Reflecting Australia’s obsession with sport, the National Portrait Gallery has many diverse portraits of Australian sportspeople. Let’s take a closer look at some of the athletic achievers from our collection and their stories that have shaped our national identity.
Australia is a nation of sports lovers. Four in five (80%) Australians agree that sport is a significant part of Australian culture. We are proud that we punch above our weight on the international stage, be it the Olympics, soccer world cup, the cricket or rugby. The often-used analogy to describe our obsession with sport, is that to Australians, sport is like a religion.
Australia has not had the number one cricket team for several years. The Wallabies finished third at last year’s Rugby World Cup. At Wimbledon this year, Australia had its worst result since 1938 and at the London Olympics, Australia ranked 10th- our worst result for twenty years. Yet while there are questions being asked, there is no national soul searching, no sense of mass mourning, and not even much visceral disappointment. All of which begs the question: why?
The way ‘mainstream’ Australians see themselves is characterised by key polarities, defined according to what popular culture allows and prohibits at the same time. Sport becomes a vehicle through which those with nationalistic leanings express their adherence to sentimental ideas of a bigger Australian story.
