SA’s past and present are destroying our sporting future
Let the best be chosen for every sporting code.
I’m no Nostradamus, but South Africa’s sporting future doesn’t look all that glamorous at the moment. Let’s put who is/was right and who is/was wrong aside for a second and look at the bigger picture.
We’re talking about sport, which is defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment”. The purpose of sport is thus entertainment, and nothing else.
Sadly (and let’s be frank about it), South African sport is everything but entertaining at the moment. There are ongoing fights and arguments about the teams representing the country, because of the complexions of the participants.
What happened to merit? Where has being selected based on form, skill and the will to succeed gone?
I could be wrong – but as far as I know, South Africa is the only country where the selection of a sporting team has to follow a strict procedure.
Just think about how silly this is …
These days, each coach must sit with a pen and paper, and first take the government’s check-list into consideration. Say he or she has to select 30 team members to take on the rest of the world at the Olympics in a major fishing tournament. Wait – he or she must first ensure there’s a certain number of ‘tall, yellow participants’, and a certain number of ‘fast, gold participants’.
That’s it. Ability apparently doesn’t come into it any more. As a result, half the team may be pretty useless at fishing, but because they fit the criteria laid down in the rules, they’re in.
The team goes off to the Olympics, where they meet their opponents, who were selected solely on merit. Who do you think will win? The team selected on the basis of certain values, agendas, and so on, or the team selected on merit?
Please people, focus on the economy, the social ills in the community, unemployment and other more serious matters, and leave a beautiful thing such as sport alone. Let the best be chosen for every sporting code.
After all, sport was introduced thousands of years ago, long before any of us were here.
