First Nations sports people who face racism from fans and clubs are retraumatised by the experience, a former NRL star has told the ABC's Q&A program.
Joe Williams, who played for the Rabbitohs, Panthers and Bulldogs over a four-year career, said the entire history of persecution faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was brought to the fore by incidents of vilification faced by players.
"Are players expected to just shrug it off? Let's look at the impact and effects of what racism is in alerting our stress response in our brain, and everything that happens during that process of being targeted, racially vilified," he told the audience.
"It takes us directly back to years and decades of our mothers and fathers and grandparents being flogged and... bashed just for being coloured."
The Wiradjuri Wolgalu man made the remarks in response to a question from an audience member, who questioned the abuse faced by players. It comes after multiple incidents of racism and cultural insensitivity within the sporting community, from both fans and the clubs of players themselves.
The former halfback sought to broaden the scope of the issue, saying it was not simply a problem within sport.
"I get asked this question all the time - does the NRL have a problem with racism, does the AFL have a problem with racism?
"I believe Australia has a problem with racism. Sport is a by-product of a larger country."
Williams said he himself had struggled in the past with his response to incidents of racism.
"I know if I go and knock someone's teeth out, who gets in trouble?
"My father once said to me, 'You'll never, ever beat racism with your fists, you'll only ever beat racism with intelligence and the truth.'"
Sports leadership lacking diversity
Williams' remarks were preceded by a discussion on the lack of representation within the upper management of different sporting codes.
Despite the high numbers of Pasifika and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, that was not reflected in positions of power, he told host Stan Grant.
"We see a hell of a lot of people of colour in the rugby league and rugby union but we don't see a hell of a lot of people of colour making the decisions at the top.
"I think it is a must and if we're going to have serious conversations about that, it needs to start happening."
Olympic swimmer and now Chief Executive of the Australian Sports Commission, Kieren Perkins, was then asked by Grant whether he was "part of the problem".
"100 per cent," he replied.
Online vilification will become 'more rife'
The role of social media in facilitating the abuse faced by sports people and broader populace was also thrown into the spotlight. An audience member cited a study which found that 44 per cent of Premier League players who held a Twitter account had received abuse.
Citing the example of Jaxson Paulo, the Pasifika Rabbitohs wing who copped death threats after their recent match against the Panthers, panellist David Lakisa said it was vital that the industry face up to the reality of online abuse.
"So ensuring that there is strong support structures and there are clear guidelines on how to manage this, because it's only going to become more and more rife," he said.
Williams drew attention to the disparity between the real-world impact of online racism and the lack of punitive measures available to victims.
"There's no consequences to words online or even words said to me.
"It's documented... that the impact of racism, the toxic stress that it causes on the brain for somebody, is like getting a punch in the face.
"So if somebody punched somebody in the face they would have consequences for it, but if somebody has racial tones or even language towards someone, there's no consequences."
