We Got You anti-racism campaign: Sporting stars join cross-code alliance against racism, exclusion and discrimination in sport
Patrick Dangerfield says he is as disappointed as anyone players are subjected to racial attacks, reinforcing the commitment to call out racist social media posts as he joined forces with other sporting stars in a new campaign.
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AFL Players’ Association president Patrick Dangerfield believes it would be “naive” to think that more players are not subjected to racist vitriol via social media.
The dual Brownlow medallist highlighted the recent treatment of former teammate Eddie Betts and Hawks forward Chad Wingard who have not hesitated to call out racist posts they have received online.
Dangerfield – who joined stars from a range of other codes as part of the We Got You campaign – declared that there is more that can be done and that AFL players will continue to have a responsibility to highlight the attacks.
“We see it weekly,” he said.
“And that’s the ones that are reported. I think we’re very naive to think that it’s not happening to more players at the elite level, but clearly that would be happening at the lower levels as well.
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“What society has provided is a window to the lives of athletes … but it can also be a vehicle for hate and is an immediate link to the sporting identities that a lot of us love to follow. Are we doing enough? We as an AFLPA have a policy whenever a player is vilified to call it out, and clubs have been really prominent in reacting the same way now.
“Rather than sweeping it under the carpet and pretending that it didn’t happen … some of the arguments to that have been ‘don’t give it oxygen’. But that hasn’t worked, which is clear, so whenever we see something … we have a responsibility to call it out.”
Magpies forward Travis Varcoe was subjected to racial abuse on Saturday in an online comment that was called out by teammate Mason Cox.
Dangerfield, who has united with stars from a range of sporting codes including AFLW star Erin Phillips and Australian NBA duo Patty Mills and Joe Ingles for the We Got You campaign in an effort to eradicate racism, exclusion and discrimination in sport, said “that’s the only way we’re going to get rid of it”.
“I hope that this campaign is a really strong vehicle to continue to talk about it but also drive real change within society,” he said.
Phillips, who counts Indigenous Hawthorn star Shaun Burgoyne as her brother-in-law, said she had previously felt uneasy speaking up because “I never felt I knew what the right thing to say was”.
“I never thought that being a white woman, my opinion would carry any weight,” the Crow and former WNBA player said.
“I didn’t want to do those that were affected by racism injustice.
“I always thought that I would support in the background, and that that was enough. I’ve realised that being silent is complicit, and with the platform that we have, we need to talk about it. We need to educate our kids.
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“It’s not only my responsibility as a family member, it’s my responsibility as a human.”
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin also conceded that he had been “silent in this space” but had learned from the likes of Demons player Neville Jetta to speak up.
“The more I’ve begun to learn, it’s taught me that it’s not the people that are vilified that need to fight this fight,” he said.
“It’s people that aren’t vilified. It’s people that can really have a voice and be strong in their voice that will make a difference, and take up the fight together.”
Originally published as We Got You anti-racism campaign: Sporting stars join cross-code alliance against racism, exclusion and discrimination in sport