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The AFL is a sports behemoth that owes much of its success to astute investment and political risk management – but also to racism.
The sport has long taken from First Nations peoples – possibly even in acquiring the game Marngrook and claiming it as a colonial invention – while providing little in return.
It’s this racism, which is grounded in the process of colonisation, that I choose to no longer support. I cannot continue to support this sport.
This week’s press conference by outgoing CEO Gillon McLachlan was just the latest in a shameful series of actions by the AFL. Parked late at 7:45pm with little notice, a strategy clearly designed to minimise media coverage, McLachlan provided an update on an investigation into allegations against Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt.
The investigation was closed, and there were no adverse findings.
The allegations were, among other incidents, that Hawthorn officials had demanded that an Aboriginal player terminate his partner’s pregnancy. A vile demand and gross overreach in any workplace setting, such calls take on a much more sordid meaning in the context of Australia’s history of the Stolen Generations and the dying race theory.
As proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman and human rights lawyer Nessa Turnbull-Roberts points out, if true, such actions reflect a continuation of White Australia’s history of colonisation and genocide.
In yet another foul display of disrespect for the First Peoples of Australia, and in particular those who were impacted by alleged racism, MacLachlan sought to threaten punishment against Hawthorn Football Club… not for the alleged racism, but for commissioning the inquiry into such racism. Unbelievable.
But to make things worse, he made a clear attempt to speed up his speech at the point when he was – as if under some kind of contractual obligation – acknowledging the hurt to First Nations people, and the AFL’s previous failings on the issue of racism.
While the AFL Players Association has belatedly stepped up to defend Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, the media landscape continues to reflect a dominant white supremacist culture that still pervades Australia. As such, I believe it is time for progressive fans of the AFL to seriously consider boycotting the men’s competition.
We must withdraw our support until meaningful steps are taken to address racism. I, for one, will not attend or watch another game until this issue is addressed, and I urge others to do the same. Instead, individuals can consider supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-controlled organisations and the claims of past and present players.
Some believe that politics and sport don’t mix, but the reality is that they are inextricably linked. Sport offers a mirror to society, revealing both the good and bad.
If the AFL wishes to be part of the solution, it needs to look into that mirror and confront the racist institution looking back at it.
Until then, I’m switching off.
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