Douglas Smith: Footy bigotry hurts all indigenous Australians
THE latest ‘racial’ spray directed at Adelaide Crows star Eddie Betts on social media, is a vile act which many indigenous sportspeople across the country are all too familiar with.
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THE latest ‘racial’ spray directed at Adelaide Crows star Eddie Betts on social media is a vile act which many indigenous sportspeople across the country are all too familiar with.
Ask any indigenous sportsperson at an amateur or professional level if they have ever been racially discriminated against on a sports field, and nine times out of 10, they will tell you they have.
I know. I’ve copped my fair share of racial abuse growing up as an indigenous person, on and off the field.
Maxine Spratt, who claims to be “part Aboriginal”, said something that not even an Aboriginal person would say to another indigenous person.
Although it is not as common and casual these days as it was 10 or 20 years ago, the words of Ms Spratt are something I know rests in the back of every indigenous person’s mind before stepping onto a sports field, court, or whatever their code may be.
Her words do not only affect Eddie Betts, but every indigenous person in this country, just like the Adam Goodes saga, which divided a nation.
For many indigenous Australians, myself included, it didn’t just feel like they were booing Adam Goodes.
It felt like they were booing the rest of us too, and you just pray that if you go to a game, no one starts doing it in front of you.
Professional sport in Australia isn’t just a game and professional indigenous athletes are not just regular people.
They are role models and inspirations the Aboriginal community turn to in times of personal hardships and misery, which is a lot of the time.
When we see someone we look up to so much being put down because of the colour of their skin, it digs away at us, it causes anxiety and it makes us feel like second-class citizens in our country.
However, on the bright side, something I’m starting to see a lot more of these days is an intolerance towards racial discrimination from people of all backgrounds.
I can only hope that sense of intolerance towards bigots and racists grows until we don’t see it at all.
Douglas Smith is a journalism student who has spent time at The Advertiser as an intern