Rio feeling the Olympic pain

Posted on February 29, 2016 by ClintonV

Last August, over 300 sailors from 52 countries converged on Rio’s Guanabara Bay for a pre-Olympic Games regatta designed to test the readiness of the city.

It didn’t go well.

Sailors were confronted by a ghastly mess of domestic waste, sewage, dead rats and fish and used condoms.

One prominent sailor, Erik Hail of Germany, became ill and required hospital treatment for multiple infections on his legs and hip after contracting a bacteria that carved a chunk out of his calf.

Last year the Associated Press independently tested the water in Rio, and found it to be rife with “viruses that are known to cause respiratory and digestive illnesses, including explosive diarrhoea and vomiting, but can also lead to more serious heart, brain and other diseases.”

Just last week, a severed arm was found floating in the fetid waters near the Olympic sailing venue.

Simply staying in your yacht without falling out and being nuked by filthy water will be medal-worthy in itself.

The portents don’t look good with the Games now less than six months away.

In what has become an almost weekly update on Rio’s struggle to get ready, news this week that a rail extension linking key venues to the city may not be completed in time hardly came as a surprise.

Foreign tourists are expected to arrive in their hundreds of thousands, but with traffic already a major inconvenience, visitors to the Olympic Park in Barra de Tijuca may struggle to make their way. Local officials are frantic.

As ever with such major events, the problems seem to compound. If operational and logistical challenges are almost always to be expected, viruses are not. But the Zika virus has taken hold in South America, causing alarm in Olympic communities around the world. Many athletes have expressed doubt about travelling.

Undeterred, Brazilian officials have embarked on a marketing campaign. “A mosquito is not stronger than a whole country,” reads the tagline somewhat hopefully.

Earlier this month, Sascoc, the SA Olympic Committee, sought to dampen the concerns.

SA athletes were advised to wear long-sleeved clothing, apply an insect repellent to exposed skin, sleep under mosquito-proof bed nets treated with an approved insecticide, spray the inside of their rooms with an insecticide after closing doors and windows and to stay and sleep in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms.

Far from being an adventure, Rio doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, does it?

Not surprisingly, the International Olympic Committee hasn’t considered changing a thing. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.

If Rio seems like a Latin version of happy chaos, this isn’t an unsuitable label.

Many venues are not yet complete, including those for athletics, swimming, cycling and the international media centre. As we’ve seen with the Commonwealth Games and even the Winter Olympics in Russia, we may have to get used to the sight of workers hammering away on the very morning of the start of the Games on August 5.

With Brazil in the middle of its worst recession in 20 years, there are also fears that ticket sales are not as vibrant as hoped for.

It has also emerged that spectators will not be allocated specific seats for many events, including archery, badminton, boxing, equestrian, hockey, rowing, rugby sevens, shooting, table tennis and weightlifting.

Organisers consider this policy more “flexible”, but suspicions remain that it could lead to crowd trouble.

Given all these issues, the over-riding thought is how onerous and cumbersome the modern Olympic Games have become. Countries willingly get into debt up to their eyeballs and the return, far from being positive, is seldom worth the investment.

The trouble is that city fathers treat the Olympics and other mega-events like vanity projects. It’s a time to show off and glad-hand, no matter that most cities cannot afford to spend such staggering amounts.

We discovered as much when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup with a number of stadiums reduced to white elephants. The much-touted legacy of 2010 is a mirage, little more. But the politicians were pleased and we had a big party.

For Rio, hosting the Olympics on the back of a soccer World Cup, it’s a double whammy.

As they are discovering to their cost, it’s a lark that isn’t nearly worth the trouble. Or the money. – © Sunday Tribune

New York beckons for boxing’s emerging superstar

Posted on February 25, 2016 by ClintonV

In modern boxing, it’s not good enough to be merely outstanding. You must be popular too.

This is the position WBO super-lightweight champion Terence Crawford finds himself in. He is one of the best fighters in the sport, but he remains little-known beyond boxing’s hard-core followers.

That could change this weekend when he steps out of his Omaha stronghold to fight Hank Lundy at Madison Square Garden.

