- Born:
- January 8, 1980, Wallaroo, South Australia, Australia (age 46)
- Awards And Honors:
- Australian of the Year (2014)
Adam Goodes
-
Who is Adam Goodes?
Adam Goodes, born on January 8, 1980, was a leading Australian rules football player. Goodes, whose mother was of Adnyamathanha and Narungga descent, was named Australian of the Year in 2014.
Goodes debuted in 1999 with the Sydney Swans of the Australian Football League (AFL), later earning the season’s Rising Star Award. A solid utility player, he was named to four All-Australian teams and won multiple Brownlow Medals.
Known as a proud Adnyamathanha man, Goodes often advocated for improved race relations. In 2013, he was the target of a racist slur by a spectator, and in 2015, he faced relentless booing, which many believed was racially motivated. In 2019, the AFL apologized to Goodes for not responding to the racist abuse he faced. He co-founded the Goodes O’Loughlin (GO) Foundation in 2009, supporting Indigenous youth programs.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is Australian rules football?
Australian rules football, originating in Melbourne in the late 1850s, is a distinctive sport in Australia and the first to formalize its rules. Played with an oval ball, the game involves 18 players per team on a large oval field, where they score by kicking the ball through goalposts. Players can run with the ball, but must bounce it every 15 meters, and can pass by kicking or handballing.
Adam Goodes, an Australian rules football player, was one of the game’s leading scorers. Throughout his career, Goodes spoke out against racism and worked with Indigenous youth programs. He was named Australian of the Year in 2014.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Which team did Adam Goodes play for in the Australian Football League (AFL)?
Adam Goodes, an accomplished Australian rules football player, played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Goodes debuted with the Swans in 1999 at age 19 and won the season’s Rising Star Award. Throughout his career, he was named to four All-Australian teams and was a multiple winner of the Brownlow Medal.
Off the field, Goodes is known for his advocacy for improved race relations and his work with Indigenous youth programs. He was named Australian of the Year in 2014 and founded the Goodes O’Loughlin (GO) Foundation in 2009.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some major achievements or awards Adam Goodes has won in his football career?
Adam Goodes, an Australian rules football player, has achieved significant recognition in his career. He debuted with the Sydney Swans in 1999 and won the AFL Rising Star Award that season. Goodes was named to four All-Australian teams. In 2003, he was a joint winner of the Brownlow Medal. In 2005, he contributed to Sydney’s Grand Final victory over the West Coast Eagles. That same year, he was named to the sport’s Indigenous Team of the Century. In 2006, he won another Brownlow Medal, becoming the 12th player to win the award more than once. In 2014, he was named Australian of the Year for his anti-racism efforts and work with Indigenous youth programs like the GO Foundation.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Adam Goodes use his platform to address social issues, such as racism in sports?
Adam Goodes, an Australian rules football player, used his platform to address social issues, particularly racism in sports and to support Indigenous youth.
A proud “Adnyamathanha man,” Goodes often spoke out for improved race relations. In 2013, during a match, he was called an "ape" by a 13-year-old girl. Goodes stopped the game and demanded she be ejected. He later urged that she not be vilified, believing it was an unwitting slur.
In 2015, he faced relentless booing, speculated to be racially motivated. The AFL and its clubs apologized in 2019 for failing to act when he was subjected to racist abuse.
In 2014, he was named Australian of the Year for his efforts to end racism and his work with indigenous-youth community programs, notably the Goodes O’Loughlin (GO) Foundation, which he co-founded in 2009.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What impact has Adam Goodes had on Indigenous Australian communities and the AFL?
Adam Goodes, an Australian rules football player, has significantly impacted Indigenous Australian communities and the Australian Football League (AFL).
A proud Adnyamathanha man, Goodes often spoke out for improved race relations. He was named Australian of the Year in 2014 for his efforts to end racism and his work with Indigenous youth programs, particularly the Goodes O’Loughlin (GO) Foundation, which he co-founded in 2009. In 2019, the AFL and its clubs apologized to Goodes for failing to act when he was subjected to racist abuse.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Adam Goodes (born January 8, 1980, Wallaroo, South Australia, Australia) is an Australian rules football player who was one of the game’s leading scorers. He was named Australian of the Year in 2014.
Goodes’s mother was of Adnyamathanha and Narungga descent, a member of the “stolen generation” of Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families. His father was white, and the young Goodes initially faced insults because of his mixed heritage. His parents split when he was age four, and his mother raised him and his two younger brothers. Goodes began playing Australian rules football while in school, and at age 16 he joined the under-18 club North Ballarat Rebels. Two years later he was drafted by the Sydney Swans of the Australian Football League (AFL). He made his Swans debut in 1999 at age 19 and went on to win the season’s Rising Star Award.
At 6 feet 4 inches (1.94 metres) and 218 pounds (99 kg), Goodes established himself as a solid utility player and one of Sydney’s best scorers. In 2003 he was named to the first of four All-Australian teams (the others were in 2006, 2009, and 2011) and was joint recipient of the Brownlow Medal for the home-and-away season’s best and fairest player. In 2004 he struggled with a recurring knee injury, but in 2005 he played well enough to contribute to Sydney’s 8.10 (58)–7.12 (54) Grand Final victory over the West Coast Eagles. That same year he was named to the sport’s Indigenous Team of the Century. The following season he was the sole winner of the Brownlow Medal, becoming the 12th player to take the award more than once. Goodes set a team-appearance record in April 2012 with his 304th game. He suffered an injured quad that season but still scored a goal in the Grand Final as Sydney defeated Hawthorn 14.7 (91)–11.15 (81).
A proud “Adnyamathanha man,” Goodes often spoke out for improved race relations. He became embroiled in a highly publicized incident during Sydney’s Indigenous Round match against Collingwood on May 24, 2013, when a 13-year-old girl in the stands called him an “ape.” Goodes stopped play and demanded that she be ejected. The girl later apologized and admitted that she had not understood the word’s racist connotations, and Goodes publicly urged that the girl not be vilified for what he believed to have been an unwitting slur. However, in 2015 he was subjected to relentless booing during matches, which some speculated was motivated by racism. He took a brief break from play before retiring later that year. In 2019 the AFL and its clubs apologized to Goodes for failing to act when he was subjected to racist abuse.
In January 2014 Goodes was named Australian of the Year for both his efforts to end racism and his work with indigenous-youth community programs, notably the Goodes O’Loughlin (GO) Foundation, which he founded in 2009 with his cousin and former Sydney teammate Michael O’Loughlin. Goodes provided an eloquent account of his life and beliefs in the essay “The Indigenous Game: A Matter of Choice,” which was included in the book The Australian Game of Football (2008).