Racism in sport in Australia explained

Racism in sport in Australia has a long history, with one researcher finding examples from the 19th century. Since the 1990s, there have been a number of cases of racial vilification reported, with the various codes of sport tackling the problem in a variety of ways.

Background

Sport historian Colin Tatz, in his 1995 research into Indigenous Australian athletes wrote: "they're Australians when they're winning, and Aborigines at other times", in summarising the history of racism in Australian sport. In his book Obstacle race: Aborigines in sport (1995), Tatz traces racism in Australia sport back to the 1800s. Since the 1990s there have been numerous racial vilification cases reported in the Australian media, partly due to the increase in Indigenous athletes participating in Australian Football League (AFL)^[1] and National Rugby League (NRL) and national sports organisations introducing rules to facilitate racial vilification cases.

In an incident in April 1995, Collingwood ruckman Damian Monkhorst racially abused Essendon's Michael Long. An Australian Football League (AFL) investigation after the incident showed that at least 10 players from six clubs regularly racially abused players.^[2] After this, the AFL introduced "Rule 30: A Rule to Combat Racial and Religious Vilification" on 30 June 1995 as a result of the shortcomings in Long's racial vilification case against Monkhorst.^[3] The Rule stated that: "no player... shall act towards or speak to any other person in a manner, or engage in any other conduct which threatens, disparages, vilifies or insults another person... on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin".^[4] The AFL's rule was the first racial vilification code in Australia sport. The AFL lead the way with its code and subsequently most major national sports organisations introduced their own rules.

These voluntary sporting rules of conduct mirror Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and the Racial Hatred Act 1995 Section 18 C.(1) that: "It is unlawful for a person to do an act, otherwise than in private, if:
"(a) the act is reasonably likely, in all the circumstances, to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people; and
(b) the act is done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person or of some or all of the people in the group. to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or group of people because of their race, colour, or ethnic or national origin".^[5]

In 2006, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) published the report What's the score? A survey of cultural diversity and racism, which stated:

The AFL has been seen to take leadership in the battle against racism in sport through showcasing an "Indigenous Round'" each year, with the highlight match being Dreamtime at the 'G.^[6] The NRL has an "Indigenous Round" and there is an annual game with the Indigenous All Stars.^[7]

The Play by the Rules website established in 2001 provides a wide range of resources in racism in sport to assist administrators, coaches, officials, players and parents.^[8]

In 2012, the AHRC launched a Racism. It Stops with Me, a community awareness campaign aimed to empower Australians to counter racial prejudice and discrimination. All the major sports organisations – Australian Football League, National Rugby League, Australian Rugby Union, Football Federation Australia, Cricket Australia, Netball Australia and Tennis Australia have become part of this campaign.^[9] A television advertisement was produced that included Indigenous and non-Indigenous athletes.^[10]

Sports

Below are cases related to racial vilification in Australian sport. In several of the cases, there was no racial vilification proved. The list concentrates on cases at the elite level of sport relating to athletes, spectators and commentators but there is anecdotal evidence of racism in community sport. These cases consequently received wide media coverage. There appears an increase in cases related to fans either at sporting events or through social media.

Athletics

• 1888 – White sprinters refused to run against indigenous runners in the Sheffield Handicap held at Thargomindah, Queensland. The boycott resulted in an Aborigines-only race being held.^[11]
• 1903 – Queensland Amateur Athletic Association attempted to disbar all aborigines from athletics due to them “lacking moral character” and “lacking intelligence”. Australian Amateur Athletic Association rejected this discrimination attempt.^[11]
• 2012 – John Steffensen claimed that an Athletics Australia official called him a "nigger" and "jungle bunny' at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Steffensen's complaint came after was not selected to run the individual 400 m at the 2012 London Olympics. Athletics Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee rejected the claim and stated that Steffensen should have made a complaint at Beijing Olympics.^{[12] [13]}

