Sports for Change!

The movie Invictus opened on Friday, December 11, 2009. Based upon the book, Playing the Enemy, Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made A Nation, by John Carlin, Invictus tells a true story of how Nelson Mandela used the game of rugby to unite a bitterly divided South Africa. The significance of this story cannot be underestimated. In many ways, the role of sports in society is minimized. How many times have we heard, or even said that sports is “Just a game?” John Carlin noted that “…Sport was a powerful mobilizer of mass emotions and shaper of political perceptions.”
Since sports can have such a powerful effect for change, why do we not utilize sports in a more positive way for our own society? Perhaps we should revisit why we identify with sports. Is it the money? Maybe it’s because sports represents the definition of what makes an individual successful. If we thought about what sports means to us, then maybe we can use it to effect positive change for our society, just as Nelson Mandela did. Over simplified? How about unreal? Perhaps, but we live in a country recognized as a leading nation in the world. South Africa was not considered a world leader in 1995 when It’s national rugby team, the Springboks, won the World Cup and united their racially divided country. If South Africa can accomplish this, so could we.
I propose we accept a more critical view of sports, a view that is more inclusive and based less upon money, power and control. Let’s engage in sports to mobilize a spirit of cooperation that will ultimately benefit the greater good for society. This will steer us away from the current trend in sports, which is the “Winner takes all” environment with, “A win for us, is a win for all.” By doing this, the overall purpose of participating in sports changes. By maintaining a critical approach in sports competition, a different attitude towards competition, in general, can be adapted in all areas of life. It is this change in thinking that can help us to dismantle the barriers erected in the names of color, sex and gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability. Then, we can truly claim to be United.