Australia’s new generation of sports influencers
For a nation whose population is less than some US states, Australia has an incredible record in challenging at the very highest level in numerous sports. These include cricket, tennis, rugby, motor racing golf, and various others.
Over the years, the nation has produced some sporting superstars who have inspired generations, not just in their native Australia but across the globe. Examples include Don Bradman, Margaret Court, Rod Laver, Greg Norman, Jack Brabham, Shane Warne and Lleyton Hewitt. Today, Australian sports stars continue to inspire, but not just in traditional sports.
As well as being a nation that nurtures its sporting talent, Australian is a place where innovation and trying new things are strongly encouraged. As a result, Australia is also producing a new generation of sporting influencers in new areas of sport. Here are three who are hitting the headlines.
Michael Addamo dominated the chess board then the poker table
Born in 1994, this unassuming young man from Melbourne was something of a chess prodigy in his youth. He broke into the world’s top 2,000 players while still a teenager, a feat few have ever achieved, but then decided to turn his back on the game, at least as far as tournament play was concerned, and to focus on poker instead.
Addamo has never known a world without smartphones, the internet and the World Series of Poker. To him, Daniel Negreanu is just as big a sports star as Daniel Ricciardo, and the poker legend inspired him to fly to Vegas and try his luck. In true fairy tale style, he picked up two WSOP bracelets at his first WSOP event in 2018. Many of the seriously talented players there go every year for decades without winning one.
Michael is a genuine poker influencer and has himself inspired thousands of Australians to take their first step by visiting a site such as https://www.casinoaus.net/online-poker/ and try out poker for themselves. After all, as well as having fun, Michael has accumulated more than $20 million in winnings in just five years.
Jordan Mailata showed dreams can come true
Here’s a young man who grew up in the Sydney suburbs, playing rugby with his mates but watching the NFL on TV. Like any young sports fan, he dreamed of playing at the highest level, but to him that meant the Super Bowl.
However, Mailata didn’t even get involved in Australia’s somewhat haphazard American Football infrastructure and instead played at U-20s level for rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbbitohs. That, however, is when the fairy tale aspect began.
NFL executives saw videos of Jordan playing rugby and reached out to him to try out for their International Player Pathway Program. At training camp, he was scouted by Philadelphia Eagles coach Jeff Stoutland and the rest is history. Such was Stoutland’s influence, when asked to provide his alma mater for the player introductions as he runs onto the field, he gives his as “Jeff Stoutland University.”
Earlier this year, his childhood dream came true as he helped the Eagles make it to Super Bowl LVII. Today’s Australian Gridiron League is far better organized, and Jordan is a hero and example to hundreds of young Aussie players.
Alexander the Great proves size isn’t everything
Fighting sports like boxing have not always had the respect they deserve. The UFC has changed all that, showcasing not only the pugilistic skill but also the athleticism of its stars – and providing a platform for them to be rewarded on a level that matches the tennis players and golfers. Alexander Volkanovski is undoubtedly the greatest UFC fighter to come from Australia, and what makes him extra special is his diminutive size.
He is probably one of the greatest sub-150kg players period and since arriving in the UFC in 2016 he has taken on all comers and never been defeated. These include some seriously impressive victories, including former title challenger Chad Mendes in 2018, and then just about every top featherweight of the modern era including Jose Aldo and Brian Ortega. He has also beaten Max Holloway three times, once when he claimed the featherweight title from him to become the first Australian UFC champion in 2019 and on two subsequent defenses.
A husband and father two to girls, Alexander has a very different image to archetypal UFC fighters. His focus on fitness and agility makes him a great role model to young Australians of both sexes who dream of a career in the octagon, and he proves you do not have to comply to stereotypes.
