Sporting events can cure discrimination.
Soviets and Americans cheered for Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV. Black-and-white discrimination ceased on the playing field in Remember the Titans. And South Africa became a true Rainbow Nation in Clint Eastwood’s 2009 film, Invictus.
The historical drama portrayed the Springbok rugby union team’s triumph in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Newly-elected President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) and Springbok Captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), used the South African team as leverage to unite their country. I’m dumb when it comes to rugby rules, but this film created enough adrenaline rush to keep me hooked. When Springbok took the championship, I celebrated like a rugger bugger.
But Springbok’s win is a metaphor for racial harmony, which brings me back to my original point. I suspect Clint Eastwood felt the same, as he didn’t explain the dynamics of rugby. Instead, he allowed the message of unity to shine in several ways:
–South Africa’s landscape, teeming with vivid colors, made audience members want to crawl through the screen and into the country. The film’s aerial shots could easily point to diversity as one.
— The awkwardly-positive relationship between Mandela and Pianaar, showed us black and white can unite to change the world.
–And who can forget the barrier between Mandela’s black and white security guards crumbling to the ground as the movie progressed? They rallied for the Springbok as brothers, colorblind.
Sporting events can cure discrimination — if only for a few hours.
