On April 17, 1993, St Kilda Saints faced off against Collingwood Magpies at Victoria Park.
While warming up, Saints players Nicky Winmar and Gibert McAdam were the target of slurs and screams by Collingwood fans in the stans above.
"Bro, we have to do something today," McAdams said to Winmar.
"We have got to make a statement. We'll show this mob, we'll make them quiet today."
The game was tense, the teams were head to head.
St Kilda claimed victory, thanks to Winmar and McAdams - who were late named 'best on ground'.
But, the success put a larger target on their backs.
As the siren sounded, Winmar was standing near the Collingwood crowd, who began to hurl abuse.
Hearing it all, Winmar then took a stand - lifting his jersey and pointing at his skin.
"I'm black and I'm proud to be black," the Noongar man shouted.
It was the moment that changed the game and the league, pushing the racial vilification of Indigenous athletes into the spotlight.
Nicky Winmar making his famous stand against racism in 1993, Victoria Park. The photo was taken by photographer Wayne Ludbey appeared on the front page of The Sunday Age. Credit: Wayne Ludbey - The Age/National Museum of Australia
How Winmar kick-started AFL reform
The photo of Winmar hit the front pages of Sunday Age, and Sunday Herald Sun, with both photographers fighting for the images to be approved for publication.
By Tuesday, an editorial was published in The Age.
"There is no place for racism in football and the AFL must do everything in its power to make sure players and if possible, spectators understand this," it read.
Racial abuse first hit the headlines in August 1991, journalist Caroline Wilson revealed the extent of abuse on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, from slurs screamed on the field to death threats.
But it wasn't until the end of 1993 that the AFL committed to establishing a code of conduct for both players and teams.
The draft was released in early 1995.
Pressure mounted and the AFL released an education campaign titled 'Racism: The Game is Up'.
The incentive asked umpires to report on field racial abuse, and the next month the first case was recorded.
In late June 1995, 'Rule 30' was introduced.
"No player … shall act towards or speak to any other person in a manner, or engage in any other conduct which threatens, disparages, vilifies or insults another person … on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin," it said.
Umpires were still required to report racial abuse, but clubs responsible would be fined up to $50,000.
Racial abuse remains rampant
The Australian Human Rights Commissioned commended the AFL in 2007, writing in their report that the league led the way in Australian sports when it came to engaging with ethnic and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
But, three decades on from Winmar's mighty stand, racism in the sport remains rife.
The list of Indigenous players who have experienced racism in the league is long and includes the likes of Lance 'Buddy Franklin, ,, , Maurice Rioli Jnr, and Marlion Pickett.
In November of 2022, Hawthorn Football Club was rocked with severe allegations of racism against a player and their family, and most recently young Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was targeted on-field.
A St Kilda fan shouted "harmful and abhorrent racist remarks" at the 20-year-old mid-match.
While the incident has spurred an AFL investigation, Ugle-Hagan took matters into his own hands.
The young gun evoked Nicky Winmar during the game against Brisbane Lions on Thursday night.
"Back in the day they would've had it a lot worse but now players are getting sick of it and they're making a stance," Ugle-Hagan said.
"We're calling them out and we're sorting it out, and everyone's getting behind our back nowadays."
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan of the Bulldogs evokes former player Nicky Winmar who responded to racial abuse by lifting his jersey and pointing to his skin in 1993. Credit: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Betts retired in 2021, and by then was no stranger to racial abuse.
“I had a big smile on my face but I was drowning inside," the Wirangu and Kokatha man said at the time.
In 2013, Goodes, a Sydney Swans icon and two-time Brownlow medalist, was racially vilified by a 13-year-old Collingwood fan at the Indigenous Round.
Goodes called out the girl and requested her removal from the venue.
"I felt like I was in high school again, being bullied, being called all these names because of my appearance," he said at the time.
"I didn’t stand up for myself in high school—I’m a lot more confident, I’m a lot more proud about who I am, and my culture, and I decided to stand up last night, and I’ll continue to stand up."
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Goodes 'gutted' by racial slur
The backlash that followed was immense, Goodes was hounded and abused on and off the field. The abuse led him to retire.
Four years later, in 2019, the AFL and its 18 clubs apologised to Goodes.
Winmar's legacy on Indigenous players
A strong and proud Aboriginal player, Goodes found strength in the legacy of Winmar and that moment in 1993.
"It’s something that stands in history, which proves that you can call me all the things you want, you can discriminate against me, say all these things, but I’m still going to be black, I’m still going to be proud," said Goodes.
Adam Goodes at the Sydney Cricket Ground paying homage to AFL legend Nicky Winmar. Source: Supplied / NewsLimited
Winmar's moment has been embraced by many Indigenous athletes across the years, including Josh Add-Carr.
Josh Addo-Carr of the Indigenous All-Stars points to his skin paying homage to Nicky Winmar before the All-Stars NRL match in February 2020. Credit: Jason McCawley/Getty Images
“I thought about that picture during the week. He changed it for blackfullas so I thought I’d pay my respects," he told reporters after.
“I do hope he (Winmar) sees it, I really do.”
Imortalised forever
On July 6, 2019, a bronze statue was unveiled outside Optus Stadium in Perth.
The statue depicts young Winmar, lifting his shirt - immortalising that iconic moment from 1993 forever.
"I hope this statue encourages more conversations and education about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture," Winmar said in a statement.
"It's a surreal thing to be a part of and it's something my family are very proud of."
Nicky Winmar poses with his statue during the Nicky Winmar statue unveiling at Optus Stadium. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images
