The future of the springbok

[Dave A]

SA Rugby walked into what looked like an ambush at the National Sports Indaba in Durban on Thursday, where sports portfolio committee chairperson Butana Komphela told delegates that the Springbok emblem divides the country. And there was a chorus of support from other sporting codes to see the Springbok go.

It just keeps coming back, doesn't it. Some people just have to go back and gnaw that bone again and again and again.

This morning reports were going "The Springbok is history" so I nearly fell flat on my back when I read this...

The African National Congress (ANC) came out strongly in support of the Springbok emblem on Friday, saying it did not want to see it replaced.

"The ANC would like to state categorically that it would not like to see any replacement or change of the Springbok emblem until sufficient debate and consultation of all stakeholders, including rugby supporters, has taken place," ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said.

"We would also like to encourage our world-acclaimed sportsmen to continue winning more world cups for South Africa and not be detracted by debates on the future of the Springbok emblem."
full story from M&G here

[Graeme]

The sports portfolio people should rather turn their attention to that national stuff-up called Bafana Bafana.

[Dave A]

And the Olympic performance (amazing how we perform best with a handicap ).

Maybe that was the idea behind flogging the horse bok one more time - deflect attention from their own performance.

[Marq]

(ANC) came out strongly in support of the Springbok emblem on Friday

Next years election story is closer than we think and the ANC (new guys, old party) are going to need every vote they can get now that we have an old guys, new party scenario.

Watch the BS spread from now on.

[Chatmaster]

Ironic how the ONE symbol in SA sport that have been able to break the racial discrimination and apartheid back by unifying the nation is coming under fire by the ANC. I believe they are seriously scared that SA will unify and put the past behind them, as that would cause major problems for their majority rule based on their struggle past. Luke Watson is acting immature as usual and arent even worth wasting my breath over. The Springbok are not owned by the white South African as these losers would like, it is owned by the entire nation, with pride.

[Dave A]

The issue of the Springbok is a little more complex than it looks. I'm disappointed at the response from other sporting codes, but not entirely surprised. There is a history here that goes beyond colour.

I remember in the days when I was involved with sport administration, one of the contentious issues was that issuing national colours, titled as "Springbok Colours," had to fly past the Rugby Board. There was a fair amount of resentment that the Springbok was owned by Rugby, as opposed to the country's top national sports administrative bodies. And Rugby did not hesitate to throw its weight around when it came to deciding who could and who could not get Springbok (or national) colours.

It constituted rugby meddling in standards and recognition in non-rugby sporting codes - a situation that should not have existed. The symbol for national colours should be owned by the country, not an individual sporting code.

Ultimately rugby was not solely responsible for this less than perfect situation. The other codes, faced with a code that would not let go of ownership of the bok, should have moved on to agreeing on a national symbol that did belong to the country and all codes. But the situation was messy and complicated.

Rugby was the ultimate holy cow of the old regime, so adopting some other national symbol was not going to get political support at government level.

From the sports admin side, just what constituted the apex national sports body was also a bit complex because of the division between Olympic and non-Olympic sports codes. And that's before we even get into the additional bodies of colour in those days.

All in all, the history of the Springbok has elements attached that are far from squeaky clean, but nothing to do with apartheid.

That said, I feel we should have moved past these old resentments. The national sports bodies have sorted out a national symbol that belongs to all the sports bodies and is seperate from what is after all rugby's proprietory symbol, the Springbok. As Roeloef says, within rugby the Springbok has "transformed" to be a source of national pride for all rugby players and most citizens. The king protea and the springbok sit side by side in rugby - So what! And this was all agreed to ages ago.

By continually going back to the Bok issue and going back on previous agreements, the other sports bodies are as guilty if not more so of what Rugby was doing to other sports codes back in the bad days by holding onto the Springbok as its own.

A politician being a petty ass is one thing - sports administrators being an ass is another.

It is inconsiderate of another code's right to its own traditions and ultimately damn poor sportmanship.

[Dave A]

As Roeloef says, within rugby the Springbok has "transformed" to be a source of national pride for all rugby players and most citizens.

Maybe that should be most rugby players. I see Luke Watson is making news so I guess we can rule him out as a bok supporter.

[Chatmaster]

Although my personal opinion about Luke Watson are completely based on media reports, it seems like he is still just a little child and still needs to grow and become a mature adult. He is a good rugby player though and that I do not take away from him, although I feel there are better players than him. The Springbok is however much older and bigger than him so I do not care much for his views.

One thing that has bothered me these last couple of years are the fact that the Springbok has become much more commercialized. I remember a time when I had to take my certificates and a letter to the sports shop so I could purchase my clothing. That is all down the drain and much of the pride in wearing the clothes has gone down the drain. Maybe it is just me but I remember our neighbor being a Springbok Boxer and the amount of respect I had for him as a young man.

Today I am not even sure what our national team should be called. Should it be called the Protea or is it just the SA Team. The Springbok has always and will always be the national team name to me, a status symbol of accomplishment.

[Dave A]

This is going to get interesting!

SA Rugby is using the Springbok emblem illegally because it failed to renew its licence to use it, Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said on Tuesday.

SABC radio reported that Stofile told parliament's portfolio committee on sport that his department was the rightful owner of the Springbok and Protea trademarks.

While presenting his department's annual report to the committee, Stofile said legal action was underway to recover royalties owed by SA Rugby for its use of the Springbok emblem.
full story from IOL here

Minister Stofile might claim "rightful" ownership for his department, but who is the legal owner of the Springbok trademark?

[Dave A]

who is the legal owner of the Springbok trademark?

A trademark search has revealed that the Springbok trademark is definitely owned by rugby.

Don't know what pot the Sports Minister was smoking, but man it must be good shit!