an anthropological study into the lives of elite athletes after competitive sport Susanna Maria

294 Pages·2016·3.47 MB·English

After thetriumph: an anthropological study into thelives of eliteathletes after
competitivesport
Susanna Maria (Marizanne)Grundlingh
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements in respect of the Doctoral Degree in
Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology in the Faculty of Humanities at the
University of the Free State
Supervisor: Professor Robert Gordon
December 2015
DECLARATION
I, Susanna Maria(Marizanne) Grundlingh, declare that the thesis that I herewith submit for the
Doctoral Degree of Philosophy at the University of the Free State is my independent work, and
that I have not previously submitted it for a qualification at another institution of higher
education.
I, Susanna Maria (Marizanne) Grundlingh, hereby declare that I am aware that the copyright is
vested in the University of the Free State.
I, Susanna Maria (Marizanne) Grundlingh, hereby declare that all royalties as regards
intellectual property that was developed during the course of and/or in connection with the
study at the University of the Free State, will accrue to the University. In the event of a written
agreement between the University and the student, the written agreement must be submitted in
lieu of the declaration by the student.
I, Susanna Maria (Marizanne) Grundlingh, hereby declare that I am aware that the research
may only be published with the dean’s approval.
Signed:
Date: December 2015
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ABSTRACT
The decision to retire from competitive sport is an inevitable aspect of any professional
sportsperson’s career. This thesis explores the afterlife of former professional rugby players
and athletes (road running and track) and is situated within the emerging sub-discipline of the
anthropology of sport. I consider the elite sports culture within which athletes apply their
sporting trade and show how the everyday life of elite athletes is shaped by the mass media and
a culture of individualism. The elite sports culture informs how athletes perceive their bodies
after sports retirement. By drawing on the notion of the sports body as a machine I show that
professional rugby players disregard the potential future ailments that they may live with once
their rugby careers are over. The importance of social networks established during their
sporting careers is also explored with specific reference to the role that schools and universities
play in promoting social capital.
The research, moreover, hopes to contribute to knowledge about the afterlife of sportspeople
by considering the interconnectedness between elite athlete’s private decision to retire from
sport and the public representation of their sporting lives through sport heritage practices. The
study of sports heritage in South Africa has been a largely neglected and hitherto closed field
of study. The study concludes that the material culture of South African former sport heroes
enables them to live on near perpetuity, as they become symbolically immortalised through
sport heritage practices
Conceptually this thesis draws on the theory of social capital, the body, the notion of symbolic
immortality, and the politics of memory and heritage practices. Empirically, sport museums as
expressions of heritage are investigated with specific reference to the preservation of South
African rugby heritage at the Springbok Experience Museum in Cape Town and an analysis of
the Comrades Marathon House museum in Pietermaritzburg. Besides these, I also visited
places where the material culture of former South African sport heroes are exhibited. These
included the houses of sports collectors, community sport museums, corporate sport museum,
sport stadia and sport heritage exhibitions at prominent South African rugby schools and
universities. Semi – structured interviews were conducted with former professional rugby
players, athletes and sport heritage practitioners. Participant observation at sport events that
commemorated sportspeople of the past also substantiate the findings. Primary sources drawn
from the South African Rugby Board’s archives contributed to the understanding of rugby
heritage practices prior to the professional era.
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Key words: sport heritage, elite athletes, retirement, material culture, social capital, symbolic
immortality, rugby, museums, athletics
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OPSOMMING
Die besluit om uit mededingende sport te tree is ‘n onvermydelike dimensie van enige
sportpersoon se loopbaan. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die lewe na sport van voormalige
professionele rugbyspelers en atlete (padwedlope en baan) en is gesitueer in die ontluikende
sub-dissipline van die antropologie van sport. Ek betrag die elite sportkultuur waarbinne atlete
hulle beroep beoefen en hoe die alledaagse lewe van elite atlete deur die massamedia en die
kultuur van die inidvidu gevorm word. Die elite sportkultuur beïnvloed ook die wyse waarop
atlete hulle liggame na uittrede bejeen. Deur te steun op die gedagte van die sportliggaam as ‘n
masjien, toon ek aan hoe professionele rugbyspelers die potensiële toekomstige fisiese gebreke
waarmee hulle na hulle loopbane gekonfonteer mag word, ignoreer. Die belangrikheid van
sosiale netwerke wat tydens sportloopbane gestig word, word ook ondersoek met spesifieke
verwysing na die rol wat skole en universiteite speel in die bevordering van sosiale kapitaal.