The tournament will be broadcast live on SS7 from 4am on Sunday.

Crawford is unbeaten in 27 fights and can lay claim to being one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing. He can box and brawl and is one of the most natural, effective switch-hitters in the game.

He was in the mix to fight Manny Pacquiao recently, but Pacman opted for the safer option against Tim Bradley.

Crawford, Fighter of the Year in 2014, has defeated a slew of top contenders, including Raymundo Beltran and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Remarkably, his toughness has been proven outside rather than inside the ring. Eight years ago he was caught in the crossfire of a gang-shooting and took a bullet in the head. Somehow, he drove himself to hospital.

Lundy is as tough as they come, but it is significant that his losses all occurred when he stepped up in class.

“What’s going to happen when Crawford faces someone who can do the same things he can do?” asked Lundy. “He’s nothing special. Most of these guys get confused (by switching stances), but I’ve been watching him since he popped up on the scene. Nothing has changed for me. He doesn’t impress me.”

If Crawford represents the current, co-main event fighter Felix Verdejo represents the future.

The Puerto Rican is one of the most dynamic young fighters on the scene and will be looking to do a job on unbeaten William Silva of Brazil on the undercard. Look out for Verdejo; he figures to be a champion before long.

Federer: relentlessly, impossibly likeable

Posted on February 24, 2016 by ClintonV

I can’t vouch for the providence of this piece – it plopped into my inbox yesterday – but it’s a story too good not to share.

(I gather the facts are indeed true).

Every year, at the Australian Open, behind Roger Federer’s coach (earlier Edberg and now Ljubicic), sits an elderly couple.

There is a story to this couple, and it shows what a human being Federer is.

The couple are Bob and Diana Carter, the parents of his first international coach, the Australian Peter Carter.

Federer was just nine when Carter took him under his wing. In 2002, in a terrible tragedy, Carter died in a car accident in South Africa while on a vacation with his wife. He was only 37 years of age.

The story goes that Federer (then 21) was so affected by his coach’s death, he ran through the streets of Toronto (where he was playing that day), bawling his heart out.

Carter had recognised Federer’s genius at a young age, and was determined to make him an all-time great.

He was not Federer’s first coach, but the one who took him from relative obscurity in Basel in Switzerland to the threshold of international greatness.

So, coming back to Bob and Diana Carter. Federer feels so close and so indebted to them that, every year, since 2005, his team sends an all-expenses paid itinerary to the Adelaide-based couple — first-class air tickets, bookings in the same hotel as Federer, food, winner’s parties and even commiseration parties in Melbourne. And they sit in Federer’s box at the Rod Laver Arena, supporting him as if he were their son.

They see their son Peter in him. And Federer never forgets the Carter family’s role in his life and career.

Federer, now 34, may or may not win his 18th Grand Slam. But is he one of the greatest humans to have set foot on a tennis court.

Rugby reworked

Posted on February 23, 2016 by ClintonV

SuperSport’s own rugby revamp will take place this week with long-standing Boots and All making way for two-part TMO and Phaka, a show dedicated to celebrating black rugby, making its bow.

TMO, a half-hour show on Tuesday and Thursday nights (7pm, SS1), begins tonight and will kick off with a review show, followed two days later by a preview of the weekend’s action.

Boots and All, which ran to almost 1000 episodes over exactly 20 years, has been packed away in the name of progress, although the show’s stalwarts remain.

Familiar analysts like Nick Mallett, Naas Botha, Bobby Skinstad, Ashwin Willemse and Breyton Paulse will continue to offer their insights.

Popular Xola Ntshinga will host Tuesday’s TMO.

Thursday’s TMO will be hosted by Elma Smit, who will throw things forward to weekend action.

Top guests will continue to do duty in both shows.

“Boots and All was a wonderful programme for a long time,” explained Louwrens Rensburg, SuperSport’s executive rugby producer. “But the immediacy of news and the nature of social media made us question the relevance of reviewing rugby on a Thursday, many days after the action. We’re moving with the times and looking for something fresh and exciting.”

Part of the rugby overhaul is the introduction of Phaka, a Xhosa term for “dish up” (as in rugby).