Australian rules football

• 1927 – Doug Nicholls tried out to play for Carlton Football Club but was rejected because of his colour and his smell. Five years later Fitzroy Football Club enlisted his services.^[14]
• 1960–1990 – Several indigenous players including Carlton's Syd Jackson, North Melbourne's Phil and Jim Krakouer and Footscray's Michael McLean have stated that they were the target of racial slurs by opposition players and spectators.^{[15] [16]} There is evidence that the Krakouer brothers were suspended for retaliating against racial abuse on the field.^[14] West Coast Eagles players Chris Lewis and Troy Ugle during their career received hate mail and death threats and were provided with counselling.
• 1993 – St Kilda indigenous player Nicky Winmar was racially vilified by the Collingwood supporters during an AFL game at Victoria Park, Melbourne. At the end of the game, Winmar lifted his shirt and pointed to his skin and declared "I'm black and I'm proud to be black". This became an iconic image of racism in Australian sport.^[17] Allan McAlister, Collingwood's President commented that Winmar and his team mate Gilbert McAdam would be respected "as long as they conducted themselves like white people on and off the field".
• 1995 – Essendon player Michael Long accused Collingwood's Damian Monkhorst of a racial taunt during the first Anzac Day match at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Long was not satisfied with the outcome of an AFL organised mediation session. However, this case led to the AFL introducing Rule 30: A Rule to Combat Racial and Religious Vilification on 30 June 1995.^[18]
• 1995 – Greg Williams, a Carlton player, unreservedly apologised to West Coast Eagles Chris Lewis for racially abusing him during a match at Subiaco Oval. Lewis accepted the apology.^[19]
• 1997 – Collingwood's Robbie Ahmat claimed he was racially vilified by Essendon's Michael Prior in the last quarter of that year's Anzac Day match. Prior claimed that he called Ahmat a "dumb cunt" rather than a "dark cunt". Prior was cleared at a tribunal hearing.^{[20] [21] [22] [23]}
• 1997 – Western Bulldogs player Todd Curley allegedly racially vilified Melbourne's David Cockatoo-Collins by calling him a "black cunt". Curley claimed this was incorrect and that he had referred to him as a "weak cunt". Curley was cleared of any offence.^[24]
• 1999 – Peter Everitt, a St Kilda player racially abused Melbourne's Scott Chisholm after kicking a goal in the Round 2 match at Waverley Park. Everritt donated $20,000 to a charity of Chisholm's choice, undertook self-imposed four-match suspension including the loss of match payments and undertook a racial awareness training program. Everitt publicly apologised to Chisholm and his family and to the Aboriginal community.^[25]
• 2011 – Justin Sherman, a Western Bulldogs player was banned for four games for racially vilifying an unnamed Gold Coast Suns player. Sherman was ordered to attend an education program and pay $5000 to a charity chosen by the Suns. He spent four weeks in the VFL while serving his AFL suspension.
• 2011 – There were several reported incidents of spectator racial abuse. North Melbourne Football Club's Majak Daw was racially abused by a spectator at a VFL game and Hawthorn Football Club's Lance Franklin was also racially abused by a fan at an AFL match in Launceston.
• 2012 – AFL's national community engagement manager Jason Misfud claimed that Adelaide Football Club recruitment manager Matthew Rendell suggested that clubs may adopt a policy of only recruiting Aboriginal players with at least one white parent. Rendell resigned as a result of the controversy regarding his comments. He apologised for his comments but believed they were taken out of context.^[26]

