Why winning isn’t everything
20 Feb 2013
MARK KEOHANE, in his Business Day Sport Monthly column, says we live in a miracle country and it’s time we started appreciating the miracle of sport.
Sport is entertainment and it is also about effort. A fixation with just the result is going to lead to a lot of heartache.
It wasn’t that long ago when South Africa wasn’t allowed to compete internationally. Familiarity breeds contempt and irrationally so.
Feel good about the joy of indulging in the performance of South Africans, who are among the best ever produced in their respective codes.
We put huge pressure on our performers to produce every time, but the fans and the media have as much of a responsibility in their performance post match.
We also need to grow up and show some perspective to the effort of the individual or team and give credit to the quality of the opposition. There are times when they just are better and they actually win and we actually lose.
For those who are inspired to live in this country only when South Africa wins, take some responsibility for your own emotions. Similarly, don’t blame a poor SA performance for your depression. No player is losing deliberately and no national player should be subjected to the hate and vitriol published on Twitter.
It sickens me that people can actually feel a justification in the abuse and believe they are owed something by the player and that the player has a responsibility to ensure their happiness. The abuse is disgusting and can never be justified. There is so much to applaud and there is a generation of South African performer that is the best ever produced in this country. What a privilege it is to watch them at their peak.
Look beyond the need for a winning result and imagine South Africa being in sporting isolation. It is pathetic how fans think players are there to instil nationalism. Go do that yourself and start enjoying the sport and keep perspective.
There is life the next day and sport always gives your team or the individual a chance to get it right or to flop.
It is an honour to play for one’s country, but it is not a crime to lose and supporters need to take their insecurity and deal with it.
In the days of isolation we never played anyone and never lost. So we allowed ourselves to believe we were the best in everything. The reality is we are not the best in all things sport and that does not deserve the crassness I read on Twitter.
I get irritated with a lot of our sports media coverage, especially in newsprint. It is always all or nothing, as if every win defines the miracle of this country and defeat brings the possibility of doom. Inspire me with a solution instead of repeating what I saw on television 24 hours earlier and what I have read on the Internet a day earlier.
The media is more guilty than the fans in the buzz and the blowout. I have been as guilty as anyone at times of my career so I certainly don’t preach from a pedestal of purity, but rather from a place of apology.
The daily sports media though need to get a grip and invest in some perspective.
An example was the Proteas ODI series defeat against New Zealand. The Proteas did not play well but the game was apparently in crisis after the series defeat and the euphoria of being the best Test team in the world a few days earlier was an afterthought.
The hysteria was excessive, just like the condemnation and ridicule of New Zealand’s tour only a few days earlier. Appreciate the players and the fact that it’s not you out there on days when all is failing save the potency of the opponent.
There’s an added spice when you know you are watching a performer unrivalled in their field and at the peak of their performance.
The South African bowling attack gives me that sense of awe. Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis evoke a similar emotion and Graeme Smith is just never going to get the reward for his effort. No other Test captain in the history of the game has achieved as much.
Smith, having gone past 100 Test matches as captain, still has his doubters. Give him a break. There is a serious projection of insecurity and delusion among many of the South African fans in the way they react to the players.
A guy like Smith must be judged on how he plays and not for how his gum chewing may irk you. It is massive what he has achieved yet there are so many who burden him with not wearing enough flags on his T-shirt and not being proudly South African.
This is sport. Nationalism looks after itself and it can’t be all taken from the player’s performance. We owe the player the simple courtesy of a dignified interaction that does not start with an attack on his mother’s hair colour and outright abuse.
Grow up you trolls or inspire with your cleverness.
Oh, and one last thing, why the obsession with having to feel the need to retire great players at the start of a season because they are supposedly blocking the path of a 21-year-old?
Give the more mature form players the necessary respect. They’ve earned the right through performance to a bit of loyalty. Our rugby players offer the promise of silverware in Super Rugby but the enjoyment must also be in the performance.
Bafana, in African soccer’s big bi-annual one, were brave and belligerent in a tournament I hoped they could win but never quite had the conviction to believe it was possible. They lost in the quarter-finals on penalties, which was a cruel yet also a dignified exit for the hosts. Dignified in it allowed us to dream of what could have been without confronting the reality of what would most likely have been had they advanced to the semi-final or final.