Die navorsing hoop boonop om ‘n bydrae tot kennis oor die lewe na sport deur te let op die
verwantskap tussen die elite atleet se privaat besluit om uit sport te tree en die openbare
beelding van van hulle sportlewens deur sporterfnis praktyke. Die studie van sporterfnis in
Suid-Afrika is nog grootliks verwaarloos en tot dusver ‘n geslote studieveld. Die studie kom
tot die gevolgtrekking dat die materiële kultuur van Suid-Afrikaanse voormalige sporthelde
hulle in staat stel om tot tyd en ewigheid voort te leef in die vorm van simboliese onsterflikheid
soos beliggaam in sporterfnis praktyke. Konseptueel ontleen die tesis insigte van die teorie
van sosiale kapitaal, die liggaam, die gedagte van simboliese ontsterflikheid en die politiek van
herinnering en erfnispraktyke. Empiries word sportmuseums as uitdrukkings van erfnis
ondersoek met spesifieke verwysing na die bewaring van die Suid-Afrikaanse rugby erfnis by
die “Springbok Experience Museum” in Kaapstad en ‘n ontleding van die Comrades Marathon
huismuseum in Pietermaritzburg. Hierbenewens het ek ook plekke besoek waar die materiële
kultuur van voormalige Suid-Afrikaanse sporthelde ten toon gestel word. Dit sluit in die huise
in van persone wat sport memorabilia versamel, gemeenskap sportmuseums, sportstadiums en
sporterfnis uitstallings by prominente Suid-Afrikaanse rugbyskole en universiteite. Semi-
gestruktureerde onderhoude is gevoer met voormalige professionele rugbyspelers, atlete en
sporterfnis praktisyns. Deelnemende observasie by sportgebeurtenisse waar voormalige
sportpersoonlikhede herdenk is, het ook tot die bevindinge bygedra. Primêre bronne van die
Suid-Afikaanse Rugbyraad Argief het eweneens tot begrip van rugbyerfnis praktyke voor die
professionele era bygedra.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following people were instrumental in seeing this thesis come to fruition:
 Professor Robert Gordon for his guidance and support throughout this research project
and for allowing me the opportunity to merge two of my passions, that of anthropology
and sport. I am indebted to him for both his intellectual contribution, as well as the
finances he sourced for the duration of my studies.
 The staff at the Department of Anthropology at the University of the Free State for
providing me with the academic space to do research.
 The rugby players and athletes who allowed me to get a glimpse of their lives and who
openly shared the challenging aspects of a life after sport with me. I am also indebted to
the sport heritage practitioners who made time for me and who welcomed me to various
sport museums.
 My parents for their unconditional love and encouragement and for instilling in me the
value of hard work and consistency. The legacy continues …
 My brother and sister for stimulating my interest in sport, during our childhood
volleyball, cricket, soccer, bodyboarding and table tennis championships.
 My best friend and critic, Joey for always asking me challenging questions about my
research and the conceptualisation thereof. Thank you for your unwavering support and
love.
This thesis is dedicated to my namesake, Susanna Maria Human, who is regrettably no longer
with us, but whose love for me and obsession with sport for over 90 years made this endeavour
entirelyworthwhile.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION.......................................................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................................iii
OPSOMMING...........................................................................................................................v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS.........................................................................................................vii
LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................................xii
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................1
METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................................7
A NOTE ON THEORY.......................................................................................................12
BACKGROUND TO RUGBY AND ATHLETICS IN SOUTH AFRICA.........................13
CHAPTER OUTLINE.........................................................................................................23
CHAPTER ONE THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SPORT AND THE RATIONALE FOR A
STUDY ON SPORTS RETIREMENT BY AN ANTHROPOLOGIST.................................26
1.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................26
1.2 HISTORY OF THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SPORT.............................................27
1.2.1 The beginnings (1870–1950).............................................................................28
1.2.2 Consolidating the field and the anthropology of sport today (1950 –the present)
............................................................................................................................33
1.3 ANTHROPOLOGY OF SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA...........................................41
1.4 RESEARCH ON RETIREMENT FROM COMPETITIVE SPORT: THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH......................................................................................54
