Sport in the 1950s
Sport in Australian culture
Australia is often considered to be a 'sports mad' country. Our love of sport is reflected in the numbers of people who play sport, attend sporting events and view sport on television. Australia leads the world in sports science and in the technical development of television sporting coverage.
Sport and our national identity
For a nation with a relatively small population, Australia performs remarkably well at an international level. Sporting success, particularly on the world stage, enables the creation of a distinct national identity. Victorious sports people often become national heroes and some, like legendary cricketer Donald Bradman, become much-loved Australian icons.
The popularity of sport in Australia can partly be attributed to a warm climate that encourages people to get outdoors and be active. Sport also enables well-loved national values like 'mateship', 'having a go' and 'egalitarianism' (the assumption that that all people are equal), to be played out. Australians also revel in the expression of 'fair play' on the sporting field - hence, sports cheats are often chastised for being 'un-Australian.'
Sport as a reflection of social change
A close examination of sport can yield other important discoveries about changes in out culture over time. As Australian society became more commercialised and globalised, so too did our sport. From an amateur, locally-based pastime, sport in Australia gradually evolved into a professional, highly lucrative industry with international scope.
The development of sport in Australia also reflects the gradual movement of our culture away from its British roots, towards a more Americanised, yet distinctly Australian cultural hybrid. While sports like cricket and the various codes of rugby point to our British heritage, modern sports like basketball demonstrate the penetration of American influence into our culture. At the same time, local sports like Australian Rules continue to thrive.
Sport in the 1950s
The 1950s were a stand-out decade for Australian sport. Technology made it possible to watch sporting performances live on television and in 1956, Melbourne hosted the Olympic Games - the first time the games had been held in the Southern Hemisphere.
Sports participation
Australians enthusiastically participated in sporting pursuits in the years following World War II. Membership of sporting associations blossomed as many young men craved the close friendships that they had experienced during war time. With increased prosperity and leisure time, the working class participated in sports like tennis, golf and bowls - sports formerly reserved for the wealthy. The new post-war affluence also led to the construction of many new sporting fields and outdoor swimming pools.
Due to the influx of new migrants during the 1950s, European sports like soccer, gymnastics and volleyball became more popular in Australia.
Lead-up to the Melbourne Olympics
Melbourne won the right to host the 1956 Olympic Games. Australia had rapidly recovered from then ravages of World War II and this was considered to be a contributing factor to Melbourne's successful Olympic bid.
The prelude to the Melbourne Olympics was a controversial time. As Australia's strict quarantine laws meant that many horses would be prevented from entering the country, the equestrian competition was eventually held in Stockholm, Sweden. This was the first time in history that an Olympic event was held outside the host country.
Just weeks before the Melbourne games commenced, Cold War tensions came to a head. The USSR invaded Hungary to prevent an uprising and there was doubt that the Olympic Games would even go ahead.
The Melbourne Games did proceed, but the tensions between Hungary and the USSR led to a violent clash between the two countries during an Olympic water polo match. The game was eventually called off, with Hungary declared the winner.
Australia's performance at the Melbourne Olympics
Australia finished with excellent results at the Melbourne Olympics, coming in third behind the United States and the USSR with a total of 35 medals, including 13 gold. Our greatest medal haul was in the swimming events. Australia won every men's and women's freestyle race and collected a total of 8 gold medals.
Standout individual Australians at the Olympics include sprinter Betty Cuthbert and swimmers Murray Rose and Dawn Fraser.
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A successful Games
Despite the international tension and general controversy surrounding the Games, the Melbourne Olympics were considered to be a huge success. Australians were thrilled that they had pulled off a major international event and impressed the world with their brilliant sporting performances.
The Olympic Games helped foster a huge sense of national pride in Australia and marked an important step in the formation of Australia's national identity. Rather than considering themselves as a British outpost, Australians had demonstrated that they now felt pride in their own flag, and had created their own iconic sports heroes.
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Television and the Olympics
The world was exposed to Australia like never before, as the Melbourne Olympics became the first ever to be covered by television. Australians who were unable to attend the events could watch them at home on television, or gathered to watch on televisions sets in shop windows.
The televising of the Melbourne Olympics brought the issue of the commercial value of the sport to the fore. Broadcasters in the 1950s were beginning to realise the huge potential audience and advertising dollars that the Olympic Games could attract. Prior to the Melbourne Games, a bidding war broke out between various Australian, British and US networks over exclusive broadcasting rights.
Television rights to the Melbourne Olympics were eventually granted to Australia's Channel 9. The system of officially selling exclusive broadcasting rights to the highest bidder would be introduced at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Tennis in the 1950s
Australia reigned supreme in world tennis throughout the 1950s with stars like Ken Rosewall, Frank Sedgman and Lew Hoad. Australians won the men's singles title at Wimbledon from 1952 to 1958 and beat the United States eight times to take home the Davis Cup.
Air travel made international competition easier and the game was revolutionised by the exciting new serve-volley style of play, which became popular over the traditional long, slower rallies.
Cricket in the 1950s
Australia performed well in cricket throughout the 1950s. The legendary Don Bradman was sorely missed, however, following his retirement in 1948. The Australian team played 57 Test matches throughout the decade, winning 29 and losing 12. After retaining the Ashes for 19 years, Australia lost to England in 1953, but regained them in 1958. Australia also faced new international rivals, as teams from the West Indies, Pakistan, and India became forces to be reckoned with.
Football in the 1950s
All codes of football enjoyed a huge surge in spectator interest during the 1950s. Australian rules, rugby league and rugby union football matches regularly pulled crowds of thousands.
The increased affluence of Australia in the 1950s led to the planning and construction of many new football fields. Union fans were treated to first-ever games against new international competitors like Fiji. Rugby league fans enjoyed nine visits from international teams throughout the decade and five Australian rugby league teams travelled overseas to compete.
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Soccer
Soccer played an important social role for many migrants, providing a means for them to meet people who spoke their language and understood their culture. Many migrants formed local soccer teams according to the country they originated from.
Anglo-Australians and British migrants also formed teams and these teams began competing against each other at the local, State and later, at the national level.
Prior to the 1950s, soccer had been played on a small-scale by some Australians. As a result, many people embraced the new teams and enjoyed the greater level of competition in the sport. This reflected a growing national confidence in Australia - the nation no longer felt tied to defining itself through traditional British sports like cricket.
In the wider community, however, the sport was regarded by some with suspicion, and sometimes even hostility. This reflected the prevailing mentality of the time - migrants during the 1950s were expected to 'assimilate' or blend into Australian society, rather than establish their own social and sporting networks.
Women and sport
The study of sport can yield valuable information on the status and roles of particular groups in society as a whole. Traditionally, groups like Indigenous people, ethnic minorities and women have been discriminated against, or treated unequally in relation to sports participation. This treatment is thought to reflect the prevailing cultural attitudes towards these groups.
In the 1950s, traditional etiquette and a dominant masculine culture generally confined women to 'refined' sports like croquet and tennis. Even when they did play sport, women's results were often reported in the social pages of newspapers rather than in news sections. Women themselves generally considered their participation to be a recreational pursuit rather than a serious, competitive one.
While women were gradually accepted into almost all kinds of sport, history has shown that they would continue to struggle to achieve true sporting equality with men, particularly in the areas of funding and media coverage.
According to some critics, this discrimination and marginalisation of certain groups within sport goes against fundamental Australian values like egalitarianism, or equality for all.
