Sarah Boomgaard
Sport is a universal language. It is not and has never been about the activity itself. Keeping your body healthy is important but the reason that the sports industry is as profitable as it is, is because people love watching it – perhaps even more than they enjoy playing it. The love of the game speaks to us on a psychological level, transcending boundaries in unprecedented manners. One need look no further than the ’95 Rugby World Cup. The iconic image of former President Nelson Mandela wearing his Springbok replica jersey handing the Webb Ellis trophy to Francois Pienaar is engrained in the minds of rugby fans around the world. Particularly as rugby had and still has close ties to the Afrikaaner identity, the image of South Africa’s first black president handing a trophy to a white Afrikaaner transformed the image to become a symbol for reconciliation and unity. However the use of sport as a tool of unification does not only take place at a national or international level, sport is able to bring together people within the same communities.
Sport transcends boundaries of race, class and religion. Everyone has to play by the same set of rules. However, this does not mean everyone walks onto the pitch on equal footing. The effects of Apartheid are still felt today with many communities left divided. The gap between impoverished and affluent areas are vast with infrastructure in the former practically non-existent. The lack of infrastructure is merely one of a multitude of reasons for the slow pace of transformation, particularly with regards to rugby as rugby posts are more expensive than soccer goal posts that can and have been substituted with beacons for formal goal posts in underprivileged communities. Nevertheless these hurdles do not negate the positive effects that sports can have on communities; both privileged and impoverished.
Rugby is an integral instrument of community development. Due to its team dynamic and its nature as a contact sport, rugby is able to bring people closer within, and across neighbourhoods. Unlike soccer and cricket, rugby calls for players to constantly invade each other’s personal space not only by way of tackling but through rucks, line outs, scrums, and mauls. By constantly invading one another’s personal space it makes it incredibly difficult for players to hold on to their biases and prejudices. Consequently, they are more likely to see their teammates as individuals thereby deconstructing their preconceived stereotypes. Tournaments provide teams with the opportunity to interact with people of different communities which leads to preconceived prejudices being further dismantled. This is particularly important as Apartheid created neighbourhoods that perpetuated stereotypes based on race as well as class. The continuous cross-community interactions facilitated through tournaments are an integral part of breaking down these social barriers.
Social barriers and prejudices can also be broken down through spectatorship, particularly with regards to rugby. Although rugby is intertwined with the Afrikaans culture, the increase in spectatorship amongst people of colour is undeniable. This presents an interesting opportunity to bring together spectators from all walks of life, allowing them to share in the joy or heartache of their favourite team’s success or failure unites people of vastly different backgrounds. Once again this helps to break down the notion of “us and them”. The proverbial “them” is the opposing team and their supporters, and then, there is just us – the thousands of people united by something as simple as a rugby match. The unity being described here can be seen on any given Saturday at Newlands Rugby Stadium. It is a common occurrence to see a group of men and women of a multitude of races debating the coach’s team selection before the game and celebrating (or drowning their sorrows) together after the final whistle.
I will not insinuate that a host of rugby tournaments will magically end racism and discrimination. Nothing is that easy. However sports and particularly rugby, have a lot of potential to bring people together – and when people are brought together, in the right environment, they have the opportunity to realise that perhaps we are not so different after all.
beyond the scrum 