• 2013 – Adam Goodes, a Sydney Swans player in a match against Collingwood Magpies at Melbourne Cricket Ground during the AFL's Indigenous Round was called an ape by a 13-year-old Collingwood supporter. Upon hearing the abuse, Goodes pointed the girl out to security and she was ejected from the stadium.^[27] Goodes stated he was gutted by the comments but stated that: "People need to get around her. She's 13, she's uneducated." Goodes subsequently was criticised by several commentators for pillaring a 13-year-old girl.^[28]
• 2014 – A 70-year-old man received a penalty notice for offensive behaviour after allegedly making racists comments about Sydney Swans players Lance Franklin and Adam Goodes during a match against Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium. The man was reported to police by other spectators.^[29]
• 2014 – Majak Daw, a North Melbourne Kangaroos player was racially abused in a match against Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium, Launceston. The male spectator was evicted from the ground.^[30]
• 2014 – Nic Naitanui, a West Coast Eagles player, was racially abused three times by Vinh Phuc Nguyen on Twitter. Nguyen pleaded guilty to three counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. He was banned from contacting the Naitanui or other West Coast Eagles players and creating a Twitter account.^{[31] [32]}
• 2015 – Adam Goodes, during matches played outside Sydney, was constantly booed by spectators. It was suggested that this may have been related to the 2013 incident (see above), to his speaking out on Indigenous issues during his 2014 Australian of the Year award, his playing style,^[33] or a dance he directed at opposition fans during the Indigenous round.^[34] However the booing was mostly attributed to racism, and in 2019, just prior to the release of two documentaries about these events (The Final Quarter and The Australian Dream), the AFL and all of its 18 clubs issued an unreserved apology for the sustained racism and events which drove Goodes out of the game.^{[35] [36]}
• 2016 – A spectator threw a banana at Eddie Betts as he was playing for the Crows against Port Adelaide, as a form of racial abuse.^[37]
• 2020 - Leroy Larson, a St Mary's Football Club senior player in the NTFL, was found guilty on 21 February of breaching the AFL's National Vilification and Discrimination Policy for a comment made against Tiwi Bombers forward Austin Wonaeamirri in NTFL round 17 on 8 February at Marrara Stadium and given a five-week ban. He had already used his one avenue of appeal to overturn a life ban in 2018. He was de-registered as an AFL player on 26 February.^[38]
• 2023 – More people have been reporting racial abuse against players. In April 2023, the AFL confirmed 23 reported incidents of racial abuse in AFL, VFL, and the Talent League games since the season began. Abuse had occurred on social media as well as at games. Four Indigenous players – Brisbane's Charlie Cameron, Adelaide's Izak Rankine, and Fremantle's Michael Walters and Nathan Wilson – had received abuse,^[39] over a period of two days. The incidents were investigated by AFL's integrity unit, headed by social inclusion manager Tanya Hosch.^[40] AFL executives anticipate that the upcoming 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum may lead to increased reporting of incidents of racial abuse, which is not a bad thing.^[39]
• 2024 – The AFL implemented a "social inclusion clause" into its contract renewals with Seven Network and Foxtel specifying that commentator panels could not be all white men.

Boxing

• 1890s – Peter Jackson, who was born in the West Indies but adopted Australia as his country, was discriminated in the United States with several boxers including Jim Corbett and John L. Sullivan refusing to fight coloured men.^[11]

Cricket

• 1900–1930 – Several researchers have suggested that indigenous cricketers Eddie Gilbert, Jack Marsh and Albert Henry were discriminated because of their race by Australian cricket selectors.^{[41] [42]}
• 2003 – Australia batsman Darren Lehmann was banned for five one-day games for yelling a "racially motivated obscenity" after he was run out during victory over Sri Lanka in the VB Triangular Series in Adelaide.^[43]
• 2006 – International Cricket Board investigated racial taunts by Australian cricket crowds at black members of the South African team during tour of Australia 2005–2006.^{[41] [44]}
• 2008 – Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh allegedly called Andrew Symonds a 'monkey' during a Test match in Australia. Singh was handed a three-game ban for racial abuse but this was downgraded to a fine on appeal.^[45]
• 2018 – Nearly a dozen fans were ejected from the MCG in Melbourne for making racist chants towards Indian players.^[46]
• 2021 – Six Australian spectators allegedly directed racist remarks at two Indian cricketers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj during the third test of India against Australia in Sydney. They were asked to leave the stadium as directed by the NSW Police.

