By Sasha Uzunov
Tennis Australia has not responded to a question over whether it will ban US tennis player Jessica Pegula from promoting the controversial US sports body, the NFL, at the Australian Open tournament in Melbourne.
The NFL has been repeatedly condemned by native American Indian activists who say the sports body denigrates them. High profile African American sports journalist Jim Trotter recently settled a lawsuit with the NFL over allegations relating to racism.
Some Australians see Tennis Australia’s “anti-colonial policy” contradictory or hypocritical. Tennis Australia has banned symbols of “British colonialism”, such as Australia Day, for the past two years but allows displays or promotion of US nationalism, which also has colonial issues.
Over the last three years at the Australian Open, Pegula has been permitted to promote US NFL team the Buffalo Bills, which honours a 19th century white US nationalist Buffalo Bill Cody, who took part in the violent dispossession of native American Indians.
Tennis Australia was contacted in November 2024 over its anti-colonial policy and there was no response. In December it was contacted again. No response. In early January 2025 it was contacted again. Still no response after two months.