Vitriol continues, numbers decline. A Lions star has called for change

Sydney Morning Herald

14-05-2025

Callum Ah Chee stares down at the Brisbane Lions' Indigenous guernsey proudly at the Gabba, knowing this year's Sir Doug Nicholls Round will carry extra significance.
His older brother, Jordan, designed the kit – highlighting his star sibling's journey to the heights of the AFL.
But while the game has sought to highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes more prominently, the fight continues.
There still is a lack of public understanding and cultural acceptance, Ah Chee says, which has left him and others exposed to vitriol, angst and racist taunts.
'I've experienced it, I think a lot of Indigenous boys around the league have experienced it, and I think with social media these days it's pretty hard to get around it,' Ah Chee says, before his side's clash with the Melbourne Demons on Sunday.
Ah Chee – whose mother (Noongar) is of Indigenous and Dutch descent, and his father of Aboriginal (Nyikina and Yawuru) and Chinese heritage – credits his predecessors with stamping out racist comments made in the flesh at games.
'[That] doesn't really happen any more, but you see a lot of stuff on social media, and you get messages here and there, which is really disappointing.'
What's important, he adds, is that his club stands by him when he speaks out.
'I know who I am, and I'm really proud to be an Indigenous person and am proud of where I come from, and I'm excited to showcase that this weekend.'
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Ah Chee's words follow the Willie Rioli saga in Port Adelaide, with Power football department boss Chris Davies highlighting his star had been subjected to racial vilification 'every day' on social media.
Ah Chee, accepting he is now a role model for the next generation, wants education on First Nations culture to extend beyond Indigenous rounds, with more opportunities for school children and the public to 'ask about their stories, who they are, and their experiences'.
'I think for young Indigenous kids watching on TV, they see our faces and can relate to us. You look at someone like Charlie Cameron and Kiddy Coleman – they're superstars, and they came from similar backgrounds as young Indigenous kids,' Ah Chee says.
'It just makes it realistic for them. If you have a dream out there, if you're a young Indigenous kid, don't let anyone tell you that you can't get there.
'Adam Goodes, Buddy Franklin, Cyril Rioli, Eddie Betts. They were ... not just superstars of the game but what they did in the community and standing up for our people, they're idols to me and really got me wanting to play footy.
'Because I saw them on TV playing the game, I thought I'd be able to. If they're able to do that, why can't I?'
This year, the AFL's 62 Indigenous players on squad lists marks a significant decline from the 87 who took the field in 2020.
The University of Queensland's Dr Kai Wheeler believes there may be positives in that, alluding to more diverse role models now being tapped into by First Nations communities outside of sport.
But there is still 'a significant amount of racism in sport and racist attitudes prevailing in society', says Wheeler, the director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strategy at the school of human movement and nutrition science.
Wheeler said education on First Nations culture needed to extend beyond one round a season, especially given the feelings of exclusion that were voiced after the recent ANZAC Day and NRL Welcome to Country debacles.
'I think what you saw with the Melbourne Storm [cancelling their Welcome to Country] was an absolute mess, and resulted in a lot of pain, anguish and grief that didn't need to be caused,' he says.
'One of the things that brings up is feelings of not being welcomed in your own country. As an Aboriginal person, that tells me we're actually not welcome, and that's problematic in trying to get more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into sport.'
Wheeler sees the result of the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to parliament as a sign that a 'vast majority of the Australian community' did not want Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a voice.
'That has flow-on effects,' he says. 'That has an impact beyond just that vote.'
He points to South Sydney Rabbitohs superstar Latrell Mitchell, who faced a backlash for vocally condemning racism, to illustrate the risk young athletes take stepping into the public eye.
'As you become a role model, you're put on this pedestal, and you're that tall poppy everybody would like to cut down,' he says.
'It's pretty vicious, and I guess that's the risk is that if you become an elite sportsperson, and you become that role model everybody looks up to, then it's a pretty heavy fall if they start tearing you down on social media.'
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For Wheeler, awareness of the risks of social media is as important for elite athletes as it is for young people like his 13-year-old son.
'Keeping him off social media and trying to educate him about the ways can be harnessed for good, and not doom-scrolling … is really important,' he says.
'But this needs to be invested heavily in elites as well, so that flow-on effect is very early in place. I can't imagine what it would be like for a parent of young people who are progressing to the elite level.