Football/Soccer

• 2000 – It was alleged that Perth Glory striker Bobby Despotovski had racially abused Melbourne Knights defender Ransford Banini by calling him a "black monkey". Despotovski denied this, and instead claimed that he had said "shut up monkey".
• 2008 – South Korean-born Lee Corey, a referee, abandoned a South Australian State League fixture between NAB and Port Pirie-based Northern Demons at thelstone Reserve due to numerous racial taunts by spectators.^[47]
• 2012 – Adelaide United fan was banned for two years after racially abusing Paul Ifill from the Wellington Phoenix at Hindmarsh Stadium. The fan was found to have breached the Football Federation Australia (FFA) Spectator Code of Behaviour. A member of the public identified the fan.^[48]
• 2014 – Ali Abbas Al-Hilfi, a Sydney FC player, alleged that Western Sydney Wanderers FC striker Brendon Santalab racially vilified him during a match at Allianz Stadium. The FFA Disciplinary Committee dropped the charges of racial vilification against Santalab, citing a lack of evidence and the possibility that Abbas may have misheard the comments made. Abbas was disappointed with the outcome.^[49]

Hockey

• 1993 – Nova Peris, gold medallist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics has stated she encountered racial abuse during the National Championships.^[50]

Rugby league

• 1980s – Olsen Filipaina, a New Zealand international, revealed he was racially abused when he started playing professional rugby league in Australia.^[51]
• 1997 – Chris Caruana, a North Sydney Bears player was fined, dropped from first grade and told to publicly apology after allegations that he racially vilified Newcastle Knights player Owen Craigie.^[52]
• 1998 – Barry Ward, a Canterbury Bulldogs player was fined $10,000 after a complaint by St George Dragons players Anthony Mundine and Robbie Simpson that Mundine was racially abused by Ward.^[53]
• 2002 – Chris Anderson, coach of the Cronulla Sharks was criticised for making the following comment regarding indigenous player Preston Campbell: "If Preston wasn't black it wouldn't have created the media kerfuffle that it has."^{[23] [54]}
• 2005 – Bryan Fletcher, the South Sydney Rabbitohs captain gave Dean Widders, an indigenous player with Parramatta Eels a verbal racist spray in an NRL game at Parramatta Stadium. Fletcher was sacked as captain, suspended for one game and fined $10,000. Fletcher was also required to help Widders with his work in the Aboriginal community. Widders accepted Fletcher's apology.^{[41] [55]}
• 2007 – Anthony Mundine, a former St George Dragons player and Nathan Merritt, a South Sydney Rabbitohs player claimed racism was behind them not being selected in representative teams. Geoff Carr, NSW Rugby League general manager, disputed the claim by highlighting several players from different racial backgrounds – Hazem El Masri, Jarryd Hayne, Preston Campbell and Amos Roberts being selected.^[56]
• 2008 – Sper Vega, a spectator at a match between Parramatta Eels and Brisbane Broncos at Parramatta Stadium, was banned for five years for calling Petero Civoniceva "a monkey”.^[57]
• 2010 – Timana Tahu walked out of the New South Wales State of Origin camp after alleging that assistant coach Andrew Johns had racially vilified Queensland star Greg Inglis in a team meeting. Johns denied making the comments but stepped down from the team.^[58]
• 2013 – Greg Inglis, the high-profile rugby league player and proud supporter of the Australian Human Rights Commission's Racism. It Stops With Me campaign, was the target of cyber racism.^[59]
• 2014 – Ben Barba, a Brisbane Broncos player was subjected to racial abuse on Instagram. The offender was a Country Rugby League (CRL) player who was banned from participating in rugby league activities until he completed a cultural awareness program.^[60]
• 2017 – Brisbane Broncos player Sam Thaiday apologized for making a racist comment on the NRL Footy Show. He said on the show, "I reckon Halle Berry was my first [crush]. That's when I went through my Jungle Fever phase- liking dark girls there for a little while. But then I figured it out, if it ain't white, it ain't right."^[61]
• 2020 – Fans were ejected from Central Coast Stadium stadium after alleged racial abuse of indigenous Penrith Panthers player Brent Naden.^[62]

Rugby union

• 2005 – Justin Harrison playing for the New South Wales Waratahs admitted to a racial slur against Cats winger Chumani Booithen during a Super 12 match.^[63] He was given a three game suspension.^[64]

