The springbok must go?

Wow! We are certainly living in interesting times. Unlike that which is on most peoples minds and lips, I'm NOT talking about the rand/dollar exchange (R10,40 WFT is going on?) and I'm NOT talking about the pending economic recession and how one sector in the US (sub-prime mortages) can bring the world to its knees (and say uncle), and I'm NOT discussing the fact that Obama just might be the next president of the United States (first African American President) even though I think Cain one the last debate and that Cain picked the most politically advantageous running partner possible.

No, I'm talking about the thing that makes me scream at the TV, make me jump up and down like I was jubulant 8 years old, the thing that brings me and others much joy, and occasional sorrow... Watching he springboks play rugby!

The SPRINGBOKS! WIN!

The King Proteas. win.

Springbok: speed, eligance, tough etc etc

King Protea: Big pansy flower...

Mmmmm tough choice...

Ok but let’s get serious for a second, we have some or other the poltical figure, almost on a yearly basis, crying out for the Springbok emblem to be abolished, saying that it's representative of the apartheid era and needs to be removed in order to truely unite this country, (Winning unites this country, and sa soccer is in a mess, the olympic team was dismal, should the sport authorities not be more concerned with that?) and currently we have a springbok allegedly stating to a crowded hall that he found it difficult to not vomit on his springbok jersey.

Naas says "shoot it"!

Ok my abbreviation of Naas's comments are mainly to show how easily things can be misused/misinterpreted, Naas wasn't in fact saying he supported getting rid of the springbok emblem, he was saying that if they are going to do it, get on with it, do it and lets move the hell on already. I think he like many others are tired of politically motivate tits using the emblem as a weapon/tool to get their names in the paper, to get a rise out of the "Afrikaners" or to imply that they actually have the power to do something that will effect something we love, while under the guise of reform and anti-racist etc etc etc blah blah blah.

Firstly Naas is right, if you are going to do it, DO IT! And stop talking about doing it.

But wait, that’s right, YOU CANT! The Springbok is a registered trademark, only SA rugby can remove it, if you use political power to intervene (expropriation?) it can be done, but that would involve significant legal implications, which is more work then I'm sure any politician actually wants.

Secondly, the emblem stands for what people want it to stand for, if you want it to represent a racist oppressive white government then go ahead see it as that, but I can guarantee that there are millions of other South Africans, as well as rugby lovers around the world that see it as something completely different, as an emblem for pride, tenacity, courage, dedication, skill, passion, and a strong rugby nation!

Springboks; an emblem recognisable to anyone that has heard about rugby, respected by anyone who loves rugby, and worn proudly by some of the greatest athletes in the world.

Which brings me back to Luke. DUDE! Fine, be the individual, stand for what you believe in but don't be a hypocrite. Your dad was a great activist, you and your family did what millions, literally, didn't have the balls to do. I stand in amazment.

But in honesty I have never liked you. I'm saying this to put my bias out there in the open so as to try and avoid its influence as much as possible, but its true. I have had few encounters with you, I have seen you around, spoken to you on several occasions and although people change and I give you the same right, and pray that you have matured. When I met you, you were a complete self righteous, arrogant, thug. When you left in Durban I was overjoyed to see you f off to the cape.

But I digress.

I really don’t like you BUT you are an incredible rugby player and at one point, the best rugby player in your position in South Africa and arguably the world, and for that you should have been in the Springbok squad. You would have made an incredible Springbok, and your attitude aside, I would have been screaming for you until my voice gave out. I still think you could get back to that phenomenal form, and hope that you do. I think by no selecting you when you were the best player in your position in the country, Jake White must have had other reasons, possibly coz he felt you and therefore your dad came with political baggage. This I feell opened the door even more for politics to play a role in rugby. If you were the best player you should have been chosen.

But now that you have been chosen you go and allegedly say things that can be turned into "sound bites" that can be used by anyone with an agenda, manipulating it into what ever they want to make you the big bad wolf. You have been in the media's lense most if not your whole life, surely by now you would have smartened up on what to say, and when to say it. I hope you didn’t say what you reported said, in the context portrayed by some of the media and I hope that we can all just get back to playing rugby.

Isn’t that what its all about?

I remember reading an article in which Butch James was interviewed and asked about playing rugby overseas etc etc. The thing that stood out for me the most was the fact that he loved that there was no political or public pressure. It must be hard for players to have very little influence and to be tossed around as political pawns by those who have no real interest in benefiting rugby and in many cases have never even played or even care to watch it. But do so simply to use rugby because they understand that it can be used to get them into the public eye, raise a lot of public opinion, and in the end benefit their personal political or public careers.

But going back to Luke for a sec...

This is a great article, written by someone with way more right to lecture Luke then I do, Luke, by some miracle I hope that you get a chance to read this article, between rugby, photos shoots and reading religious or spiritual books.

