Role of Sport in Pre-Apartheid South Afirca
Racial discrimination and economic exploitation have long been associated with South Africa’s sport history. The roots of South African sports go back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries when the Dutch settlers, Afrikaners, claimed what used to be native African territory. For the first 150 years, the Dutch were the predominant foreign influence in South Africa. Later, the British dominated and sought to establish power and control within the region, focusing particularly on the spread of British Imperialism. With their cultural infusion and expansion of national identity to the region came the introduction of aristocratic sports, namely rugby, cricket, and football.
Sport and racial politics call to mind British ideas about race, class, and empire. European aristocratic values and “all white” dominance have historically characterized South Africa’s three main sports of rugby, cricket, and football. Rugby was introduced to South Africa around 1875 and was predominantly played along the gold and diamond routes, helping to spread the sport throughout the country. In the 1900’s, the sport was seen as one exclusively for white people. Early on, the game was embraced by Africans in the Cape colony and Eastern Cape in particular, but the rugby organization (under the South African Coloured Rugby Board founded in 1896), kept the teams segregated against blacks. Racial lines expanded across international borders, where New Zealand’s rugby team competing against South Africa, felt it necessary to exclude non-white players, namely George Nepia, from the 1928 tour. Deeply rooted racial lines in South Africa are known to have played a significant role in legislating around excluding non-white players in the game of Rugby.
Dating all the way back to 1808 when Cricket was first introduced to South Africa, sport quickly became a venue that unified individuals with similar identities. Cricket was an integral part of the expansion of the British Empire, made up of a small tightly-knit elite group of whites, that ignored the black cricketers and politicians. As Europeans colonized Southern Africa, the teams became more exclusive and, eventually, more segregated. The racial divide that existed in cricket was due to Cape Prime Minister Cecil John Rhodes, who imposed a segregationist philosophy to the game, blocking a talented black man, “Krom” Hendricks, in the South African teams of 1894 and 1895. Hendricks and other blacks passionate about the game never got the chance to play on the international circuit.
In 1862, the first football, matches were documented, played between European settlers. About a year and a half later, the Football Association in England was founded, which was when contemporary football took off. Soon after, the football clubs all around South Africa appeared and the sport became a common pastime amongst the European settlers. The South African Football Association (FASA) was established in 1892; however, it was designated for whites only. Since South Africa still consisted of multiple colonial territories, the football associations that sprung up were not unified systematically, socially, or politically. Football in South Africa has long been held as inseparable from racial equality.
For decades, South African sports endured the systematic segregation, a belief that sports teams were forbidden to be multi-racial and that any sportsman who wasn’t pure white had to play in one of the coloured leagues. This even played out on the international circuit, where domestic political policy prevented colored players from touring the country. Only recently has South Africa begun to heal the wounds of its segregation and racial inequality in sport.
Sport and racial politics call to mind British ideas about race, class, and empire. European aristocratic values and “all white” dominance have historically characterized South Africa’s three main sports of rugby, cricket, and football. Rugby was introduced to South Africa around 1875 and was predominantly played along the gold and diamond routes, helping to spread the sport throughout the country. In the 1900’s, the sport was seen as one exclusively for white people. Early on, the game was embraced by Africans in the Cape colony and Eastern Cape in particular, but the rugby organization (under the South African Coloured Rugby Board founded in 1896), kept the teams segregated against blacks. Racial lines expanded across international borders, where New Zealand’s rugby team competing against South Africa, felt it necessary to exclude non-white players, namely George Nepia, from the 1928 tour. Deeply rooted racial lines in South Africa are known to have played a significant role in legislating around excluding non-white players in the game of Rugby.
Dating all the way back to 1808 when Cricket was first introduced to South Africa, sport quickly became a venue that unified individuals with similar identities. Cricket was an integral part of the expansion of the British Empire, made up of a small tightly-knit elite group of whites, that ignored the black cricketers and politicians. As Europeans colonized Southern Africa, the teams became more exclusive and, eventually, more segregated. The racial divide that existed in cricket was due to Cape Prime Minister Cecil John Rhodes, who imposed a segregationist philosophy to the game, blocking a talented black man, “Krom” Hendricks, in the South African teams of 1894 and 1895. Hendricks and other blacks passionate about the game never got the chance to play on the international circuit.
In 1862, the first football, matches were documented, played between European settlers. About a year and a half later, the Football Association in England was founded, which was when contemporary football took off. Soon after, the football clubs all around South Africa appeared and the sport became a common pastime amongst the European settlers. The South African Football Association (FASA) was established in 1892; however, it was designated for whites only. Since South Africa still consisted of multiple colonial territories, the football associations that sprung up were not unified systematically, socially, or politically. Football in South Africa has long been held as inseparable from racial equality.
For decades, South African sports endured the systematic segregation, a belief that sports teams were forbidden to be multi-racial and that any sportsman who wasn’t pure white had to play in one of the coloured leagues. This even played out on the international circuit, where domestic political policy prevented colored players from touring the country. Only recently has South Africa begun to heal the wounds of its segregation and racial inequality in sport.