Race From A Historical Perspective Within The Context Of...

Racism has been the ugly underbelly of Australian sport for over a century (Human Rights, 2007). According to Szoke (2012), ultimately, racism is a denial of human relationship (Szoke, 2012). There are many ways in which race and skin colour has been â€Å"marked† in sport in Australia. This essay will look at the many ways in sport in which race and skin colour has been represented to society. This essay will begin to look at race from a historical perspective within the context of Australia. It will also discuss and critically analyse the way this issue is being protected by relevant policies, probed by the media and spectators and monitored by both relevant policy documents and society in sport and in our generation today. During the early†¦show more content†¦According to Szoke (2012): Racial Discrimination involves any act where a person is treated unfairly or vilified because of their race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, religion or belief. Racism impacts directly on the full enjoyment of individual’s human rights, in particular the right to equality (Szoke, 2012, para 11). When looking at the historical context of racism in sport in Australia, in the very beginning when European explorers and settlers encountered Aboriginal people from the 1600s-1800s, they often said that Aboriginal people were not humans but were actually animals - like apes or monkeys (Riceman, 2013). This stereotype has continued through time with racial remarks such as these have been directed at Aboriginal and Islander players. According to Tatz and Adair (2009) the history of Aboriginal exclusion from organised competitive sport has been well documented, these exclusions are based on spurious racial grounds such as they â€Å"smelled†, they â€Å"always won† and that they were â€Å"uncivilised† (Tatz Adair, 2009, pp.3). One historical perspective of racial discrimination in Australian sports is the day Nicky Winmar, a famous AFL player stood up to racial truants from spectators in 1993. Winmar’s gesture not only demonstrated his pride in his colour but also began the process towards eradicating racism in the AFL (Ralph, 2011). Another example of sporting racism in Australia is the 1995 racial clash between Damian