‘I've been driven and selfish': AFL star Travis Boak on staying single
Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week he speaks to Travis Boak. The Port Adelaide midfielder, 36, holds the club's record for most AFL games played: 380 and counting. He's made the All-Australian team three times, and won the club's best and fairest award twice.
POLITICS
You're a public figure and a role model. Did you embrace this exposure – or did it freak you out? You adapt to it. With social media, there's way more scrutiny on players, especially young players. You learn as you go that people are constantly watching and judging, and that can take away your authenticity. But vulnerability, imperfections, stuffing shit up and trying your best is the best way to lead, right?
Has it taken a lot of trial and error to land where you're at? A hundred per cent. When I was captain [of Port Adelaide from 2013 to 2018], my whole identity was based on being a footballer and captain. If I played well, if I led well, I was a good person. If I didn't, I was a bad person. I attached my entire worth to being a footballer and it completely drained me. But I had to go through that period to get where I am now.
Over your career, AFL has had its scandals. How have you seen the code and culture of the game evolve – and has it evolved enough? It's still evolving, for sure. The AFL, in particular, is a huge part of Australian culture, so we have a platform from which we can make change. The women's game has grown massively and we've made a lot of progress in the Indigenous space, too. We didn't have any of this 10 or 15 years ago.
Last year, there was a shocking display of sexism at Melbourne's Knox Football Club when male players vocally rated and tripped up female players of an opposing club as they entered the field. You were one of the first public figures to call it out, saying that more than an apology was needed. What needs to happen next? My initial reaction was, 'How does this even still happen?' It's not just one thing. Education is a huge part of it: how parents, teachers and the community talk to kids.
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