Literature review
The United Nations (2016) defines sport as “a broad and inclusive spectrum of activities suitable to people of all ages and abilities, with an emphasis on the positive values of sport.” With regards to nation building, Carolyn Stephenson (2006) describes it as a program in which dysfunctional, unstable economies are given assistance in the development of infrastructure, civil society, dispute resolutions and economic assistance, in order to increase national stability. She also states that someone or something is doing the building intentionally.
Rob Hughes (2013) established that no political leader had a better knowledge and understanding of the power of sport and its potential to build a nation than South Africa’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela. Adam Hofstetter (2010) recognizes the power of sport similarly to Nelson Mandela and has established that sport has been used to build bridges and heal age old disputes among different cultures and nations throughout their existence.
According to Hofstetter (2010), Mandela used the 1995 Rugby World Cup as the foundation of the healing process of South Africa and used it to prevent a civil war that many deemed to be inevitable. For instance, Charles P. Korr for USA TODAY Sports (2013) says that, “Mandela rightly assumed that the stirring moment of victory could serve as a symbol of a united country” (Korr, 2013).
Korr (2013) also found that Mandela was most influential due to his recognition of the transformative power that sport could have on a nation rife with civil unrest however, Genevieve Quintal (2015) stated that the only way to achieve sustainable unity in South Africa is through the use of the economy rather than proposed use of sport.
“Once he was freed, he was handed the mandate to rebuild a broken, apartheid-riven South Africa” (Hughes 2013). Hughes (2013) then reported an association between the international tournaments hosted by South Africa and Mandela’s ideology that, by supporting and cheering together for their country, the people of South Africa would realise that there was no need for racial segregation anymore. Korr (2013) agrees that the hosting of international tournaments lead one of the fundamental defining moments in South Africa’s history when the Springboks won the 1995 Rugby World Cup however, Quintal (2015) contradicts this statement by arguing the point that, “it’s a cosmetic exercise because it only brings people together for 90 minutes” (Quintal, 2015)
In addition to this, Quintal (2015) reported that after a sport match, like the World Cup final, people return to their homes and harsh realities of poverty and racially segregated developments and argues how sport does not bring about a sustainable form of unity. Mandela was aware that change and complete unity would not be evident immediately however, he knew that it was the greatest test of nationhood that South Africa would ever face and he was prepared to use, “what he called the power of sports to help unite his people” (Hughes 2013).
Korr (2013) also acknowledged Mandela’s plan to use sport to plant a seed of unanimous unification amoungst the citizens of South Africa and the winning of the World Cup will be permanently regarded “as the ultimate picture of sport conquering apartheid” (Hughes 2013).
Korr (2013) concluded that sport does not only have the ability to unify a nation but can also build character, teach good values, develop team-work skills and show you how to work hard and play together. Korr’s (2013) conclusion directly links to the words of the late Nelson Mandela, “Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers” (David Bond, 2013)
In conclusion, most of the reviewed literature suggests a strong link between the role of sport in nation building and how Nelson Mandela used sport to rebuild South Africa into a unified nation. Hughes (2013), Korr (2013) and Hofstetter (2010) all report how Mandela had the ability to use sport and its unifying ability to lead South Africa out of a racially segregated apartheid era. The literature however, did not disregard the reasons as to why sport does not play an active role in nation building which can be seen through Quintal’s (2015) research. Quintal (2015) reported that using sport to build a nation will not provide sustainable unity and therefore opposes the opinion of the other authors. Yet, while there was contrasting research and reports, the research showed that sport does play more of a role in nation building rather than causing a break down in national unity.
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Analysis of Sources
Source 1: Korr, Charles P (2013). Nelson Mandela saw sport as way to connect S. Africans. [Online]. Available at http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/12/05/nelson-mandela-death-soccer-rugby-sports-impact-appreciation/2432659/. [Accessed 20 August 2016].
Usefulness: This source was extremely useful as it gave clear and detailed events that indicated how Nelson Mandela used sport as a driving force in building the South Africa as a nation. The source material was easy to understand and the points given in the source were concise and easy to use when constructing the literature review.
Validity: The source is valid as it is published in 2013 making it only three years old. The facts in the source are not outdated and are still accurate today as they were in 2013, making the source valid.
Reliability: This source, compiled by Charles Korr, is very reliable as he is history professor emeritus at the University of Missouri and he is qualified with a PhD. He is also the author of multiple history books, one of which is “More Than Just a Game: Soccer vs. Apartheid: The Most Important Soccer Story Ever Told”.
Limitations: The source is written by an American historian and thus his knowledge of South Africa and Nelson Mandela would only be through what he has studied and not on a personal basis as he would have never been able to meet him.
Source 2: Hughes, Rob (2013). Nelson Mandela Grasped the Power of Sports. [Online]. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/sports/soccer/12iht-soccer12.html?_r=0. [Accessed 20 August 2016].
Usefulness: This source was useful as it provided support with the present research, i.e. Does sport play a role in nation building and it was written in a simple way in which facts could be identified and used while constructing this literature review.
Validity: The source is valid as it is less than ten years old and was published in 2013. The source provides in depth knowledge of the subject and the facts stated are up to date with recent events making the source valid.
Reliability: This source written by Rob Hughes is reliable as he is a journalist for the New York Times and has studied a degree in journalism, therefore making this source reliable.
Limitations: Hughes is a foreign journalist and may have shown a lack of knowledge towards South Africa’s history. His article may have also been influenced by other reports regarding the topic at hand.
Source 3: Quintal, Genevieve (2015). Sport does not unite people – Lamola. [Online]. Available at http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Sport-does-not-unite-people-Lamola-20150728. [Accessed 20 August 2016].
Usefulness: This source proved to be very useful as it provided an opposing opinion towards the present research i.e. it argued how sport does not play a role in nation building. The source did however lack explanations to certain statements and it was thus hard to withdraw many key points from the source.
Validity: The source is just over one years old as it was published in 2015 making it a valid source material for use in this literature review.
Reliability: Genevieve Quintal is a political writer and journalist who has worked for the Mail and Guardian and News24. She has also studied a degree in journalism and thus the source material is reliable.
Limitations: Quintal may have distorted the truth of the source material due to the way in which the media reports controversial or public stories.