Assignment Task
Introduction
This report looks at two case studies that highlight Aboriginal Peoples engagement in Australian Rules Football. The two case studies include the film Australian Dream (2019) featuring Adam Goodes and Stan Grant and tells the story of Goodes engagement and then resignation from the game due to repeated incidents of racism directed at him. The second case study is the Do Better independent report (2021) prepared by Behrendt and Coombes that focuses on racism within the Collingwood Football Club. This report will use story as a research method (Phillips & Bunda, 2018) as a respectful way to privilege Aboriginal voices within a study of Aboriginal Culture. As noted by AIATSIS in The Little, Red, Yellow and Black Book, (2018) state that Aboriginal People have always engaged in sporting activity, it is a good way to stay fit and healthy and in helping to address racism in sport it should also be safe. This is even more important considering AFL players are role models for young Aboriginal people and the game could be considered the workplace where the employers have a duty of care for its players.
Case Study
1. Adam Goodes and the Australian Dream
The documentary Australian Dream (2019) written by Stan Grant and directed by Daniel Gordon is a focus on AFL player Adam Goodes and his experiences of racism in sport and in particular the fallout from a controversial incident in a game. It features interviews with a wide range of people demonstrating a balance in the storytelling and ends with him finding peace through a visit home to his ancestral country in South Australia.
2. Collingwood Football Club and the Do Better Report
The report starts with a note:
Although the allegations made by Mr. Lumumba were an impetus for the Collingwood Football Club to undertake a review of their internal processes and Club culture, it needs to be stressed that this is not an investigation into those allegations. It was clear that Mr. Lumumba, understandably given his history at the Club, did not wish to engage in a review process. It is not appropriate to review those allegations without Mr. Lumumba’s involvement. Nothing in this review can be taken as exonerating the Club from any alleged wrongdoing (2021, p. 2)
Which I will comment on further in the discussion. The report was commissioned in response to allegations of racism within the club and respected Aboriginal scholars, Behrendt and Coombes were given the job of reviewing documents and undertaking interviews to form a reply and recommendations.
In looking at historical contexts they included the player Nicky Winmar who famously lifted his shirt in a game to point at his skin to indicate he was ‘Black and proud’. This and other high-profile incidents demonstrate to the researchers that systemic racism was evident within CFC. Here I would go on to describe the report perhaps adding further research as references and a personal opinion.
Discussion
Mr. Heritier Lumumba in a Facebook post from May 2022 stated that he would no longer be involved in any fact finding on racism within the Do Better report. To paraphrase his rather long statement he revealed to his followers that communications with the club had broken down. What struck me was the racist comments that followed, although many commentators where giving their support to My Lumumba, who was now living his best life in California with his family, there was also comments such as ‘sook’ ‘move on’ and ‘you’re irrelevant now, nobody cares’, yet these racists follow the account and took time to comment. They are the ones who should move on.
Question
Your case study will demonstrate an understanding of Aboriginal concepts through examples (the ‘case) of products or projects within the following areas (can be two areas or two choices within an area).
