8.3 Creating a common experience
8.3.1 The Springboks are the national interest
One of the main trends identified whilst conducting audience interviews during the research process was an affinity towards South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks. The attraction held by the Springbok rugby team was found appealing by respondents who saw themselves as fans or supporters of rugby as well as those who did not. Those interviewees who considered themselves rugby supporters or fans felt that the Springbok team held an appeal based on the fact that the team represented the country’s elite players. These players have received their national colours and have, as a result, achieved a great deal in their sport.
Some interviewees who have played organised rugby (at both a school and club level) suggested that as rugby players they can relate to the Springboks who epitomise the highest level of an organisation or body that they have represented – to a certain degree – as well.
Respondents who did not consider themselves rugby fans or supporters suggested that the appeal and hype surrounding large scale Test matches motivated them to engage with the related rugby programming. Other media forms such as newspapers and radio coverage were identified as factors generating additional hype around rugby matches in the days or weeks preceding the actual events. The days preceding the 2008 Currie Cup Final between the Natal Sharks (based in Durban and representing the province of KwaZulu-Natal) and the Blue Bulls (who are based in Pretoria), for example, clearly shows both the media and public interest held by the event47. The match was a major talking point on the radio station 5FM48 in the days leading up to the actual event. The event received much more coverage before match day than regular seasonal Currie Cup fixtures. The radio coverage, as well as interest shown by other media forms, would have helped build and sustain a public interest in the event played out in Durban. The mass appeal of the game would have been bolstered by the
47 In the Currie Cup, teams are provincially based.
48 5FM is a South African national radio station falling under the SABC umbrella.
154 additional media attention given to the one off event; justifying the inclusion of national knockout finals in the ICASA list of events declared to be of a national interest.
In the majority of instances respondents felt that they would watch a Test match involving the Springboks ahead of a domestic match comprising of teams participating in, for example, the annual Currie Cup competition. Sentiments such as these indicate that the national team is viewed as being more prestigious than even the better or more successful provincial teams in South Africa. Attitudes that were uncovered during the interviews suggested that the mass appeal held by rugby matches involving the Springboks acted as motivation to watch the related events. Many respondents referred to the sport’s unifying potential when discussing reasons why they watch the senior national team. Some respondents alluded to the fact that they might often land up watching the Springboks play on television due to the fact that other South Africans – or even just their family and friends - would be doing the same thing. An element or feeling of inclusion is noticeable amongst audience members of televised rugby. When audience members include themselves in the event and watch the Springboks play on television they are also able to participate in other post-match activities. When asked whether or not they used words such as ‘we’ and ‘us’
when describing the Springbok team or their favourite provincial unions and ‘them’ and
‘they’ the opposition, many respondents suggested that they do associate themselves with their teams in such a manner. The level of this association will be explored further in the coming sections of the chapter. However, when looked at in the light of the current discussion, we are able to see that the event does not culminate with the blowing of the final whistle by the referee.
People making up televised rugby’s audience, as with those who attend matches live at the venue, extend their involvement with the text or event through discussion and debate.
Interviewees who acknowledged that they do use words such as ‘we’ and ‘us’ when referring to their teams indicate this continued involvement. These interviewees pointed out that they do engage further with the text. Interviewees implied that they talk about the games and events that they have seen unfold on television when acknowledging the use of the terms. The common experience that is manufactured by rugby events broadcast in the national interest is extended in this regard. People are able to relate to others and contribute to the established sense of community when discussing recent rugby matches. The idea of the common
155 experience in this regard is closely linked to the discussion of the imagined community by Anderson (1991: 12 – 19), as included in Chapter Two of the dissertation. People do not necessarily need to know each other in order to understand that they are of the same nation and have a similar set of interests. Televised rugby acts the vehicle delivering a common experience to the audience. This has the ability to bring likeminded people together as a single entity.
The extent to which rugby supporters and audience members will go to in order to communicate with other likeminded people is made evident on the rugby website http://www.keo.co.za. The website caters for South African sporting enthusiasts who have a particular interest in cricket and rugby. Rugby related articles are posted on the website and registered users are able to comment on the articles and provide their opinions on the general state of South African rugby. The website has a few regular users who communicate via their posted comments. This particular online community has a few strange characteristics or traditions that are played out amongst the regular users. There appears to be a constant struggle amongst the regulars to post the first comment after each article as well as the mandatory post of ‘dragons’. The interaction between members of online rugby communities would provide for an interesting case study but falls out of the main scope of this particular dissertation. The establishment of such communities, however, indicates the way in which rugby can bring likeminded people together and help forge the notion of the imagined community. The common experience is required for people to engage in the manner that they do when discussing rugby related stories. Television is important in this regard as it is the prime medium exposing people to the actual event and initial text.
South African rugby that is deemed to be in the national interest helps stimulate the common experience as the whole country is afforded the opportunity to engage with the text.
An analysis of the SAARF results of the week housing the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final involving South Africa and England clearly shows the mass appeal held by the event (see Appendix 6). The Final, which was broadcast on both SuperSport and SABC2, met the needs of a large portion of the South African public. The match featured on the top ten lists for the week of programming watched by ‘All Adults’ on both M-Net and SABC2. In fact, according to the SAARF results, the Final was the most watched item on SABC2 for the entire week.
This clearly shows that the appeal of the event on a national scale. Had SABC2 not shown the
156 event, the majority of South Africans interested in the game would have been unable to experience the country’s international success. In addition, the match featured highly in the audience ratings across the different language groups. This accentuates the idea of unification amongst citizens as South Africans from an array of backgrounds (race, culture and class to name but a few) were all exposed to the same event. The common experience as a result of the 2007 Rugby World Cup triumph is one that can be embraced by a full spectrum of the South African population. The appeal held by high profile games shall be discussed at length in the following passages. Both the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final and the 2008 Currie Cup Final have been utilised in the above discussion as events contributing towards the construction of a common experience. A common experience can fuel the drive towards a national identity and aid in efforts of nation-building. Deciphering which rugby events have the greatest ability to do so becomes an important process.