Diamonds debutant Donnell Wallam stood up and showed the ‘sticking to the sport’ crowd got it wrong | netball

A Wednesday night’s moment in Newcastle is sure to go down in Australian sports folklore. Donnell Wallam, who became only the third Indigenous woman to represent the Diamonds, lit up the arena when she scored a dying goal with six seconds from time with a typical lay-up to seal the win over old rivals England.

The Australian bench rose as a body, barely managing to stay behind the touchline in the dying seconds before they finally stormed the pitch and surrounded Wallam. Tears of joy flowed and the “sisters in arms” celebrated this extraordinary woman together.

It wasn’t the build Wallam wanted or expected for her international debut. She certainly never sought public scrutiny or the comments of those for whom netball still represents a touchless and “ladylike” game from an archaic past. When she voiced her concerns about a sponsorship deal with Hancock Prospecting, she did so within the safe confines of the Diamonds’ “sisterhood” — a culture built on standing up for one another and respecting the voice of every player on the team—the captain for those who have yet to take the court in green and gold.

What has since exploded could have been avoided with more advice and communication – the situation could have played out behind closed doors and spared Wallam intense public pressure to make her debut amid an unwanted media storm.

And yet she rose, and she triumphed. In an incredibly close game, Wallam scored eight goals from eight tries – including the last layup to win the game – in her 10 minutes on the pitch, relieving the pressure that had been building over the past few weeks.

“Stick to sport” is the war cry of the status quo purveyors, echoed through Facebook comments and Twitter replies throughout this saga, and repeated ad nauseam whenever those in power feel the need to remind athletes that their work is only to entertain and not to speak. It’s an idea that dates back to the Roman Empire and is aptly summed up in the famous phrase: “Give them bread and circuses and they will never rebel.”

In the minds of many, athletes are there to feed the circuses – to pull off those glittering, thrilling feats of sportsmanship, to entertain the masses and distract them from challenging the status quo. When athletes get political, it’s disturbing. The simplest request by an Indigenous woman not to bear the name of a man who has made obnoxious remarks about her culture and community becomes a storm raging out of control.

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Let’s assume that sport is political per se. Hancock Prospecting’s investment in sport is a political act in itself, so the company’s statement that it “deems it unnecessary for sports organizations to be used as a vehicle for social or political purposes” serves only as a reminder that for many people, denouncing politics in sport is only valid when it challenges powerful people and corporations.

Wallam’s performance at Newcastle, the roar of the crowd as she entered the court, the emotional outbursts of her “sisters” in their moment of victory and the videos of the moment that adorned story after story on Instagram showed that she was “in the sport hold on “The crowd got it wrong. They are losing relevance, shown as they desperately cling to that notion and abound on social media, foisting their own political concerns on anyone who dares express solidarity with athletes who want to make a difference.

In those sensational 10 minutes, culminating in those jubilant final seconds, Wallam showed that it’s possible to stand up for what you believe in, to challenge the leaders of your sport – whether quietly or loudly – and still get on the pitch and do it its your very best. Although she was never asked to be the face of this issue and the pressure on her must have been almost unbearable, she proved to the world – and possibly to herself – that there’s no need to stick with the sport when you want status quo while being at the top of your game. Athletes as role models are often discussed in sport and Wallam has proven to be one of the best. Young girls – and young Indigenous girls in particular – have experienced the power of passion and faith both on and off the court.