Bafana played with passion and the support of a nation was a boost, but there are limitations to the current side and the desire to associate with success should also not be confused with the expectation that if they don’t win a tournament they have failed.
Equally our Super Rugby teams.
– This article first appeared in the March issue of Business Day Sport Monthly, which is distributed FREE with the newspaper on the second last Friday of every month.
1,128 Comments
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20 Feb 2013, 16:05 pm
@Transformation-549:
But what about the PE people of integrity who support the Crusaders?
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-534:
yes and Transie is KING_10EP.
minime.
20 Feb 2013, 16:06 pm
@blue and white stripes-526: thandi newton is not that pretty, try harder!
20 Feb 2013, 16:06 pm
@Sheriff-546:
I don’t think it was premeditated.
He gave hope to this nations people whether they were diabled or not.
He deserves a fair trial and we can judge him after that.
20 Feb 2013, 16:06 pm
Winning IS everything, isn’t
That is why you do sports/business/ life/ excettera excettera
20 Feb 2013, 16:08 pm
@gunther-551: KING 10 EC get right…that’s how i roll beeeyatch
20 Feb 2013, 16:08 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-519: Well said lady.I have a wife,daughter&grandaughter.
The possibility of any of them suffering from SA type trauma is statistically
very high.
20 Feb 2013, 16:09 pm
@blue and white stripes-553:
I think you’re right.
I canNOT disagree with you.
20 Feb 2013, 16:10 pm
@Transformation-552:
Then who would you put there as your preferred 10?
Lindiwe Sisulu?
20 Feb 2013, 16:10 pm
@Transformation-552:
Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe. Now she is hot.
20 Feb 2013, 16:10 pm
@John Galt-543: Still a good team. Injuries or not. Just not 100% sure about your captain. In the absence of Keegan and Bissie, I would have thought Lambie’s potential as a captain could be explored.
Just me though.
20 Feb 2013, 16:11 pm
(Every time I type ‘NOT’ my capslock goes on, apologies)
20 Feb 2013, 16:12 pm
@Sheriff-558:
Lindiwe Mazibuko
mo cushin for da pushin.
@Transformation-555:
calm down.
20 Feb 2013, 16:12 pm
No Deysel …..thought he would be a shoo in for Alberts?
20 Feb 2013, 16:13 pm
mobile sharks pack…..
as is the cheetahs…
20 Feb 2013, 16:14 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-560:
Lambie still a bit young I think. Another 2 or 3 seasons he should be good.
@grant10-563:
Personally Im glad he’s not starting. For a while I thought they were going to start with Deysel and Coetzee which would have been a mistake.
20 Feb 2013, 16:17 pm
Where’s Dawn?NOT here?
20 Feb 2013, 16:17 pm
@gunther-562:
Is Lindi Mazibuko your 10 then?
20 Feb 2013, 16:18 pm
@gunther-551: Minime
@Transformation-555: Are you in government?
@ryecatcher-556: Howdy Rye. Hope you are well.
20 Feb 2013, 16:19 pm
Later
20 Feb 2013, 16:20 pm
@grant10-563: yes, Deysel for Alberts would be like for like, & Botes is a mild surprise, but Coetzee is an incumbent squad Bok, & Botes plays more towards the ball than most definitely Deysel & Kanko, & even Marcel Coetsee
Given the 4 candidates in the running, I think this the most balanced trio
20 Feb 2013, 16:20 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-568: Same hope for you & Dawn,
20 Feb 2013, 16:20 pm
@Sheriff-567:
Fraulein Gunther is my ten Sharif.
20 Feb 2013, 16:20 pm
@Sheriff-567:
20 Feb 2013, 16:21 pm
@blue and white stripes-559: nomsi has a great body but the grill hahaha you’d be kissing lobsy with a banging body bwahahahaha
try Pearl Thusi, Joy Bryant, Zoe Saldana, Solange Knowles. Ashleu Madekwe
20 Feb 2013, 16:21 pm
@ryecatcher-571:
Is then sun over the yardarm in natal?
20 Feb 2013, 16:23 pm
@John Galt-565: I reckon he’s more mature and level headed than Frans Steyn though?
Maybe Steyn surprises me, he just wouldn’t have been my choice.
20 Feb 2013, 16:24 pm
Something for you Grant
Stormers captain Jean de Villiers is positive his team can make an early impact on the South African Conference when they face the Bulls at Loftus on Friday.
