Why sport?
Australian sport is characterised by competition, domination, toughness and aggression, and it plays an important role in shaping the nature of Australian men. Success and respect on the field is often associated with physical strength, the capacity to be violent and the ability to play with pain. Successful male athletes are depicted as courageous and heroic, as warriors, gladiators, combatants, field generals, hit men and top guns. When they don’t perform they are accused of being soft, being a ‘sheila’.
 
Men’s actions towards women are often influenced by the actions and attitudes of the other men around them, especially team mates and the attitudes reflected in the change rooms or the pub. Young boys grow into men through the lessons they learn from their team mates, their coaches, and their sporting heroes.
 
Mateship and loyalty are an important part of tightly knit male groups of sportsmen and valuable for teamwork and sporting success, but they can also intensify violence, sexism and encourage individuals to allow group loyalties to override their personal integrity. It is these very concepts that have led to a high number of professional and amateur sportsmen recently being linked to reports of violence against women.
 
But most men involved in sport treat women with respect, and it is these same concepts of mateship and loyalty that can ensure the culture of violence on the sporting field doesn’t continue off it. Sport has such a tremendous influence on men’s and youth culture that our sport clubs and competitions are the perfect place to make a change for the better.
 
The aim of the White Ribbon Sports Challenge is to show people what a great impact men and boys can have in their community when they band together for a positive cause.
 
This Challenge is about using sport to help make sure that the attitudes in change rooms, pubs and on the field, and the lessons taught by coaches, team mates and sporting heroes are all positive messages that ensure respect for women and girls and help eliminate violence.

What this Challenge is not about
Before you read on, let’s clarify up front what this Challenge is not about. This Challenge is not about forcing anyone to do anything they don’t want to do. It’s not about being told what to do, how to do it and when to do it. It’s not about changing how we play sport or being ‘soft’. It’s not about jumping up and down on a couch in front of millions of people vowing our undying love for the women in our lives. And it’s certainly not about making fun of a serious issue.

Please note, much of this information was taken from 'Building cultures of non-violence and respect, AFL Respect and Responsibility Program' and www.coaches-corner.org