Analyzing the Significant Contributions of Adam Goodes to Australia

This essay provides an analysis of Adam Goodes, an Indigenous Australian, focusing on his life, contributions, and his role in combating racism in Australia. It highlights his achievements as a football player, his advocacy for Indigenous rights, and his efforts to address social issues affecting Aboriginal communities. The essay explores his experiences with racism, both during his football career and in broader society, and how these experiences shaped his commitment to fighting for equality and justice. It also discusses his initiatives to support disadvantaged youth and promote education and healthy living within Indigenous communities. The analysis emphasizes Goodes' resilience, leadership, and the lasting impact of his actions on Australian society, particularly in raising awareness about the challenges faced by Indigenous people and inspiring future generations.

Running head: ABORIGINALS 1
Analysis of the Important People of Australia
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission

ABORIGINALS 2
Profile: Adam Goodes
Life
Adam Goodes’ life and accomplishments can be traced back to his origin and decent. For
example, he is a member belonging to the indigenous team of the century. Besides that, he has
contributed a lot to the team including participating in the International rules series where the
team represented Australia. His accomplishments have made him proud of his decent which is
belonging to the aboriginal communities of Australia. Growing up he never faced racism, and
that inspired him to stand against it because he knew the impact and consequence of the vice.
Growing up he had friends who were white, and they never made fun of him or discriminated
against him at any time. In school and after school he joined football and excelled, and in a short
period, he was able to be famous (Coram & Hallinan, 2017). He has seen success and failure,
and in the face of both, he has remained spirited and motivated to continue doing his best. His
life is all about people getting chances to do something with their lives, and no life is worth
being ignored or wasted. Besides that, growing up with friends who knew he was different and
never belittled him, made him stand against racism and fight it aggressively. Being a football
player has designed and made him the leader he is today (Burgess, 2016).
Important Events and Contribution to the Society
Adam has contributed many things to the Australian society; first, he has helped the
country in football by helping it to win many tournaments and placed Australia on the man.
Besides that, he has shown the country and everyone else the reasons to be proud of their origin
and descent. As a result, he has participated in many programs in the community that raise
awareness and indigenous sports in the community. He has also dedicated his life to fighting
against racism in all places including in sports Grant, 2015). He has been vibrant in condemning

ABORIGINALS 3
the vice openly. Besides that, he has been seen working with youths in the detention camps that
are troubled. He works with other people like his brother in ensuring that they set an example for
the youths and the young people in the society and among the indigenous people. Also, he has
championed a campaign that promotes education, employment and eating healthy in Australia.
The history of the aboriginals is quite sad, and from the readings, it’s seen that most
Australians find the story hard to accept. Most of the aboriginals were treated as slaves and
belittled and were not seen to be people to rise above to noteworthy people like some have
become. From the readings, it is evident that the aboriginals are the oldest people in Australia
and they can be linked to a specific place in the world, unlike other communities. History has
shown that they were the original descendants and occupants of Australia before the invasion
that saw them dispersed all over. Aboriginals have strong beliefs in family, community and also
proximity. The family gives them foundation and identity (Korff, n.d.).
Analysis of Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes is a symbol of resilience, commitment, and passion for the young
generation of the aboriginals of Australia. His life and achievements are born out of the
experiences he has gone through from childhood to his adulthood. Furthermore, the person he
has become which is a leader has been fashioned and shaped by the activities and events that he
has been part of since childhood. Therefore, this analysis will be showing the life of Adam and
how he has is overcoming and exposing racism and silent apartheid in Australia both in the game
and outside the football game (Hallinan & Judd, 2012).
Racism in Australia especially towards the aboriginals has played a critical role in
developing the character and life of Adam. Growing up he had friends who were not aboriginals,
and they never made fun of him of his origin. However, some of the students in school made fun

ABORIGINALS 4
of him by calling him suggestive names that were racial and as soon as he realized what they
meant he found them hurting and offensive. As a result of that, he has grown resilient, and
through his success in football, he has become an ambassador against racism. As a young
football player, he faced insults playing football, in 2013, a young lady called him an ape, and he
demanded that the lady should be ejected. The racist booing’s were also experienced by the
player in the consequent games which made him to take a break for a while (Gorman, 2018).
Besides that, growing up he realized that most of the people of his decent were not able to
access proper education and employment opportunities because of racism and silent apartheid.
Also, he has openly admitted that playing football has turned him into the leader he is today. The
chances that he has received in life as a young man and a football player have made him start
programs for young people who are disadvantaged in the society. Besides that, it has made him
find all reasons for working with the youths in detention camps which the community might
have given up on by providing them a role model to emulate.
Additionally, he quit the game silently because of racism, and the retirement was on his
terms. One of the reasons for leaving was that he saw the system was wrong to allow silent
apartheid by belittling the indigenous people (Bond, 2018). His retirement was a message to the
system that he was not going to accept its power over him or his community. Being an aboriginal
and different, he chose to defy racism and also the fact that there was anything wrong with his
body. His community Adnyamathanha and Narungga valued sovereignty, and from those
principles, Adam made his decisions. For example, he refused to accept gifts from a game and a
platform that continually ridiculed him, and he did this an act of sovereignty. His actions have
since led to many other aboriginal players standing against racism of all kinds both in and out of
the field (Barlo & Gnibi College, 2018).

ABORIGINALS 5
References
Barlo, S., & Gnibi College. (2018, August 02). Adam Goodes, dignity and Aboriginal men:
What the research says. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/adam-goodes-
dignity-and-aboriginal-men-what-the-research-says-45426
Bond, C. (2018, August 03). Refusing to play the race game. Retrieved from
https://theconversation.com/refusing-to-play-the-race-game-66043
Burgess, M. (2016). The Australian of the year. Australian Nursing and Midwifery
Journal, 23(9), 48.
Coram, S., & Hallinan, C. (2017). Critical race theory and the orthodoxy of race neutrality:
examining the denigration of Adam Goodes. Australian Aboriginal Studies, (1), 99.
Gorman, S. (2018, August 03). Booing the messenger: Goodes is gone, but the confronting truth
remains. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/booing-the-messenger-goodes-is-
gone-but-the-confronting-truth-remains-48157
Grant, S. (2015). I can tell you how Adam Goodes feels. Every indigenous person has felt it. The
Guardian Australia, 30.
Hallinan, C., & Judd, B. (2012). Duelling paradigms: Australian Aborigines, marn-grook and
football histories. Sport in Society, 15(7), 975-986.
Korff, J. (n.d.). Principles of self-determination. Retrieved from
https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/selfdetermination/principles-of-self-
determination