Tennis

• 1980 – Before Evonne Goolagong-Cawley's 1980 Wimbledon Championships final, an unnamed Australian Premier stated that he hoped that she "wouldn't go walkabout like some old boong."^[11]
• 2001 – Lleyton Hewitt was involved in a racism dispute whilst playing James Blake at the 2001 US Open. During the match, a black linesman twice foot-faulted Hewitt on crucial points in the third set and Hewitt asked the Swiss umpire Andreas Egli to remove the linesman. Hewitt said: " Look at him (the linesman) and tell me what the similarity is (beckoning towards Blake)". Hewitt said: "I don't think I said anything racial out there. It was a conversation between me and the umpire".^{[65] [66]}
• 2009 – Brydan Klein racially abused South African Raven Klaasen by calling him a kaffir at a match at Eastbourne, England. Klein apologised and said: "It was not my intention to racially vilify my opponent or cause offence to anybody else and I am deeply embarrassed that I behaved in this manner. I deeply regret my serious error in judgment in using this word and I am very sorry for the offence this has caused." Klein was suspended by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Australian Institute of Sport for six months and fined $14,000. He was also required to complete a racial sensitivity training course approved by the ATP. He later fined an additional $10,000 by the ATP.^{[67] [68] [69]}

Sports commentators

• 1999 – Sam Newman appeared on Nine Network's Footy Show in blackface to impersonate Nicky Winmar, who was unable to appear on the show due to car trouble.^[70]
• 2005 – Rex Hunt apologised to Collingwood's Leon Davis for his commentary that: "Neon Leon hasn't lit up tonight, he's as black as a dog's..." during Collingwood's match against Essendon Football Club.^[71]
• 2006 – Dean Jones, a former Australian test cricketer, was sacked by Ten Sports, after saying on live television that: "the terrorist has got another wicket" after South African cricketer Hashim Amla, a devout Muslim, took the catch to dismiss Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara during the fourth test in Colombo. Jones apologised for the comment and said: "It was a silly and completely insensitive thing to say and, obviously, it was never supposed to be heard over the air. I am truly sorry to have caused offence to anybody and the last thing I intended was to be disrespectful." '^[72]
• 2010 – Mal Brown, a former Australian rules player, apologised for referring to Aboriginal AFL players as "cannibals" and that he could not select Nicky Winmar or Michael Mitchell because "there were no lights" at the poorly lit Whitten Oval during a promotion for the E. J. Whitten Legends Game. The comments prompted AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou to express his disgust.^{[73] [74]}
• 2013 – Eddie McGuire, Collingwood President and media commentator, apologised to Adam Goodes after suggesting Goodes be used to promote the musical King Kong. McGuire said "I'm happy to stand here in front of everybody, in front of the country, and say we do not stand for racial vilification. I let myself down because I had a slip of the tongue."^[75]
• 2013 – The ABC's rugby league commentator David Morrow apologised for a racist remark whilst broadcasting St George-Manly match at Jubilee Oval. Morrow, who did not believe he was on-air at the time, joked about the difficulty of seeing dark-skinned people at night. His comment: "Dats da only way you can tell when there’s anyone there, it’s when dey smile".^[76]
• 2014 – The ABC's rugby league commentator Warren Ryan was alleged to say "a line in a movie where the old darky says, someone says, 'quittin' time" calling the game between Sydney Roosters and Canterbury Bulldogs. Fellow broadcaster David Morrow was stood down and Ryan resigned. Ryan stated that: "The word used to describe the character was a direct quote from the film. There was no offence intended, so I won't be apologising. It would be insincere."^[77]
• 2024 – The AFL implemented a "social inclusion clause" into its contract renewals with Seven Network and Foxtel specifying that commentator panels could not be all white men.^[78]

See also

• List of Australian sports controversies
• List of Indigenous Australian sportspeople
• Racism in Australia
• Racism in sport
• Reconciliation in Australia
• Sport in Australia

Further reading

• Play by the Rules website
• Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan April 2021 – March 2023 (AFL, 2021)
• Many Stories, One Goal – Supporting Indigenous Players, AFL Players Association.

