The impact of sport on nation building: A Critical Analysis of South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup

The power of sport to unite a nation: the social value of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

“…Labuschagne (2008) and Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2011) noted that even the sense of unity garnered from the 1995 Rugby World Cup Springbok performance only lasted about two years since the racial and economic divisions in South Africa were too deep. It will be interesting to see if similar findings European Sport Management Quarterly 467 are associated with the 2016 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which is another emerging economy with similarly poor economic and social conditions.…”

“…Popularized in the film 'Invictus,' Mandela attended the final match proudly wearing a Springbok jersey. This act was a catalyst that assisted the former President to gain Afrikaner support and bridge political unity within South Africa; thereby creating a sense of national identity in the new 'Rainbow Nation' (Höglund & Sundberg 2008;Labuschagne, 2008;Nauright, 1997).…”

“…However, Cornelissen (2008) noted that foreign policy objectives were among the more germane foci for the event. Despite this, South African scholars acknowledged a need to focus internally, by enhancing the sense of community experienced within the nation (Labuschagne, 2008;Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2011). One measure of connectedness that has received increased global attention, including its application in Africa, is social capital (Narayan & Cassidy, 2001).…”

“…Without the confounding effect of success, this event provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of hosting a mega sport event to enhance national identity. The South African example is a particularly salient one to explore national identity because of the multi-faceted racial, ethnic, and tribal groupings that comprise the country's population (Price, 1997), and divisions based on race and ethnicity still loom as one of the largest national challenges (Labuschagne, 2008). In light of this issue, and the enormous financial investments that mega sport events require, examining the World Cup's influence on the national identity of South Africans makes an important contribution to the literature.…”

Psychological experiences in South African society before the 2010 FIFA World Cup from the systems psychodynamic and positive psychology perspectives

“…the psychological potential of sport as a nation builder in a fragmented society (Labuschagne, 2008). Scholars, who study the history and dynamics of sport, have accepted that sport is inseparable from nationalism and can be a powerful tool in the hands of politicians (Chandler, 1999).…”