Kaunda Ntunja, the first black captain of SA Schoolboys and a prominent isiXhosa commentator, will host the show in partnership with Makhaya Jack, one of the patriarchs of black rugby.

Phaka debuts tonight (6pm, SS1) and will also feature on SS Select (ch 210, Tuesday 10.30pm) and SS4 (Wednesday, 5am and Thursday, 5.10pm).

Stop whining – there’s much to look forward to in Super Rugby

Posted on February 22, 2016 by ClintonV

SA’s Super Rugby captains.

Here we go again.

Another year of great promise, another year of great expectation.

It’s Super Rugby time, but not as you know it.

The old model has been thrown out and in its place is a new-fangled system that borrows a little from the NBA, Champions League and Einstein. It is exotic, to say the least.

Almost everyone has taken exception, although happily this hasn’t been the view of the SA teams themselves. Complaining helps nothing. They are determined to get on with it, come what may.

Some things haven’t changed. SA teams look to be on the back foot and there are already a raft of injuries. Nothing about rugby gets easier. Even the off-season is brutal. Just ask Handre Pollard. He routinely runs into 110kg loose forwards, but mangled his knee ligaments without anyone laying a hand on him.

It robs the Bulls of their key man. The Sharks must know the feeling. Pat Lambie, their talisman and captain, is also crocked. You just hope this isn’t a metaphor for the South African challenge in the weeks and months to come.

Now that the lousy stuff is out the way, there is much good to contemplate.

One is the promise of new coaching blood heralding a fresh, innovative approach. Four of SA’s six franchises have a new coach at the helm. Only the Sharks and the Lions do not.

In two warm-up games against decent French opposition, the Sharks appeared confident and vibrant. This is good.

The Lions are well set. In the absence of Pollard and Lambie, Elton Jantjies is SA’s most accomplished flyhalf. The door has opened for him to make a bold statement. Given how the Lions have played under Johan Ackerman – with flair and adventure – the unorthodox Jantjies could thrive. The wheels may come off their free-wheeling approach at some point, but it won’t mean their game plan is wrong. It will mean they must work harder.

The Stormers are consciously trying to evolve. Coach Robbie Fleck seldom conformed as a player. You hope the same mindset underpins his coaching philosophy (although his two-captains pick is weird).

The Stormers have always had players with swagger, but they traditionally held back because coaches wouldn’t give them their freedom. The jury is still out on Fleck’s appointment as coach, but if he gets the Stormers firing, his may yet be a long-term deal.

[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The Bulls are determined to abandon their ox-wagons[/pullquote]

No-one has a real idea how the Bulls will go. They are determined to abandon their ox-wagons with new coach Nollis Marais wedded to a fast, open game that relies strongly on a quick and powerful back three. Losing Pollard is massive, though. It’s hard to get through a brutal tournament with a holding operation at No 10.

Franco Smith of the Cheetahs is another who doesn’t have a conservative rugby bone in his body. Such is the Cheetahs way and you imagine they will do some mind-blowing things in the months ahead. Their problem has always been defence, which often seems to be an afterthought.

Meanwhile at the Kings there’s a sense of trepidation. The squad is a construct of SA Rugby, whose hand was forced by the urgency to get a squad up and running.

Deon Davids is in charge. There isn’t a tougher job in local rugby. The franchise’s best players moved off and they had to start from the bottom up. Depth – and a world-class flyhalf – are the determining factors in Super Rugby, which is why they may struggle as the tournament wears on.

If the recent World Cup was a watershed, one of the upshots will be the emergence of exciting new players. Whoever gets the Bok coaching job will have a cleanout. There are thus openings all over the place for young players who are able to thrive in Super Rugby.

Springbok places will depend on how they perform in the white-hot environment where ordinary players are fast exposed.

It’s impossible to know how our lot will go. The new teams from Japan and Argentina offer a curious new dimension and the byzantine fixture list mean all bets are off.

So long as we stop bowing at the feet of New Zealand. It’s time they were knocked off their perch. – © Sunday Tribune

Sport 2016 – no place for stragglers

Posted on February 19, 2016 by ClintonV

eSport . . . yes, it’s real.

