In a stunning show of support for Adam Goodes, the Saturday editions of Fairfax newspapers The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have run covers dedicated to the embattled Sydney Swans player.
Goodes is taking time off from the game and weighing up the future of his playing career after being greeted with boos and insults at AFL games across the country.
On their front page today, The Age took a firm and impassioned stand on the booing, declaring “it’s racism and it’s wrong”.
In an accompanying editorial, The Age admitted that it is “unusual” for a daily paper to take such a direct stance, but said that their move reflects “profound concern” for Goodes, over treatment he has received from “an ignorant, mean-spirited portion of our society.”
They went on to say that the treatment of Goodes reflects poorly on Australia as a nation:
“We take it as self-evident that vilifying any person on the grounds of race is a dreadful and harmful act that not only reflects terribly on the perpetrator, but is corrosive of our very community. The attacks on Goodes in recent times have reached such a level that they are reflecting poorly on our entire nation. We all have a duty to help end this travesty – and prevent repeats – by having the courage and decency to call out such behaviour as a racist disgrace. It certainly has no place in a nation that would pride itself on being diverse, multicultural and, above all, fair.”
Today, both The Age and Herald ran a wrap-around poster with Goodes’ number 37 and the statement “I Stand With Adam”, and have urged fans to take it to games to show their support, as well as sharing photos of themselves with it on social media.
JOIN US: show your support for Adam #Goodes with @theage in the #IStandWithAdam campaign http://t.co/nlH5Z2cfdO pic.twitter.com/PJGbL1z0l2
— The Age (@theage) July 31, 2015
“The Herald calls on readers to take a stand and make it stop,” SMH editor Darren Goodsir said. “Take our game day poster to the SCG on Saturday and show your support.”
Yesterday, businessman James Packer fired up about the treatment of Goodes, saying that he is “ashamed” that some AFL fans have taken to booing the former Australian Of The Year.
“This issue is above politics and it sits at the core of what Australia was, is, and has the potential to be,” he said yesterday, speaking in Melbourne about Crown’s indigenous employment program.
“I believe Australia cannot be truly reconciled without recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders at the forefront of this country’s public life.”
via The Age
