The ridiculousness of the racially aggravated harassment charge against Matildas footballer Sam Kerr
I was as surprised as anyone when news that the star of Australia’s women’s football team, the Matildas had been charged with racially aggravated harassment of a London police officer.
But wait, I thought. Sam Kerr is a person of colour. A Google search confirmed that she has Indian and Filipino heritage. Why would she be engaging in racist behaviour? It just didn’t make sense. Questions stormed my brain.
Sam Kerr is basically a hero in Australia, especially for women and girls. Not just because of her outstanding ability on the field, but her integrity and human decency as an individual and as part of a team.
By contrast, male sport identities engaging in despicable behaviour including sexual violence against women is so commonplace here that it barely rates as news these days. It’s just par for the course and people barely register it before moving on.
The 2023 World Cup brought unprecedented success for women’s football (interchangeably called soccer) in Australia. It was hard not to get excited about the Matildas’ 2023 World Cup games. I’m about the most reluctant sports fan you’ll find but nonetheless I found myself following the action on the big screen in a…