Technology. Betting. Women. Esports.

If you’re a gambler, the smart money says you can’t go wrong putting cash on these four.

This isn’t what futurists predict. It’s already happening and I know because international research company Repucom says so.

Last week, the smart guys there presented their top 10 global commercial trends in sport. Many of SA sport’s biggest movers and shakers were in the room. The narrative that ran through the morning was simple – adapt or die.

Sport, like everything, evolves, and those that don’t, won’t make it. Some will be dragged kicking and screaming into the light. And then they’ll wonder why it took them so long.

[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Some will be dragged kicking and screaming into the light. And then they’ll wonder why it took them so long.[/pullquote]

It was a wake-up call for local sport; for rights holders, sponsors, media and federations.

As sponsorship shoots up internationally – projections are that it will hit $62-billion next year – global betting will also hit stratospheric levels ($64-billion in 2016). This offers an interesting conundrum for sport: betting is a massive revenue earner, but it’s also the realm of match-fixers, enabling them to thrive. Soccer, cricket and tennis know all about this. Sport ought to tread carefully in the rush for the cash.

Media rights will continue to grow, which isn’t good news if you deal in Rands. With the cash squeeze on in a big way, major sports sponsors are pulling out all the time.

The research also highlighted how intense competition to capture new audiences is. In the age of the Internet, audience attention is constantly being diluted. People are intensely interested, but in fewer things.

To quote The Guardian: “English cricket is in danger of becoming a sporting version of the Church of England, with an ageing demographic who attend because they always attend, and believe because they have always believed. Meanwhile, younger generations will barely notice its slow and graceful slide into irrelevance.”

It’s a brutal summation of how the world is fast changing.

Much of this change is driven by social media. No-one does it better than the NBA. While some organisations jealously guard their content, the NBA doesn’t care how it is distributed. It has taken the view that as long as their content gets eyeballs, it’s all good.

The NBA taps into 100 million daily Snapchat users and content hijacking (fan-generated memes and GIFs) is encouraged rather than policed.

NBA was also the first sport to get over one billion Vine loops. Little wonder it’s one of the most powerful leagues on earth.

And to think that in this town some major clubs and teams barely have a functioning website.

The market also ignores women at its peril. In the past four years there has been a 30 percent increase in the number of women interested in soccer – that’s 100 million people.

Common sense, and various studies, indicate that there is significant interest in commercial opportunities in women’s sport and engagement.

eSports have also shot into focus. I know, I know, it’s an absurd notion that anything electronic can constitute a sport, but the reality is much different. In the US and Middle East, elite-level gaming events sell out arenas and there is mainstream broadcast and sponsor interest. It’s on our doorstep, too, with Telkom having launched a digital gaming league with R1-million prizemoney.

eSports constitutes one of the four types of fast-growth sports and events that have hit the scene. New formats and leagues, like T20 cricket, are catching on. Fitness and participation events (parkrun being a personal favourite) are all the rage and combat sport is capturing hearts and minds. Social media is at the core of each of these.

Warrior racing: wicked, filthy fun.

Repucom’s research also reflects a steady shift away from traditional sports clubs to more informal gatherings, like Warrior races, parkrun and Absa Cape Epic , which are organised primarily on digital and social media platforms.

The warning signs are thus writ large for staid clubs that are tired and complacent.

It’s an exciting new world that ought to both terrify and excite us. The smartest, rather than the toughest, will doubtless thrive.

Black rugby gets a perfect stage

Posted on February 17, 2016 by ClintonV

I remember holidaying in the Eastern Cape when I was much younger and being amazed at all the rugby poles in the dusty outposts.

Much to my regret, I knew little about the history of black rugby and how it had been played in the region for over 100 years. There is nothing fake or artificial about this: the region is the heartland of black rugby and has long produced outstanding players. Many are local legends, denied their place in the sun thanks to apartheid’s inequities.

The reconstituted SA Rugby Museum has made a commendable effort to recognise such players; black players who otherwise would have been Springboks also receive special mention in the SA Rugby annual. None of these initiatives can undo the damage of the past, but doffing a cap to the trailblazers is something.

