How Nelson Mandela United A Country With Rugby And The Power Of Sports (Video)
But a shot of hope came shining through in May of 1994 when, after serving a 27-year prison sentence, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president.
Instead of fighting back or just taking more abuse, Mandela devised a radical plan that not many of his people could understand.
After getting South Africa to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup, he wanted his fellow Africans to root for the national Springbok team in an attempt to unite the country, using the game and world stage as a catalyst.
It wasn’t exactly easy to get his people to root for the home team. Rugby is, after all, an all-white sport and the violence, in a sense, represents the oppression that the people were facing.
But after the team started getting on a roll, and taking down some of the top clubs, the Africans started to finally rally around them, just like Mandela envisioned. Before you knew it, there was no more fighting, no more violence, just rugby.
It all culminated in a championship game against New Zealand, in which South Africa pulled out the storybook finish to win the title in overtime. Nelson Mandela was in attendance and took to the field after the win, where the crowd gave him their undeniable respect.
The once unsupportive people who made up the other half of the torn country were finally chanting “Mandela” at the top of their lungs as race no longer mattered and they acted as one.
The passing of Nelson Mandela is a significant one not only because of how he united a country, but also for how he inspired people around the world. His spirit will always live on and his messages to the people will be remembered forever.
Check out the live conclusion of the title broadcast below.
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