Managing Racism on the Field in Australian Junior Sport

Junior sport is a popular activity for children under the age of 18. However there have been few analyses of the extent that racism is experienced in junior sport, or how sports clubs manage it. Farquharson, Spaaij, Gorman, Jeanes, Lusher and Magee investigate how junior sports clubs in Victoria, Australia manage experiences of racism during matches. Through an in-depth analysis of interviews with over one hundred players, parents, coaches and volunteers across nine junior sports clubs, they argue that structural and cultural factors result in the maintenance of an on-field sporting culture where racism is essentially tolerated, even when lip service is given to its inappropriateness. Both the official and the informal processes for managing racial abuse reinforce the marginalisation of non-White players while reinforcing the normativity of Whiteness in Australian sport.