Notes and References

1. Evans . John . etal . 2005 . Indigenous Participation in Australian Sport: The Perils of the 'Panacea' Proposition . Cosmopolitan Civil Societies . 7 . 1 . 5 August 2015.
2. Web site: Michael Long and Damian Monkhorst look back on AFL racism incident 20 years on . . 29 April 2015 . 18 April 2023.
3. Gardiner . Greg . 1997 . Racial abuse and football : Australian Football League's Racial Vilification Rule in Review . Sporting Traditions . 14 . 1 . 3–26 . 3 August 2015.
4. McNamara . Lawrence . 2000 . Tackling Racial Hatred: Conciliation, Reconciliation and Football . Australian Journal of Human Rights . 6 . 2 . 5–31 . 10.1080/1323238X.2000.11911041 . 155749718 . 10 August 2015.
5. Web site: Racial Hatred Act 1995 . 7 August 2015 . Australian Government Com Law website.
6. News: Klugman . Matthew . etal . 17 April 2013 . The racist abuse suffered by Nicky Winmar is rare in footy now, but AFL culture is still bedevilled by assumptions of black inferiority . The Age . 5 August 2015.
7. News: Walter . Brad . 6 August 2015 . From Arthur Beetson to the modern-day stars: Why the NRL's Indigenous Round is worth celebrating . The Sydney Morning Herald . 7 August 2015.
8. Web site: Racism in sport . 10 August 2015 . Play by the Rules website.
9. Web site: Soutphommasane . Tim Soutphommasane . Australian sport and racial vilification . 3 August 2015 . Australian Human Rights Commission News, 24 October 2014.
10. Web site: Racism. It Stops With Me sport advert has timely launch . 5 August 2015 . Australian Human Rights Commission News, 25 May 2013.
11. Book: Tatz, Colin . Onstacle race : aboriginesw in sport . 1995 . UNSW Press . 0868403490 . Sydney.
12. News: Knight . Ben . 27 July 2012 . Athletics Australia can't ignore discrimination claims . Australian Broadcasting Corporation News . 6 August 2015.
13. News: Lane . Sam . 25 July 2012 . Steffensen had only to raise alarm, says AOC . The Sydney Morning Herald . 6 August 2015.
14. Gorman . Sean . 2010 . Sporting Chance: Indigenous Participation . Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Journal . 2 . 2 . 12–22.
15. Web site: McNamara . Lawrence . On the field and off the field : sport and racial hatred . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141231094418/https://www.humanrights.gov.au/hreoc-and-world-conference-against-racism-2001-civil-society-and-racism-2 . 31 December 2014 . 7 August 2015 . Australian Human Rights Commission website.
16. Book: Gorman, Sean . Brotherboys: the story of Jim and Phillip Krakouer . 1969 . Sydney . 1-74114-595-3 . Allen & Unwin.
17. Web site: 11 April 2018 . 'I'm black and I'm proud to be black': Nicky Winmar's gesture 25 years on . 2020-05-24 . NITV . en.
18. Web site: Michael Long and Damian Monkhorst look back on AFL racism incident 20 years on . . 29 April 2015 . 18 April 2023.
19. News: 31 August 1995 . Williams apologises for racist remark . The Canberra Times . 31 July 2015.
20. Web site: Pumped Damien Monkhort Stretches Undermanned Bombers to Limit .
21. News: Epstein . Jackie . 19 April 2009 . Robbie Ahmat on Anzac Day . Courier Mail . 3 August 2015.
22. Web site: Anzac Day Heroes and Villains . 3 August 2015 . Sportal website.
23. Book: Hagan, Stephen . Australia's blackest sporting moments: the top 100 . 2006 . Ngalga Warralu Publishing . 1-921212-00-4 . Darling Heights, Queensland.
24. News: Gibbs . Stephen . 26 March 2005 . Harrison has run his race . The Sydney Morning Herald . 3 August 2015.
25. News: Cooper . Adam . 27 June 2011 . Sherman banned over racist abuse . The Age . 3 August 2015.
26. News: Rucci . Michangelo . 16 March 2012 . Adelaide recruiter Matt Rendell quits over racism row . Herald Sun . 6 August 2015.
