Confronting Challenges
“You Won’t Find Any Sexism Here”: Perceptions of Inclusion in a Sports Organisation
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Stephanie Foxton
Sport, like any social institution, plays a key role in shaping society. One of the ways we see this is through the language used in and around sporting contexts. Applying the concept of Big ‘D’, little ‘d’ discourses (Gee, 2015), this project examines how wider social Discourses related to gender and sexuality are reproduced in everyday talk within a sports organisation. Sports organisations are increasingly expected to adopt a wider social role as it is believed they foster social inclusion and strengthen social cohesion in local communities (Raw et al., 2022). By analysing language use within this setting, we gain a deeper understanding of how, and potentially why, Discourses of transphobia, homophobia, and sexism are still prevalent within sporting contexts. Working with a regional sports organisation in New Zealand over a period of three months, analysis draws on a dataset comprised of ethnographic fieldnotes, workplace documents, and ca. 25 hours of audio-visual recordings of naturally occurring workplace interactions (e.g. office small talk and team meetings) and follow-up interviews. Initial findings indicate that while various policies and guidelines are designed to foster inclusion within their workplace, at a micro level there are recurring discourses of exclusion on the basis of gender, age, and status, each indexing and reinforcing wider societal discourses of discrimination. Despite talking the talk, this particular organisation is taking a few stumbles when trying to walk the walk.
Media Analysis of the Suicides of Australian Rules Footballers with Brain Injuries View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Julie-Ann C Tullberg
Australian rules football has long been regarded as a spectacular and popular sport but one that causes crippling injuries, most notably brain trauma. In a recent $1 billion landmark class action, more than 60 retired elite footballers sued the Australian Football League (AFL) for concussion-related injuries. Concussion management in the AFL has been vigorously criticised for its medical protocols and the allowance for “bumps” without player protection. After several footballers took their lives, later proven to be linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or severe brain disease, the AFL has adopted coronial recommendations in an effort to prevent brain trauma at football training and during matches. This paper analyses the newspaper coverage of suicides of Australian rules footballers, which has played a critical role to improve AFL concussion protocols. This study compares the coverage of the AFL’s concussion-suicide link in Melbourne’s rival metropolitan newspapers, the Herald Sun and The Age. A print media analysis found the Murdoch-owned newspaper, the Herald Sun, had almost 50 per cent more coverage of the tragic AFL topic compared with its rival, The Age. The Herald Sun avoided using the word, “suicide” on AFL-related front-page reports, while The Age printed four front-page reports with reference to “suicide”. The Herald Sun ran several in-depth AFL suicide-related reports, while The Age proved more selective in its coverage. This studyl establishes that AFL concussion incidents, in the men’s and women’s leagues, have failed to significantly decrease due to the greater speed of game flow.
Gender Inequity in Competitive Surfing in Australia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ece Kaya
Our research focuses on women surfers’ lived experiences by aiming to explore gender inequity in surfing and which governance reforms are apposite in terms of equal prize money at tournaments, an equal number of tournaments plus lead-up qualifying events, and equal sub-elite development and talent pathway programs. These are structural issues that affect women surfers as a collective, and for which governance reforms within the sport of surfing can provide a remedy. Research into Australian surfing has canvassed its historical, sociological, and cultural dimensions, including awareness of its gender dynamics. What is lacking, however, is insights from surfers themselves – in our case, women - about their opportunities, obstacles and pain points in the journey from surf clubs into junior events, pathways into tournaments, and experiences in elite competition. The research adopts a qualitative approach. 20 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with Australian women surfers to gain insights into their experiences, challenges, and perceptions regarding gender equity in surfing. By giving voice to these experiences, our research aims to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on gender equality in sports, in our case surfing, by focusing not only on issues of remuneration in the sports industry but broader questions for women surfers in terms of recruitment, retention, support services, and cultural acceptance. We intend to allow the women themselves to identify problems, changes, and ideas for promoting equity.