I was reminded of the Eastern Cape’s passion for the game at SuperSport’s launch of Phaka, a new isiXhosa magazine show, in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. The appetite among black people for rugby is all too real. This enthusiasm runs deep, as I discovered when sharing lunch with Kaya Malotana and Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe-Calata.

Rugby royalty: Kaya Malotana and Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe-Calata.

Malotana, a centre, was democratic South Africa’s first black African Springbok, and Tsotsobe-Calata captained the women’s Springbok team.

They speak with great passion about the game, although Tsotsobe-Calata despairs at the state of women’s rugby where the national team receives scant support. “They won’t even be at the 2017 World Cup,” she groaned.

Malotana is making a fist of things as a coach at Alberton Rugby Club, which has been on a downward spiral. He’s trying manfully so include a life skills programme to enable youngsters to have something to fall back on.

As with much else, it’s a struggle, but he is encouraged by the depth of black talent he sees all around.

Phaka, a Xhosa term for “dish up” (as in rugby), is designed to celebrate black rugby. Lead presenter Kaunda Ntunja, the first black SA Schools captain and a real pro behind the mic, already has a ream of people lined up to profile. They all have stories to tell.

Ntunja will be joined by celebrated analyst Makhaya Jack, one of the black game’s pioneers.

I’m told that the pair make a formidable on-air tag team, combining humour with isiXhosa’s more unusual nuances.

Motshidisi Mohono, former SA Sevens captain Mzwandile Stick, former SA Schools captain Kaunda Ntunja and black rugby pioneer Makhaya Jack.

“In isiXhosa commentary terms, we say esiScrumhalf siphaka kamnandi, loosely translated to ‘the scrumhalf is an excellent distributor of the ball’. We aim to distribute and deliver rugby news and history to black people in a way and manner unique to them,” explained Ntunja.

Former Lady Rugger finalist Motshidisi Mohono will also be a regular presenter. Having cut her broadcasting teeth on the Varsity Cup, she’s keen to flex her TV muscles on the new show.

“It’s important for black kids to see that people like them – black people – can also make it,” she said, cutting to the heart of how essential transformation is.

The first show is on SS1 at 6pm on Tuesday with repeats on SS4 and SS Select (ch 10).

Cracking day out for BPL fans

Posted on February 16, 2016 by ClintonV

A recent BPL Live event in Mumbai.

There’s no denying the phenomenon that is the Barclays Premier League.

Cape Town will experience the BPL like never before when the official fan park, Barclays Premier League Live, comes to the Mother City next month.

Soccer fans will get the chance to get up close and personal with the BPL trophy, meet former players, visit team tents and watch matches live on a giant 118m² screen.

BPL Live will take place at Camps Bay High on March 19 and 20. It will be a free, interactive experience designed for the family to enjoy.

The park will be open from noon each day and will close shortly after the matches finish.

Two of South Africa’s greatest Premier League players, Quinton Fortune and Lucas Radebe, will join other Barclays Premier League legends like Peter Schmeichel, Robbie Fowler and Shaun Goater in giving fans the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of their heroes.

All of the action will be overseen by John Dykes, the lead presenter for Super Sports’ coverage of the Premier League, who will be on stage, providing insight into all of the weekend’s exciting match-ups including Everton v Arsenal on Saturday (2.45pm) and Sunday’s grand finale, the Manchester derby at 6pm.

Fans interested in attending should register at http://www.bpllive.com/ or by dialling *134*275#. Entry will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis, but all fans must register before entering.

To help get fans to the event, a free park and ride facility will run from the Grand Parade, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha on a loop system to Camps Bay High School.

John Dykes said: “BPL Live is all about bringing the electrifying atmosphere of a Premier League match to our international fans. The first ever BPL Live in Johannesburg reminded us just how passionate South African fans are about the Premier League. I can’t wait to see the enthusiasm Cape Town fans will bring to the park now that they’re getting their chance.”

As part of the Premier League’s commitment to inspiring sport participation in communities around the world, there will be a Premier Skills community coaching course run the week leading up to BPL Live at Grootbos Football Foundation.

