Adam Goodes was born on January 8 1980 and by the time he was four he had already faced his first piece of adversity, his father had left him at the age of four not wanting to father a kid due to his lack of commitment. Adams mother was forced to parent Adam by herself. Before she met Graham (Adams Father) she grew up in a mission and was taken from her parents in the Stolen Generation. 

 

 Since Goodes was young he looked up to other indigenous sportsman and back then he didn’t realise he would be the most notable one of the group, now other children look up to that small boy sitting in front of his TV watching the Australian Football League. I believe Adam Goodes is one of if not the most notable Australian of our generation. Goodes has climbed hills and mountains to get where he is today and he jeopardised all of his hard work to make an impact for his culture. 

 

The defining moment of Adam Goodes career came in 2013 in the form of a 13 year old girl in the stands. When Goodes turned around he saw this young girl shouting racial slurs towards him and the other indigenous players on the swans. This behaviour was unacceptable and Adam rightfully got a guard to escort her out of the stadium. The whole crowd burst into a roar of boos and Goodes was surrounded by other people who shared the girls beliefs. In this moment Australians all over the country were in a state of frenzy and outrage thinking that the young girl was the victim in the situation, for the next twenty games Adam walked through the tunnel with the constant sound of hate ringing through his ears. Australia was so racist that we didn’t even know or acknowledge what Goodes was going through. This led to his decision to decline the AFL hall of fame and instead start the GO foundation. 

 

 While in the AFL Goodes won two Brownlow medals and won many championships with the Sydney swans but where Adam really exceled was off the pitch where he created the GO foundation which has helped thousands of struggling children with its school programs, Michael O Loughlin and Adam Goodes started this foundation to help kids who are underprivileged in Sydney his foundation values education over everything and in 2014 they started their first school and now in 2021 the GO foundation owns 27 schools and five universities. These schools are non-for-profit and use donations to help with building future schools. Goodes isn't done yet and is still pushing for more equality for indigenous rights 

 

I chose Adam Goodes because of his immense drive and because of his courage to show others what is right. His connection to his roots and other people is truly remarkable and one day I hope I will have the drive and determination the AFL superstar, Adam Goodes. 

 

Adam Goodes has loved sports since he was a small boy and he took this passion  to the next level when he turned 14, devoting his time and effort to become a AFL superstar. His hard work and will to win took to the big leagues and now he could be inducted into the Hall of Fame (if he rethinks his decline of the offer). This has a small link to my life as I have always loved sports but I don’t think I will ever be as successful as Adam Goodes, I also don’t think I would have that much drive for a single sport, for me sport is more of a way to socialise with others and to have fun. 

 

Adam Goodes was drafted to the Sydney Swans as the 43rd pick in 1997 and spent a year as a reserve before getting the Rising star award for emerging rookies, this award gave him notice around the AFL community. Adam played well for multiple years gaining more and more publicity until he faced yet another challenge. In a match Goodes fell to the ground in pain he had been injured, people assumed he had a anterior knee ligament damage which would put him out for a season and change his career for good. If Goodes wasn’t hit with  stroke of good luck his athleticism would be gone and those Brownlow medals wouldn’t of hung around his neck. 

 

On August of 2015 Adam Goodes made ripples in the ocean which is the AFL. He couldn’t take the pressure of hateful fans any longer and retired on that day. A few months after his retirement Adam Goodes was offered a spot In the Australian Football League hall of fame and politely declined it. His reasons were that he didn’t want to be known as a sportsman but a man who pushed for equality and freedom for all in Australia. Later Goodes started the GO foundation , empowering people who couldn’t go to school and giving them an education for free.