Sports as The Key Factor of Australian Culture

In Australia, sports are the key defining factor into their culture. Sports impact on Australian culture is substantially large. Starting when the free settlers arrived in Australia in the second half of the 19th century. Sports have helped broaden the typical Australian culture in many ways and still continue to do today. Sports lets Australians express their identity either if they are playing sports with their friends or even watching and enjoying the sports with friends and family at home or at a sporting arena in Australia. Sports even help out Australians struggling in their own personal life and gives Australians key skills they will need forever. Sports is truly a key factor in Australian culture.

Research has found that Australia's culture is very different from many other countries and their cultures around the world. Culture is evident within every community globally, however every destination views culture in their own unique way, and expresses it differently from others. Australia's culture may be filled with aspects such as; an easy-going attitude, an ‘Australian’ sense of humor and the value of relationships (Some Aspects Of Australian Culture, 2018). Sport is certainly evident throughout all of those aspects. These aspects are usually shown at sporting games or playing sports when people are cheering, connecting with their peers, being happy and not having a care in world because they just want to watch some sport and enjoy it, as that is what Australian culture is about and falls back onto. Sports maybe the only reason Australians have those special aspects to them and which helps define our culture from any other culture.

According to experts sports help Australians out in many different ways from mental and psychical health to life lessons for social situations which will apare in everyday life. A report by M. Amorosi States “ Sport has a positive effect on recovery from depression.”(Amorosi, 2014). As a result from this many males and females may have been looking up to sports to help them overcome ad help with mental health problems in their life such as; depression, anxiety and self - esteem issues. Sports also provided psychological and social benefits for kids such as; Teamwork, Patience, Learning to lose, Respecting authority, self-esteem, having dedication to something and putting effort in and not been allowed to give up because it might be letting down a team (UQ Sport, 2015). Yes there are individual sports but you're still learning these important skills from them and there are other ways to learn teamwork such as going to school from a young age and engaging in activities school sets. Sports also help with your psychical health and how you look which would connect with self-esteem issues. Sports is a way to make Australians healthy and may live longer if the are connected and do a sport.

Sports are such a massive thing in australia there are channels on television just for sports such as Fox Sports, there are apps, social media platforms just for made up for sports, accounts made for sports on them as well. Sports are apart of most average families have children in sport or play sports themselves. 69% of children aged 0-14 years participate in sports after school and over 17 million people (87%) aged 15 to 65+ have participate in sports over the last year in 2016 (AusPlay Participation data for the sport sector, 2016) after Sports have always been a part of Australian culture since the free settlers moved here. Starting with them bringing their sports from Britain to Australians making their own traditional sporting game which is AFL. Sports have brought people together in Australia for decades and probably forever in Australian culture. Australian having such a wide spread of sports it affects Australian culture in such a positive way. Sports are key factors to Australian culture. Sports brings enjoyment to Australia, brings people and family together. Australia has had the chance of holding to Olympic games which is the world's greatest sporting event.

Australia has also had many major events good and bad have happened since the sport has become a key factor in Australian culture, Such as; The great depression 1929, which impacted Australia, 1965 Australia sends troops for Vietnam war, 2001 9/11 happens and has a massive impact in the world let alone America. Australia also has had the opportunity and has held two Olympic Games in 1956 in Melbourne then again in 2000 in Sydney (BBC News, 2015). Olympic games are the most famous sporting event in the world and Australia has had the chance to hold two. The Melbourne Olympics had 1.153 Million people attended the 15-day event, The Sydney Olympic had 6.7 million tickets were sold for the 2000 and more brought more at the gate at the Olympic park. (Mcg.org.au, 2005). Having Australia go throw major events and have sports still there means that people can still do what they love be who they are which helps australian culture be the same.

Taking everything into consideration, sports are an important part of australian culture and have always being there, Sports have become ingrained into the australian culture. With all the factors above they give reasoning into why sports is truly the key factor into australian culture and has been for a long time. Australia has a unique culture which links up to sports and kwts australians express their true identity, Sports also help australia with problems and fitness and for australians to learn there key skills. Most Australians participate in sports outside of school and work which shoes australis really love their sports and participating in them too which shows how much sport is a key factor into Australian culture and how sports have always been there no matter what bad event has happened in the world and australia and good events have help sports broaden the culture for Australians. This is why sports are the key factor into australian factors.