27. News: Windley . Matt . 25 May 2013 . Adam Goodes 'gutted' after 13-year-old girl's racial slur, who called the Sydney champion today to apologise . Herald Sun . 3 August 2015.
28. News: 29 July 2013 . AFL taunts at Adam Goodes reignite racism row . BBC News . 3 August 2015.
29. News: 31 March 2015 . Police cheer sports fans who dob in racist, homophobic spectators . The Age . 5 August 2015.
30. Web site: 24 February 2014 . Majak Daw abuse: 'Everyone can do something to stop racism' . 5 August 2015 . Australian Human Rights Commission News.
31. News: Robertson . Katie . 11 April 2014 . Nic Naitanui 'Twitter abuser' 'banned' from social media attacks, contacting AFL star . Perth Now . 7 August 2015.
32. News: Clarke . Tim . 1 May 2014 . Guilty plea likely for racist tweets . The West Australian . 7 August 2015.
33. News: Flannagan . Martin . 4 October 2014 . Why do footy crowds boo Adam Goodes? . The Sydney Morning Herald . 3 August 2015.
34. Web site: Adair . Darryl . 1 August 2015 . Man up? I see a man down: booing and being Adam Goodes . 3 August 2015 . The Conversation.
35. News: 7 April 2019 . AFL apologises unreservedly for failures over racism faced by Adam Goodes . ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 8 April 2019.
36. News: Baum . Greg . 7 April 2019 . AFL, clubs apologise to Goodes . The Age . 8 April 2019.
37. Web site: Woman who threw banana at Eddie Betts has been 'demonised', says father . the Guardian . 22 August 2016 . 30 March 2024.
38. Web site: Byrne . Conor . 2020-02-26 . Racial vilification decision ends player's career . 2020-02-27 . ABC News . en.
39. Web site: Ryan . Peter . AFL 2023: Racism rampant as league braces for impact of Voice to parliament referendum . . 17 April 2023 . 18 April 2023.
40. Web site: Australian Associated Press. AFL opens investigations into racist abuse of four Indigenous players . . 12 April 2023 . 18 April 2023.
41. Book: Oliver, Paul . What's the score? A survey of cultural diversity and racism . 2006 . Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission . 0642270015 . Sydney . 7–11.
42. Whimpress . Bernard . December 1992 . Few and far between : prejudice and discrimination among Aborigines in Australian first class cricket 1869–1988 . Journal of the Anthropological Society of South Australia . 30 . 1–2 . 57–71 . 7 August 2015.
43. News: Knox . Malcolm . 20 January 2003 . Wake up Australia, racism is a problem . The Guardian . 31 July 2015.
44. News: 31 January 2006 . Racism shames nation: Cricket Australia . The Age . 31 July 2015.
45. News: 2008-01-29 . Harbhajan Singh cleared of racial abuse . en-GB . The Guardian . 2020-05-24 . 0261-3077.
46. Web site: 30 January 2022 . Nearly Dozen Fans Ejected From MCG For Making Racist Chants .
47. News: Migliaccio . Val . 28 July 2008 . Referee race abuse furore . The Advertiser.
48. News: 24 December 2012 . Adelaide United fan who racially abused Paul Ifill banned for two years . News.com.au . 7 August 2015.
49. News: Smithies . Tom . 10 April 2014 . FFA's independent Disciplinary Committee dismisses Brendon Santalab's racism charge . The Daily Telegraph . 7 August 2015.
50. Web site: 2013-08-21 . Nova Peris: I have been subjected to racist abuse . 2020-05-24 . The Guardian . en.
51. News: Holt . Monica . 6 July 2003 . Tough times for Filipaina . Sunday Star-Times.
52. News: Walter . Brad . 27 March 2004 . Langmack, Craigie to meet over racial abuse claim . The Sydney Morning Herald . 3 August 2015.
53. News: Walter . Brad . 25 May 2009 . Players call for action on slurs . The Sydney Morning Herald . 3 August 2015.
