Mandela Magic
To hear some people tell it, one of the great turning points towards reconciliation in the new South Africa wasn't the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison, or when he was elected president, or even when he picked the last apartheid-era president to be his deputy president. No. What brought people together, united them in their pride for their country... was a rugby game.
Not just any rugby game. It was the Rugby World Cup, which has only a slightly greater claim to being a worldwide sporting event than baseball's World Series. The game in question happened about a year after Mandela was elected president. South Africa had only been allowed to participate in international sporting events for just a little longer than Mandela had been in office, since, under apartheid, no one would agree to play them.
Rugby here has traditionally be a sport for white people, but after that game against New Zealand, South Africans of all stripes, colors and political persuasions could finally be proud of something that their country had accomplished on an international stage. That's how several people have explained it to me, anyway.
The fact that South Africa's national team, the Springboks, upset rugby powerhouse New Zealand in a nail-bitingly close game was part of it. But the real magic happened after the game was over, when Nelson Mandela was one of the first people on the field to celebrate the victory. He was sporting both a huge grin and a green Springboks jersey, and the crowd greeted him with chants of "Nelson, Nelson, Nelson." People still talk about that moment, reprint the picture of his shaking hands with the team captain while wearing the captain's number on his newly-donned jersey, and wax nostalgic about the pre-match attention Mandela showered on the team, letting them know that they were playing for more than a rugby championship. People say it was Mandela who inspired the team to beat someone they really had no business beating.
The tenth anniversary of the world cup victory was a few weeks ago. This article, written by François Pienaar, the revered team captain, actually made my a bit misty-eyed...though I'm a sucker for these sorts of inspiring sports moments.
On Saturday, Katie and I joined several South Africans to watch a recently created annual rugby match--inspired by that magic moment ten years ago--called the Mandela Challenge. It's timed to coincide roughly with Mandela's birthday, and beforehand, there were lots of onfield celebratory events for Mandela, who was there.
Everyone in the sports bar where we were watching would turn to the television and become enraptured whenever Mandela was on the screen. The best moment of the pre-game ceremonies was when the 60,000-plus crowd serenaded Mandela with "Happy Birthday." When they got to the part where they sang his name, the 87-year-old Mandela joined in with an emphatic "me" and pointed his thumb at his chest. The whole bar went wild. One of the people we were watching the game with actually cried at the sight of the great man.
As for the game itself? It was rougher, tougher and faster than American football, but I'll stick to paying attention to the sports I grew up with.
South Africa won handily, though if I'd had all my rugby facts straight, I would have been even less riveted than I was: no one told me ahead of time that since that famous world cup victory ten years ago, the Springboks have never lost a game that Mandela's attended.
Not just any rugby game. It was the Rugby World Cup, which has only a slightly greater claim to being a worldwide sporting event than baseball's World Series. The game in question happened about a year after Mandela was elected president. South Africa had only been allowed to participate in international sporting events for just a little longer than Mandela had been in office, since, under apartheid, no one would agree to play them.
Rugby here has traditionally be a sport for white people, but after that game against New Zealand, South Africans of all stripes, colors and political persuasions could finally be proud of something that their country had accomplished on an international stage. That's how several people have explained it to me, anyway.
The fact that South Africa's national team, the Springboks, upset rugby powerhouse New Zealand in a nail-bitingly close game was part of it. But the real magic happened after the game was over, when Nelson Mandela was one of the first people on the field to celebrate the victory. He was sporting both a huge grin and a green Springboks jersey, and the crowd greeted him with chants of "Nelson, Nelson, Nelson." People still talk about that moment, reprint the picture of his shaking hands with the team captain while wearing the captain's number on his newly-donned jersey, and wax nostalgic about the pre-match attention Mandela showered on the team, letting them know that they were playing for more than a rugby championship. People say it was Mandela who inspired the team to beat someone they really had no business beating. The tenth anniversary of the world cup victory was a few weeks ago. This article, written by François Pienaar, the revered team captain, actually made my a bit misty-eyed...though I'm a sucker for these sorts of inspiring sports moments.
On Saturday, Katie and I joined several South Africans to watch a recently created annual rugby match--inspired by that magic moment ten years ago--called the Mandela Challenge. It's timed to coincide roughly with Mandela's birthday, and beforehand, there were lots of onfield celebratory events for Mandela, who was there.
Everyone in the sports bar where we were watching would turn to the television and become enraptured whenever Mandela was on the screen. The best moment of the pre-game ceremonies was when the 60,000-plus crowd serenaded Mandela with "Happy Birthday." When they got to the part where they sang his name, the 87-year-old Mandela joined in with an emphatic "me" and pointed his thumb at his chest. The whole bar went wild. One of the people we were watching the game with actually cried at the sight of the great man.As for the game itself? It was rougher, tougher and faster than American football, but I'll stick to paying attention to the sports I grew up with.
South Africa won handily, though if I'd had all my rugby facts straight, I would have been even less riveted than I was: no one told me ahead of time that since that famous world cup victory ten years ago, the Springboks have never lost a game that Mandela's attended.
posted by Erik at 8:51 am
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