Posted to the web on: 17 October 2008:
A lesson for Luke from a dusty township scrum by Charles Leonard

THERE was just one effective cure for the Highveld dust clogging your nose and throat after the season’s first game. A whole crate of them in cold brown bottles fresh from the shebeen awaited us as we stumbled from the rugby field. My new team-mates were already enthusiastically gulping them down. But our club chairman, Mark Alexander, had other ideas for the new Boerseun lock forward. As we sat down behind his maroon Beemer, away from the others, he started explaining the dos and — especially — the don’ts of nonracial sport in the 1980s. A bit superfluous, I thought, seeing that I had sought this township club out.It was after university and I still wanted to play rugby . The mainstream part of the sport was run and played by white fascists, so it was a simple decision for me to follow the example of Eastern Cape’s Watson brothers who, a decade earlier, started playing nonracial rugby on “the other side” under the banner of the South African Rugby Union (Saru).“That’s fairly obvious,” I thought, as Alexander ended his sermon with: “No racist comments are allowed on the field!” I guess he didn’t want to take any chances because, to use the old struggle cliche, even rugby was a “site of struggle”. Under PW Botha, repression was widespread — and Saru’s guys didn’t escape. In fact, one of our unions, Central Karoo, had to cancel some of its provincial matches because most of its players were in detention.The leading political resistance organisation of the time, the United Democratic Front , was such a broad church that, in addition to the obvious political and civic organisations, it accommodated outfits as diverse as the South African Scooter Drivers’ Association, the Silkscreening Training Project, and even sports bodies. It was at the formation of its umbrella body for sport, the National Sports Congress, that I met Cheeky Watson at Wits University in 1989. I immediately clicked with Cheeky — probably because we both didn’t look like the other white lefties, having been in the sun a bit, and because we shared a passion for rugby.I interviewed him for Vrye Weekblad, where I was the sports editor (which was a bit like being the political editor for Sports Illustrated). Cheeky told me of the sacrifices they had to make and harassment they had to endure at the hands of the Security Branch. Forfeiting a certain Springbok cap by choosing to play in the townships and his unwavering belief in transforming our sick society were inspirational.Reading the transcript this week of his son Luke’s talk at the recent Ubombo Rugby Festival in Cape Town took me back to 1980s state of emergency. I saw the same burning passion Cheeky had, although expressed in a rambling and slightly self-righteous way. I could understand why Luke had to keep himself from “vomiting” on the Springbok jersey. Unlike most of his pampered, PlayStation-playing team-mates, black and white, he carries the heavy burden of history, knowing how his father, uncles and their friends took huge risks playing the rugby they did. The S pringbok was one of the symbols of the disgusting system they were fighting. This history and knowledge have made Luke an outsider.It wasn’t caused only by the “Dutchmen” he apparently referred to (it wasn’t in the transcript but he allegedly used the term during the question-and-answer session after his talk) – a “soutie” in the form of Jake White did not exactly reach out to him when he was given his token Bok jersey for the Samoa test last year.It was not his disrespect to the S pringbok that I found offensive in Luke’s speech, even though I think it should stay because it has long been re-appropriated (famously so, by Nelson Mandela at the 1995 World Cup). It was his use of the derogatory term “Dutchman” that irked me — and not only because I am one myself.Rugby was only one of the things I learnt about during my township rugby-playing days. Later in my first season we, the Pumas, played against another club, the All Blacks. I was the only white person in the Longdale Stadium, our ground west of Johannesburg.As our hooker was about to throw the ball into the lineout, one of the opposition supporters chanted “AWB! AWB! AWB!” to try to distract me. The referee, who was known as a karate expert, stopped the game immediately, pointed at the culprit and shouted: “Hey jy, fokof! (hey you, f*ck off!)”The chanter had to leave the stadium sheepishly. Only once the poor sucker had closed the gate behind him, the ref said to the hooker: “Gooi in! (throw in!)”Saru was serious when it said no racism was allowed on those fields — even when it was directed at a Dutchman like me.That still applies today and Luke, who should be a role model for kids, should take that to heart. It may not save him the inevitable hospital passes and late tackles his unfortunate comments will cause next season when he play against other South African teams, but an apology is the least he can offer. He also owes it to the people who played township rugby, for whom nonracial principles applied in all directions.n Leonard is news editor.

Thanks Leonard.

Ok to sum up,

Butana and co "loyal ANC supporters" agree the emblem must go, but the ANC support the emblem , Naas says that they should kill it if they want to kill it and move the hell on, ex-bok captains and players alike are disgusted at the notion and this may lead to more vomiting, and finally legally the Afriforum, between fighting Luke and everyone else, will fight to keep the registered trademark of the Springbok on the green and gold jersey.

Here is to another day in South Africa!

Frank.

Ps "Sports Portfolio Committee chairman Butana Komphela told delegates: “The Springbok divides us. We have a responsibility to unite our country" and Mandela says that there is no greater power then sport to unite a nation, take a look at how the 1995 world cup and how the SYMBOL of mandela wearing a SPRINGBOK jersey helped unite this young democratic nation.

SA sports has BIGGER PROBLEMS, so do your job and prioritise or better yet: Butana, your 15min are up, LEAVE!