A Case Study of Sport and Racism in Australia: A Qualitative Document Analysis

Australia is well known as a ‘sporting nation’ with outstanding elite sporting achievements and grassroots-level sports participation. The reality for Australia’s First Nations people and those from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, however, tends to differ from the mainstream Australian population. One of the contributing factors being argued within this paper is the prevalence of historical and contemporary racism in Australian sport. This study focuses on four of Australia’s most popular community-participation sports, including Australian Rules Football (ARF), Cricket, Netball, and Swimming. Using a Qualitative Document Analysis method, this research investigates both primary and secondary sources for instances of both historical and contemporary racism reported in these four sports, particularly at the elite professional level. This study revealed that racism is a key factor affecting participation and performance for Australian First Nations people and those from CALD backgrounds in the sports under examination. This study contributes to a stronger understanding of the institutional racism that exists in Australian sporting contexts and the need for more inclusive practices at both the grassroots and elite levels.