De Villiers, who is a veteran of eight Super Rugby tournaments, is no stranger to the first game of the season and the emotions that come with it.
“I have been playing for a while now and whenever you get to this time of the season the excitement picks up and you get excited by what lies ahead.
“We know it is going to be a tough start for us but you can see the change in mood at training and everyone is upbeat and looking forward to the game on Friday,” the stand-in captain said.
The Stormers stalwart mentioned the importance as well as the ability of his side to play well away from home:
“The attitude towards playing away from home has changed a helluva lot and if you have a look at our track record over the last four to five years it’s been really good away from home and if anything we have probably been disappointing at home in crucial games.”
De Villiers also knows what it takes to go to Pretoria and win and understands the hardships of making the trip up to the highveld.
“Loftus will always be a challenge for any team going there, there is a lot that counts against you when you go up there. The altitude, the big crowd that comes in and they are a quality side.”
The centre also mentioned: “We have had a good preseason and have done a lot of running and yes it is different playing up there and I think the fact that we are playing at night will help with that and when the adrenalin starts going you don’t really think about that.”
The Stormers who have dominated the South African conference for the past two seasons are well aware of the importance of this season in setting themselves up as consistently one of the top three teams in the tournament.
In 2013, De Villiers believes that the squad is as strong as it has ever been and is excited by the new additions who will be making their debuts this Friday.
“I think that he is a great player [de Allende] and you wouldn’t think that he is playing in his first Super Rugby game. He enjoys what he is doing, he enjoys being in this environment and he is flipping good at what he does.
“He has got a really good pass and the same with Elton [Jantjies] at 10 opens up opportunities out wide and with the back three that we have got it gives us a lot of striking power out-wide as well,” he explained.
De Villiers, who spent a lot of his career at No.12, will once again find himself at No. 13 and he feels that this is not an issue as he has played there a lot in the past eight months.
“I have played there before, I have played there for the Stormers there quite a bit and obviously a lot last year for the Boks and it is something I am comfortable with and looking at the players that we do have I think that is the best mix for this weekend.”
The Springbok captain also said: “It take a load off Juan and myself knowing that there three guys like [de Allende], Jaco [Taute] who can slot in there, Bryan [Habana] can slot in there as well and the depth in our squad is much better this year.”
He also made a comment on the loss of Schalk Burger: “Schalk will be missed whenever he is not playing, as a player, as a leader and just his brutality that he brings to the pack.”
With this said, it gives the other forwards the opportunity to step into more senior leadership roles with a number of new and fresh players joining the Stormers.
The Stormers are going to have their work cut out for them when they travel to Pretoria and take on a Bulls team that have quietly gone about their pre-season business without much fuss. They have a strong squad and will be looking to take the scalp of the conference champions early in the season.
20 Feb 2013, 16:24 pm
@John Galt-543:
Hope he’ll keep on playing Coetzee at 7. He is no 6.
That trio can do a lot of damage at the break down.
20 Feb 2013, 16:26 pm
@gunther-562: i’m calm as francois hougaard with his car broken at Silver Woods Estate…
20 Feb 2013, 16:27 pm
@Angostura-570: marcelle is a wonderful player…..Kanko had some question marks over conditioning….
20 Feb 2013, 16:28 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-568: i wish
20 Feb 2013, 16:28 pm
@Atlas-577: thanks…stormers by 4…
20 Feb 2013, 16:29 pm
@nama1-578: Agree…Marcelle a 7…maybe even a 8
6??? Not a fark…
20 Feb 2013, 16:29 pm
@Transformation-574:
A great body indeed.
20 Feb 2013, 16:30 pm
@gunther-575: The countdown has started.
20 Feb 2013, 16:32 pm
@blue and white stripes-584: you’re smirking like you sampled the goods before! heeeeeh.
she was solly-t’s squeeze back in the cut.
20 Feb 2013, 16:33 pm
@grant10-580: Hi grant.Slight correction.
MarcellE with an E at the end is a girls name.Marcel Regards.
20 Feb 2013, 16:34 pm
grant = Grant
20 Feb 2013, 16:36 pm
@ryecatcher-587: thanks…
20 Feb 2013, 16:43 pm
And this for Transie
Kings accept underdog tag
Any doubt about Southern Kings’ status in their debut Super Rugby season was emphatically removed on the eve of their campaign.
