04/23/24
September 02, 2006
A Credit To His People: Adam Goodes, AFL footballer and inspiration to indigenous Australians.
I'm bummed that as part of the change from Fox Sports World to FSC they no longer show AFL matches here, an of course no one else has picked them up.
posted by billsaysthis at 09:03 PM on September 02, 2006
Goodes sounds like a class act, and a good man to act as a representitive for his people. Owlhouse, are Aboriginal terms/words/caricatures used for team mascots there? And if so, is there outrage of the type that has raised it's head here in the States? Just curious...
posted by mjkredliner at 07:02 AM on September 03, 2006
Not to my knowledge, mjkredliner. No mainstream team has an Aboriginal or Islander mascot. It would be seen as pretty crass, and the indigenous community would object immediately to the appropriation of any cultural words or symbols. Certainly there are Aboriginal community sports teams that have names like "Warriors" etc. The Aboriginal rugby league team representing inner city of Sydney is known as the "Redfern All Blacks" which is both a homage to the famous NZ Union team and humourous. Like everywhere else, we do have some people who are insensitive, however. Over the last few years the Aboriginal community around Toowoomba in Queensland have tried to get the main grandstand at the local rugby league ground renamed. At present it is called the "N----- Brown Stand" (yes, the n-word still being used in the 21st century), and was named after a local non-indigenous player of the 20s and 30s who went by that particular nickname. To date, the (white) rugby league administration and city council have decided to keep the name intact.
posted by owlhouse at 05:16 PM on September 03, 2006
Not the most revealing portrait of Goodesy, but timely now the AFL season is moving into the finals. I tried to post an article from last year about Goodes growing up in the Riverland which covered some of the obstacles he has had to overcome in more detail, but I can't seem to find it. Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) make up about 2 per cent of the total population, but almost 14 per cent of AFL and 20 per cent of professional Rugby League players. With few opportunities in other parts of life, sport is very important to indigenous communities. And high profile players like Goodes are fantastic role models for young kids from all backgrounds.