Men’s Health Australia – April 2020
English | 133 pages | pdf | 49.34 MB
YOU CAN’T BE WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE”
Inside Men’s Health Australia Magazine April 2020 Issue
Fifteen years ago, as a bright-eyed sports-science major, I had a vision of saving the world through sport. Like many Australians, I’d witnessed first-hand the uplifting effects of a hometown Olympics in Sydney and carried this optimism into my higher education.While I didn’t have the specifics figured out, one thing was for sure: sport, athletes and the culture and infrastructure around them were key to righting so many of the injustices I perceived in society.
Fast forward to 2020 and we’re on the cusp of another Olympiad. In this increasingly divisive era, the power of sport to set us on the right path seems more vital than ever. In that spirit, I invited Casey Conway, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Rugby Australia, to co-write this letter, a process that has renewed the hope and strengthened the resolve that ignited my career.
As Casey nailed in the drafting of this letter, sport provides a sense of purpose and belonging that leads to lasting physical and mental health benefits.We know that using sport as a tool for social inclusion can have not only a positive impact on an individual’s health but benefit the community as a whole, Conway says. So, we must ensure we approach it using a lens of diversity and equality, ensuring we provide opportunities for everyone to participate, regardless of their individual circumstances.
We all know that people from minority communities (disability, LGBTQ,multicultural and FirstNations) face numerous social and systemic barriers to participation – racism, ableism, homophobia or a combination of these. Sport, the media and the relevant administrative and corporate bodies have the power to address the imbalance of representation, thus creating a platform for these athletes to shine.
At Rugby Australia, Conway and his team have a philosophy called #PartOfMore that uses the power of storytelling to share the impact rugby has in people’s lives, on and off the field. At Men’s Health, we remain similarly committed to bringing you aspiration and inspiration through wide-ranging storytelling, 12 months a year.
When we think about athletes as rolemodels, we need to look at why their stories are held in such high esteem. Role models are those who possess qualities and traits to which we ourselves aspire. They have worked hard to get to where they are and have overcome countless obstacles to reach the top. They are dedicated and conscientious – and they get up when they fall. They also carry tremendous responsibility.
As I hang out high above Denver in Patty Mills’ Four Seasons suite, I know that based on this criteria we’ve aced our April cover choice.Mills’ playlist alone warrants his MH cover crown, an eclectic combination of artists and songs I’ll take to the grave . . . for his sake. Similarly inspiring
Our combined hope in 2020 and beyond this that we can make sport and health accessible to everyone. And that those we
see on the field, within these pages and in positions of influence, reflect that diversity.That way, we all win.
Scott Henderson
[email protected]
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