54. News: Weidler . Danny . 21 July 2002 . Race talk riles Preston . Sun Herald . 3 August 2015.
55. News: Pritchard . Greg . 5 July 2005 . Toughest sentence: Fletcher must say sorry to teammates . The Sydney Morning Herald . 3 August 2015.
56. News: 1 May 2007 . Merritt, Mundine say omission racist . The Sydney Morning Herald . 3 August 2015.
57. News: 10 July 2008 . Petero Civoniceva speaks out on monkey racism slur . The Daily Telegraph . 7 August 2015.
58. Web site: Mark . David . 2010-06-14 . Officials acknowledge racism in rugby league . 2020-05-24 . ABC Radio . en-AU.
59. Web site: Greg Inglis targeted by social media slurs . 5 August 2015 . Australian Human Rights Commission News, 25 May 2013.
60. News: 15 March 2014 . WA Equal Opportunity Commissioner Allanah Lucas condemns racist abuse aimed at AFL's Nic Naitanui . Australian Broadcasting Corporation News . 7 August 2015.
61. Web site: Sam Thaiday apologises for making racist comment League Sporting News . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170509034209/http://www.sportingnews.com/au/league/news/sam-thaiday-apologises-for-making-racist-comment-nrl-footy-show/1l37mx3l3zs3u1mp970q3aworx . 2017-05-09 . www.sportingnews.com.
62. Web site: NRL fans ejected from stadium after alleged racial abuse of Indigenous player Brent Naden .
63. News: 16 March 2005 . Harrison apologises for racist taunt . The Telegraph . 31 July 2015.
64. Web site: 2005-03-20 . Harrison suspended for three matches . 2020-05-24 . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . en-AU.
65. News: Harman . Neil . 1 September 2001 . US Open: Crowd chide 'racist' Hewitt . The Telegraph . 11 August 2015.
66. News: 1 September 2001 . Hewitt caught in race row . BBC News . 11 August 2015.
67. News: Pearce . Linda . 21 May 2013 . Angry young man disappoints . The Sydney Morning Herald . 6 August 2015.
68. News: Schlink . Leo . 20 June 2009 . Brydan Klein embarrassed by his racial slur . Herald Sun . 6 August 2015.
69. News: 9 July 2009 . Australian Brydan Klein given six-month ban for racist abuse . Reuters India . 6 August 2015.
70. Web site: 2014-08-08 . Sam Newman refuses to apologise for televised exposure . 2020-05-24 . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . en-AU.
71. News: Hogan . Jesse . 19 July 2005 . Hunt apologises for racial 'stuff up' . The Age . 3 August 2015.
72. Web site: Dean Jones sacked after 'terrorist' remark . 9 August 2015 . ESPNcricinfo, 7 August 2006.
73. Web site: 17 June 2010 . AFL figure sorry for 'cannibal' remark – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) . 7 November 2012 . Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
74. Web site: 17 June 2010 . Relationship will stay strong: Mifsud . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100620172014/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/96492/default.aspx . 20 June 2010 . 7 November 2012 . Afl.com.au.
75. News: 29 May 2013 . Eddie McGuire apologises to Adam Goodes for King Kong comment but will not resign . ABC News . 3 August 2015.
76. News: 9 May 2013 . ABC rugby league caller David Morrow sorry for 'racist' remark . The Australian . 31 July 2015.
77. News: Proszenko . Adrian . 7 June 2014 . Warren Ryan quits ABC job over racism row . . 10 August 2015.
78. Web site: 2024-08-02 . AFL to ‘ban’ broadcasters from only using ‘white men’ to cover footy . live . https://archive.today/20240802020212/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/afl-to-ban-broadcasters-from-only-using-white-men-to-cover-footy/news-story/e03a481b1254e8e01b81e4453d5a0a3d?amp&nk=79aff6eee62fdc20199e1acaa2f445cc-1722564143 . 2024-08-02 . 2024-08-02 . Herald Sun. subscription.