SA fans can keep up with the latest developments about Barclays Premier League Live at the website www.bpllive.com and from Twitter updates via @premierleague and #BPLlive.

Activities fans can take part in include:

The Live Match Zone – the main arena where fans will watch the live Barclays Premier League matches on a giant 118-square-metre screen, the largest BPL Live screen to date

The Trophy Zone – fans will be able to get up close to the Barclays Premier League Trophy.

The Screening Zone – supporters will experience the noise and excitement of a matchday before learning all about the winning teams and captains of the Premier League in this exclusive film.

The Pitch Zone – there will be a mini-football pitch where Barclays Premier League clubs will be conducting skills sessions with local football teams, and there will also be the chance for fans to have a game of football run by Premier League community coaches and Legends.

The Skills Zone – there are three football skills pods for supporters to test their accuracy, close control and shooting power.

The Signing Zone – fans can get autographs and photos with their favourite Legends.

Club and Partner Zones – Premier League Clubs and official Partners, including Super Sports, will be present at the fan park with interactive games, Club mascots and memorabilia.

Official Names and Numbers – fans can officially have their favourite player’s name and number printed on the back of any Premier League shirt they bring to the Names and Numbers tent.

Match schedule:

Saturday March 19
2.45: Everton v Arsenal.
5pm: Chelsea v West Ham; Crystal Palace v Leicester City; Southampton v Liverpool*; Tottenham Hotspur v AFC Bournemouth*; Watford v Stoke City; West Bromwich Albion v Norwich City.
7.45pm: Swansea City v Aston Villa.

Sunday March 20
3.30pm: Newcastle United v Sunderland.
6pm: Manchester City v Manchester United.

*Matches may move to Sunday subject to Europa League involvement.

Living, and dying, for sport

Posted on February 15, 2016 by ClintonV

Scrolling through social media last Sunday, I went cold as the images of twisted metal and the accompanying updates came through.

An alleged drunken driver had ploughed into a group of cyclists on an early-morning training ride from Blue Lagoon towards Umhlanga. What should have been a breezy morning out turned into a nightmare as Kings Park Cycling Club member Jared Dwyer and chairman Richard da Silva were knocked over and killed.

The horror is barely imaginable. One moment a happy group of 30 cyclists were minding their own business, the next they were in a frantic panic trying to save their friends.

Wrecked bikes, wrecked lives. For some, life will never be the same again.

Sport, lest we forget, is not only about the elite athletes who crack the big-money deals and appear on our television screens. By far the majority of participants are middle-of-the-roaders; mums and dads who try and stave off the ravages of middle age, youngsters who want to stay in shape and look good and yet more still who simply give in to their competitive urges.

The guys who jog around the block or who stretch themselves on the local squash court once a week all help make up the numbers. There aren’t cheers for them and, usually, the only applause is their own by way of cracking a personal best time or getting one over their training buddy. That’s the great redeeming feature of sport: we can all do it, no matter how slowly or hopelessly.

It’s marvellously Corinthian and a welcome counterpoint to the cynicism that envelopes so much modern professional sport. Just look at the state of world football. Or cycling. Or cricket. Even tennis. Much of it is riven with self-interest, dishonesty and cronyism; athletes are almost secondary.

I’m no idealist and I have nothing but abiding admiration for sportsmen and women who produce excellence consistently, but none ever started at the top. They all made their way slowly into the light before finding their footing and elevating themselves beyond the rest of us. They are the lucky ones.

Indeed, one such youngster trying to make his way is boxer Khotle Morabedi, who I watched in action in Johannesburg last weekend. Hailing from the Free State Goldfields, little Khotle dreams of making it under the big lights. But hard-bitten reality pulls him away from this dream. He arrived in Johannesburg for his fight against DeeJay Kriel without a trainer or manager. He’s had no trainer for his past three fights and trains himself.

Two blokes from a gym in Hillbrow worked his corner, egging him on. Morabedi fought his heart out, but Kriel was a cut above, winning a decision.

Morabedi pocketed his R3000 and caught a ride to Hillbrow, where a friend put him up for the night. Hillbrow is not a pretty place.

