the most booed player I have ever seen.
.kraM
Roar Rookie
Not sure exactly how it comes off as hypocritical? And I’ve already mentioned why it was done. Again, not really getting anywhere, agree to disagree and move on.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Why do it in the first place? And why the hypocrisy?
.kraM
Roar Rookie
Yep, you’re right, you definitely shouldn’t be able to express your heritage during Indigenous Round. And being upset by imaginary spears is definitely normal behaviour. You’ve convinced me. Let’s leave it there shall we?
Micko
Roar Rookie
If I have to explain it to you there's something seriously wrong. Another irony of this whole situation is the person who made the most fuss about Adam Goodes being aboriginal during the whole booing saga was Adam Goodes himself! What was with that dopey imaginary spear chucking thing? Should other players shoot imaginary guns at the crowd if booed?
.kraM
Roar Rookie
Irony with my accusation? Is that like a side dish?
Micko
Roar Rookie
The r word why? Because they happen to have white skin? The irony with your accusations! :shocked:
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
No, I wasn't defending the booing, I was trying to explain some of the motivation behind the booing. The idea that a whole crowd of 50,000 people are booing because they are racist is just ridiculous.