The 2023 AFL season kicked off with some of the largest attendance crowds ever recorded- but sadly racism again raised its UGLY head following the racial abuse of Western Bulldogs Aboriginal player Jamarra Ugle-Hagen.
Twenty three reported incidents of racist abuse in April directed at players either at games or in social media suggest the problem will not go away easily, particularly when taking into account the number of unreported incidents across the nation.
Despite condemnation by the AFL of the racist abuse on Twitter, Lucas Santos a lecturer at Monash University’s Intercultural Lab, Faculty of Arts says the AFL needs to be more decisive on the issue.
Listen here :
Dr Santos is currently investigating racism within the Australian Football League (AFL), with a particular emphasis on how fractures and tensions across in the wider Australian society reverberate through sports.
Listen to the full interview here ;
Graphics by Jack Orr.