Kings captain Luke Watson admitted at their first team announcement they were unfancied to perform against the top Super Rugby sides.
“Underdogs for this game? I think we will be the underdogs for the whole season,” Watson said.
Like any Super Rugby rookie team, the Kings will not be aiming to win the competition. Rather, their chief priority will be to avoid excess humiliation and try and avoid a promotion-relegation playoff against the wounded Lions at the end of the season.
They would have to finish fourth in the South African conference, which would be a considerable achievement given that several of their players have not been exposed to the standards of Super Rugby before.
Their entry into the tournament comes with many still questioning their right to be there and they can expect little sympathy should things come unstuck.
Southern Kings president Cheeky Watson said they had been dealt with a deck stacked against them, while Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons recently emphasised the tricky task they faced once they had been given the green light.
“The recruitment process was bedevilled when the decision to let the Kings play Super Rugby was only made on August 16,” Solomons said.
“That made it difficult to recruit players in Europe and, domestically, it also made it challenging.”
Facing criticism on the lack of black representation in the franchise, Solomons believed many talented players from the region – the Ndungane twins, Lwazi Mvovo and Siya Kolisi – were forced to join other franchises because of the Eastern Cape’s lack of opportunity.
Since Solomons linked up with the Kings, they had followed a policy of ‘keep them home, bring them home’, and he was hoping this would stem the exodus of promising young players from the region.
The franchise is ostensibly made up from Eastern Province, Border and South Western Districts players, although the team management have spread their net much wider in a bid to come up with a competitive unit.
The Kings understand they have been given only one chance and will be banking on strong crowd support as well as a cohesive team ethic to give themselves any hope of success.
“Playing Super Rugby is not a victory for the Southern Kings. It is a victory for the whole of the Eastern Cape,” Watson said.
“It has been a hard-fought battle by rugby administrators who have had to walk a long road to bring Super Rugby to the region.
“It has taken years and years and a lot of effort, and it is very important that people in this region celebrate the occasion of being involved in top-class rugby.”
The Kings face the Western Force in their first ever Super Rugby match in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
20 Feb 2013, 16:43 pm
@grant10-583: #8 will be Marcel’s best position, I think, but meantime he’s got competition from stiff competition Kanko & Daniel
I think the Sharks best trio would be:
6. Daniel
7. Alberts
8. Kanko or Coetzee
& if they can find a proper fetcher, then Daniel to drop out of the trio
PS: Despite personal preferences, I resign myself to the fact that Plum was good loose forward, & as such he is well qualified in deciding which loose trio mix is best.
ciao
20 Feb 2013, 16:52 pm
@Angostura-591: Yes….Coetsee at 8 could work, have not seen him there yet …..Kanko cooked last month of superrugby….seems with that light Sharks pack they going to stick to the offload game…good on them
20 Feb 2013, 16:55 pm
@Atlas-590: yep, we are in baby, the other franchise are cooling their jets playing “Tests” against Namibia
20 Feb 2013, 16:59 pm
@Transformation-593:
Don’t be like that about Namibia.
That’s Granties team.
20 Feb 2013, 17:00 pm
@Sheriff-558:
http://www.justcurious.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Pearl-Thusi.jpg
20 Feb 2013, 17:06 pm
@Sheriff-558: preferred 10… holla!
http://faraitoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/PEARL-CLOSE_jpg_618x999_q85.jpg
20 Feb 2013, 17:09 pm
@ryecatcher-587: it’s Grant-E
20 Feb 2013, 17:14 pm
@gunther-594: Oh dear. I’m watching Mr Booth say exactly what we have been saying re: contamination of the crime scene and the numerous other Botha fuckups…..
Oh deary dear.
I hope someone, anyone, checks this Bothafuckers bank accounts, and his previous relationship with the accused. The only explanation for such incompetence has to be $$$$$?????? Because honestly, I refuse to believe any ‘investigator’ can be this fuckingthick.
@Transformation-596: Stop perving
20 Feb 2013, 17:15 pm
@Transformation-596:
I see.
Well it seems you have albums and albums full of Pearl pics
20 Feb 2013, 17:16 pm
I asked last night but cannot recall getting a proper answer; where is Ryan, Jon C and others that used to write for keo?
Have they left?
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