{"id":4347,"date":"2022-02-02T22:01:06","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T21:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idrottsforum.org\/forumbloggen\/?p=4347"},"modified":"2022-02-02T22:01:06","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T21:01:06","slug":"what-the-ash-barty-and-special-k-tennis-triumphs-say-about-australia-and-the-buttoned-up-sport-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idrottsforum.org\/forumbloggen\/what-the-ash-barty-and-special-k-tennis-triumphs-say-about-australia-and-the-buttoned-up-sport-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Ash Barty and \u2018Special K\u2019 tennis triumphs say about Australia and the buttoned-up sport\u00a0industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Australian Open winner Ashleigh Barty. (Mark Baker\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lead-up to the 2022 Australian Open was dominated by the unvaccinated top-ranked male tennis player Novak Djokovic\u2019s ignominious deportation<\/a> from Australia.<\/p>\n

Djokovic\u2019s absence prompted claims this would be an inferior<\/a> Grand Slam. Enter the contrasting Australian tennis characters of Ash Barty and her supporting cast of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis to fill the vacuum.<\/p>\n

Their respective wins in the women\u2019s singles and men\u2019s doubles suddenly turned the tournament into a very Australian story, swamping the nation\u2019s media with celebratory headlines like \u201cI\u2019m so proud to be Aussie\u201d: emotional Barty savours win for the ages<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Was this just the last big party of the Australian summer, or did it offer more enduring lessons for the country and sport?<\/p>\n

What these wins mean for Australia<\/h3>\n

Sport is without question hugely important in Australian society, although its advocates are prone to exaggerate its nationwide appeal<\/a>. Most Australians don\u2019t engage in organised sport and only about half go to venues as paying spectators.<\/p>\n

The majority watch some sport on television, although often only when a much-publicised event happens, like a woman\u2019s singles final<\/a> involving a compatriot like Barty.<\/p>\n

Research has shown that heavy users of sports media<\/a> exhibit variously higher levels of Australian patriotism, nationalism and \u201csmugness\u201d, while also tending to be less internationalist in outlook. So, after local success at the Australian Open, some Australians really will feel they live in the world\u2019s greatest country.<\/p>\n

Spikes in sport participation<\/a> around major events are usually short-lived. Of more pressing concern is the capacity of sporting success (like that of Barty and the so-called \u201cSpecial Ks\u201d) to attract people from historically marginalised communities as sport participants.<\/p>\n

This is especially important in individual sports like tennis where there are significant socio-economic barriers<\/a> related to the cost of training, travel and equipment.<\/p>\n

Barty\u2019s middle-Australia background, growing up in the Queensland city of Ipswich, offers encouragement to budding tennis players who don\u2019t go to expensive private schools. She is a key member of the current generation of champion Australian sportswomen, alongside footballer Sam Kerr and cricketer Meg Lanning, who are making major inroads into the male-dominated institution of sport.<\/p>\n

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Yes!!! https:\/\/t.co\/v4aSI7hVgl<\/a><\/p>\n

— Dr. Elita Partosoedarso (@elita_parto) January 31, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n