As the world continues to grapple with fundamental shifts in culture and politics, sport increasingly plays a role in celebrating diversity and inclusion.
We see this in themed rounds, merchandise and stories, but is it enough to drive change? And are we amplifying diverse voices, or relying on those diverse voices to drive change for us?
During the weeks leading up to inclusion rounds such as the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round, various Pride rounds across different sporting leagues and matches that put the impacts of violence against women front and centre, the media shines a light on a select few individuals to represent their community.
While it’s important to make them heard, it’s important to ensure a balance between sharing diverse voices and willingly listening to their lived experiences, and what could be seen as tokenism or putting the emotional labor onto those from marginalized communities.
This came to a head for Super Netball in 2020, when player and Wakka Wakka woman Jemma Mi Mi was used as a poster girl by her club, the Queensland Firebirds, for the league’s Indigenous round but was not selected to play in the game.
Mi Mi was the only Indigenous player in the game at the time and had to do the work of being the league’s spokesperson for the round, but could not follow through on the court.
Media needs to help create change
Media Diversity Australia chief executive Mariam Veiszadeh says the media has a crucial role to play in creating real inclusion and sharing marginalized people’s stories and voices.
“The media needs to be aware of the unconscious impact it has on minority groups,” Veiszadeh said.
“Without the instrumental understanding of why it is we’re focusing on diversity and inclusion, there’s a risk that efforts will always be viewed as tokenistic.”
She says acknowledging people from minority groups on an ad-hoc basis or when there are moments of crisis is not real inclusion.
“Those of us in positions of influence need to do a better job of explaining that. It’s not just putting on a particular uniform … it digs much deeper than that,” she said.
“One’s identity is part and parcel of who they are. But if you keep honing in on that, you’re missing the bigger picture.”
Inclusion rounds a good starting point
A focus on driving inclusion is important to ensure more people feel like they belong in society, and sport has a great power and potential to be a leader for this.
However there also has to be a focus to include people from diverse communities outside of themed rounds and newsworthy moments so inclusion is not perceived merely as a tokenistic gesture.
“While the intentions behind such rounds are positive, they should be the starting point for inclusivity, not the result,” writer and diversity and inclusion specialist Rana Hussain said.
Hussain has been at the forefront of these conversations both professionally as a former inclusion and diversity specialist at the Richmond Football Club and Cricket Australia, and personally as a Muslim woman of Indian descent.
“Inclusion isn’t only about how it looks and how it’s celebrated if we’re not willing to have those hard conversations about equal opportunity,” she said.
For Yankunytjatjara and Wirangu sports media presenter and educator Shelley Ware, tokenism is ever-present in the journey to inclusion, but she does see real change beginning to ripple across society.
“For years we’ve watched panels of non-Aboriginals ask and answer questions about us. Now we’re seeing people with lived experiences have a say,” she said.
“I know that it takes time and what I’m asking for people to do will be generational.”
As much as these rounds have a universal ripple effect, there are also things left unsaid that occupy the shadows surrounding the spotlight of these occasions.
This is what Ware is passionate about seeing more of, more conversation and bringing the power of Indigenous storytelling into the challenges that arise when racism appears in sport.
“This is what being Aboriginal is about, it’s about deep listening to one another, understanding where the other is coming from and helping one another live better,” Ware said.
“We’re told things all the time, like, ‘your topic is too difficult for us to hear right now, maybe keep what you’re going to say lighter because we have a function after’.”
Ware is happy to see progress in the representation of Indigenous talent in sports media, but she is still battling barriers to move beyond tokenism.
“My career in the media came to a halt when I was taken off my show The Color of Your Jumper, on the AFL Media platform during COVID,” she said.
Ware was told it was because the AFL platform “already has one other Aboriginal show”.
“We’ve got 25 to 50 non-Aboriginal shows, predominantly with white people on television, yet we can only have room for one Aboriginal show on one station,” she said.
“That’s enough. That’s systemic racism and white privilege. That’s a mindset that needs to change.”
‘It’s like a marriage’ — progress takes hard work
Inclusion in sports media isn’t simply asking people from marginalized communities to water down their lived experiences for the public’s comfort and to fit the mainstream narrative of celebration and acknowledgment.
Inclusion can’t be squeezed into a timeslot, a singular show or painted on a guernsey that is only donated by players in inclusion rounds celebrated one week a year.
Similarly, it’s unfair to call on those few to be the voice of their entire community when challenges arise. This is where everyone has a responsibility to listen and learn to do some of this important work themselves.
“It’s not about doing one thing, once a year, or through themes. It’s everyday inclusion, it’s like a marriage, it requires work,” Veiszadeh said.
And if sporting clubs are serious about driving legitimate change, efforts must be genuine, informed and come to the conversation ready to have the difficult discussions alongside the celebrations and colorful jumpers.
ABC Sport is partnering with Siren Sport to elevate the coverage of Australian women in sport.
Sophie Fazzolari is a freelance writer and psychology student at Victoria University. She is currently participating in the ABC Sport X Siren Sport Emerging Sports Writer Program.
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