GEORGIE PARKER: The Big Freeze proves AFL can tackle racism, homophobia and community challenges

You know it’s winter for a few reasons. The sun gets up late and goes down early, puffer jackets become the unofficial national uniform and everywhere you look, you’ll see bright blue beanies.

At the supermarket, walking the dog, on the train to work, dropping the kids at school. Throughout June, the FightMND Big Freeze beanie is everywhere.

And isn’t that amazing?

Every year, we’re reminded of the incredible legacy of Neale Daniher and the movement he has built. What started as one man’s determination to fight a cruel disease has become one of the most powerful social movements in Australian sport. It’s also a reminder that sport, at its best, should never just be about sport.

You’ll often hear people say that sport should stay in its own lane. That football fans “just want to watch football”. But for me, the King’s Birthday Big Freeze match is proof of what can happen when a sporting code embraces something bigger than itself.

For one day, club allegiances take a back seat. Supporters from every single team wear the same beanie. Players, coaches, broadcasters and fans all rally behind the same cause and the result on the field becomes almost secondary. That’s the power of a movement.

The Big Freeze has transcended football because it has given people an opportunity to stand alongside those facing a challenge many of us will never personally experience. Most Australians don’t have MND. Most of us won’t ever receive that awfully unfair and cruel diagnosis. Yet millions of people have willingly joined the fight because they recognise the suffering of others and want to help.

Imagine if we approached other social issues with that same mindset.

This week, Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol was subjected to racist abuse through social media messages. On the same weekend, Gold Coast’s Max Knobel allegedly directed a homophobic slur at an opponent during a VFL match. These incidents serve as reminders that despite the progress we’ve made, there is still work to do on both sides of the fence.

The AFL has attempted to play its role through initiatives like Sir Doug Nicholls Round and Pride games (Pride Round in the AFLW), but they can sometimes create division instead of unity. Some fans embrace those rounds wholeheartedly, while others question why football needs to involve itself in social issues at all. I would argue the Big Freeze provides the answer.

Because the point isn’t whether every fan has personally experienced racism, homophobia, discrimination or mental health challenges. The point is standing alongside people who have. Most of us aren’t fighting MND either, but I’ve never met someone who says they don’t like what the King’s Birthday match is about.

Every June, we happily pull on a blue beanie because we recognise that some battles are bigger than us. We understand that a stronger society is built when people come together, not just for the causes that affect them directly, but for the causes that affect their neighbours, teammates, colleagues and friends. That’s what sport can do when it is at its best. It can create visibility, start conversations and unite people behind something meaningful.

So today, have a look around and see what a united society can look like. To me, it looks like a sea of blue at the MCG on a cold Monday in June.

And if we can stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against MND, surely we can stand shoulder to shoulder against racism, homophobia and the challenges facing our communities too.