As you might imagine, the youngster has stars in his eyes, but the odds are hopelessly long on him emerging from journeyman status. Compare him to someone like Floyd Mayweather jnr, who would not be able to comprehend living life on the margins. He wouldn’t get out of bed for R3000.

Such stories play themselves out with a steady, predictable routine across South Africa.

Think of the many aspirant golfers struggling to make the cut, the participants unlikely to ever appear on a leaderboard.

Or the tennis players who embark on the Future or Challenger Tours, doing so on a hand-to-mouth basis in the hope of making it in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Those at the top table have it much different to the rest, who will never know of the glamour and the five-star existence enjoyed by the game’s elite.

Happily, there are those who participate purely for the natural high that sport provides. Mass participation events are all the rage in SA sport and the explosion in mountain biking and road running, in particular, affirm South Africans’ love of the outdoors.

This column can offer no succour to the bereaved families, just our honour and acknowledgement. Dwyer and Da Silva died in pursuit of the fun and freedom offered by sport.

Habana SA’s top sportsman – and it’s official

Posted on February 10, 2016 by ClintonV

The most bankable South African sports star?

Bryan Habana, by a mile.

Dave Sidenberg.

I know this because Dave Sidenberg says it is so. The transplanted Canadian, who has lived in SA for 21 years, is a senior partner at heavyweight sports research company BMI. More than that, he is one of the shrewdest, smartest sports people on the block. He ought to be a media man because he has the inside track on everything that moves in local sport.

BMI recently released their sport track study, which annually takes the temperature of SA sport. Its results, gleaned from thousands of interviews and other research, are always revealing. This year’s recurring theme is how much pressure sponsors and rights holders are under. As ever, it’s all about the money.

The really interesting, “poppy” stuff is who we like and what we like.

Habana tops the list of most popular sportsmen among white spectators and ranks third among black spectators.

(Spectators constitute people who consume their sport live, on television, electronically or on that quaint medium of old, newspapers).

When all spectators are considered, Habana tops the list ahead of Itumeleng Khune, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Teko Modise and Hashim Amla.

Habana is rugby’s great crossover star, but, if nothing else, the list proves the all-powerful and pervasive influence of soccer.

The only woman in the top 10 is Caster Semenya and there’s a welcome return after a few years in the wilderness for Ernie Els, who is rated 14^th.

The four most popular sportsmen among white spectators, after Habana, are AB de Villiers, Victor Matfield and Pat Lambie.

The four most popular among black spectators are Khune, Tshabalala, Habana and Modise.

The top 14 among all spectators:

Bryan Habana
Itumeleng Khune
Siphiwe Tshabalala
Teko Modise
Hashim Amla
AB de Villiers
Chad Le Clos
Victor Matfield
Oupa Manyisa
Caster Semenya
Thabang Lebese
Beast Mtawarira
Schalk Burger
Ernie Els

Who do we love most among international stars?

No prizes for guessing Lionel Messi tops the list, which reads like this:

Lionel Messi
Ronaldo
Serena Williams
Tiger Woods
Wayne Rooney
Neymar
Ronaldinho
Dan Carter
Lewis Hamilton
Usain Bolt
Richie McCaw
Roger Federer
John Cena
Venus Williams
Floyd Mayweather jnr

Soccer is king when it comes to participation with 3,1 million South Africans playing. This is followed by walking (1,4 million) – yes, it’s a thing – road running (1,3 million), netball (1,2 million) and gym (1,1 million).

Interest among adults, which can rate from passing interest to obsession, is concentrated on soccer, followed by rugby, cricket, athletics, swimming and boxing.

Two points: swimming is aching for a big push – it has the audience – and boxing must capitalise after years of lazying about.

There’s loads of good info in the research. Among the most fascinating is how much sport there is on television. As a SuperSport man, this is good to know.

Across all broadcasters, there was 64 664 hours of sport on SA television in 2015. The Big Three made up the biggest chunk of that: soccer – 24 424 hours (33,9%); rugby – 10 314 hours (14,3%) and cricket – 7388 hours (10,2%).

Mumble in the Jungle

A wry look at the world

Monthly Archives: February 2016