Twelfth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

There is general consensus that sporting role models (SRM) inspire behaviour and attitude, thereby setting an example for others to follow. However, research shows that only 10 percent of elite athletes have been inspired by other elite athletes. Indeed, researchers have long been ambivalent or unconvinced about the efficacy of a ‘role model effect’ in terms of sport engagement. While this inconsistency is acknowledged, we argue that the situation is different for Indigenous Australian women due to their sociocultural situation. The influence of a number of Indigenous Australian sportswomen is explored illuminating the historical absence and the subsequent development of their voices as SRMs. We focus on the actions and performances of the ‘big three’ female Indigenous Australian athletes—Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Nova Peris, and Kathy Freeman. We apply Meier’s (2015) theoretical lens to examine the actions and influences of the women. Meier recognizes three categories on a ‘continuum of interaction’ between an observer and a successful SRM, and nine functions of SRMs. Examining the status of Indigenous women as SRMs enables a deeper understanding of the unique platform sport provides as well as an added function, that of ‘maintaining culture’. Metaphorically the women start in silence; however, the evidence suggests that they gain—and sometimes regain—voice, even beyond their athletic careers. Indigenous Australian sportswomen are constructed in complex and sometimes contradictory ways, portrayed as advocates, deviants, sporting ambassadors, politicians, and activists.