1.5 WHY A STUDY ON SPORTS RETIREMENT FROM AN ANTHROPOLOGIST?
...................................................................................................................................61
1.6 CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................63
CHAPTER TWO THE ELITE SPORT CULTURE AND PERCEPTIONS AND
PRESSURES OF BEING AN ELITE ATHLETE..................................................................65
2.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................65
2.2 WHY HAVE SPORTS HEROES BECOME SUCH AN UBIQUITOUS PART OF
SOUTH AFRICAN SPORTING CULTURE?....................................................................66
2.3 THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN CREATING THE SPORTING HERO............74
2.4 EVERYDAY LIFE OF ELITE ATHLETES............................................................83
2.5 CULTURE OF INDIVIDUALISM..........................................................................85
2.6 DISCIPLINE AND PUBLIC PROPERTY...............................................................87
2.7 THE FANS................................................................................................................89
2.8 THE “BUBBLE”.......................................................................................................93
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2.9 CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................96
CHAPTER THREE THE (BROKEN) SPORTS BODY.........................................................97
3.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................97
3.2 ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE BODY.................................................................101
3.3 THE SPORTS BODY AS A MACHINE...............................................................105
3.4 MEN, RUGBY AND THEIR BODIES..................................................................110
3.5 THE BODY AFTER SPORT..................................................................................112
3.6 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................118
CHAPTER FOUR BOND OF BROTHERHOOD: SOCIAL CAPITAL AS THE GLUE FOR
A LIFE AFTER SPORT........................................................................................................119
4.1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................119
4.2 RUGBY AND FRATERNAL BONDING.............................................................125
4.3 SOCIAL CAPITAL.................................................................................................127
4.3.1 Incubators of social capital in South African rugby: schools and universities134
4.3.2 Social capital at work.......................................................................................137
4.3.3 From trust on the field to trust off the field.....................................................142
4.4 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................144
CHAPTER FIVE PERSONAL TO PUBLIC MEMORIES: SPORT, MATERIAL
CULTURE AND NOSTALGIA............................................................................................146
5.1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................147
5.2 SPORT, SYMBOLIC IMMORTALITY AND THE POST-SELF........................148
5.3 THE MATERIAL CULTURE OF SPORT............................................................151
5.4 THE VALUE OF SPORTS MEMORABILIA.......................................................158
5.5 SPORT, NOSTALGIA AND SOCIAL MEMORY...............................................162
5.6 POLITICS OF REMEMBRANCE.........................................................................172
5.7 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................175
CHAPTER SIX SHOWCASING THE SPRINGBOKS: THE COMMERCIALISATION OF
SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY HERITAGE............................................................................177
6.1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................177
6.2 HERITAGE AND MUSEUMS IN MOTION........................................................178
6.2.1 Sport heritage...................................................................................................181
6.3 PROFESSIONALISATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY .............................184
6.4 THE CHANGING FACE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S RUGBY HERITAGE............184
6.4.1 Community rugby museums............................................................................186
6.4.2 Preserving rugby heritage in the professional era: the Springbok Experience
Museum..........................................................................................................................191
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6.4.3 Politics of representation: the Paul Roos exhibition........................................197
6.4.4 “When jerseys speak”: contested heritage at the Springbok Experience Museum
..........................................................................................................................201
6.5 RUGBY HERITAGE AS A SIGNIFIER OF NATIONAL IDENTITY................205
6.6 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................208
CHAPTER SEVEN THE COMRADES MARATHON HOUSE AS HERITAGE..............210
7.1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................210
7.2 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COMRADES MARATHON.................................212
7.3 THE COMRADES MARATHON HOUSE...........................................................218
7.4 THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE GIFT OF THE RUNNING SHOE......................226
7.5 COMRADES HERITAGE ON THE STREET......................................................234
7.6 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................237
CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................238
SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY..................................................................................246
PERSONAL REFLECTION AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY............................247
FUTURE DIRECTION OF RESEARCH..........................................................................250
BIBLIOGRPAHY..................................................................................................................251
Appendix A List of Interviews, Date and Place ....................................................................274
Appendix B Informed Consent Form....................................................................................276
Appendix C Sporting achievements of informants................................................................279
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Danie Craven’s statue with his dog “Bliksem” at Stellenbosch University’s sports
grounds
Figure 2. Example of family trees (kinship charts) of rugby players produced by Danie
Craven
Figure 3. Example of a letter sent from Craven to family members of rugby players,
requesting information about family lineage
Figure 4. Development model of transition faced by athletes at athletic, individual,
psychosocial and academic/vocational level
Figure 5. A cartoon depicting the public interest in the Oscar Pistorius trial. The State of the
Nation address by President Jacob Zuma was in the same week as the shooting
Figure 6. Abillboard of Oscar Pistorius is taken down by workers, the day after the shooting.
The billboard was on one of Pretoria’s busiest roads
Figure 7. Dove advertisement of Victor Matfield
Figure 8. BIC Razor advertisement, 2014
Figure 9. Men’s Health Magazine with Francois Hougaard on the cover pages, flexing his
muscles and displaying his tattoos
Figure 10. A pamphlet usingJoost vanderWesthuizen, and particularly his sporting body,to
promote a fundraising event for the J9 foundation
Figure 11. Insert on Joost vanderWesthuizen and Tinus Lineein SA Rugbymagazine, 15
July2014
Figure 12. As part of the 75th anniversary of the existence of the Blue Bull RugbyUnion
(BBRU) former Blue Bull players parade around the field at Loftus Versfeld before a Super
Rugby game against The Cheetahs in April 2013
Figure 13. Photograph taken at the PRG Legends Evening in September 2014
Figure 14. The ten Springboks from Grey College after the test against Scotland in 2013
Figure 15. Former Springbok rugby players taking part in the annual Cape Town Tens
tournament
Figure 16. Blue Bulls rugbyjersey for sale for R4 400 at a second-hand shop in Mossel Bay
Figure 17. The 1995 Rugby World Cup Exhibition at the Springbok Experience Museum
displaying the No 6jersey that Springbok captain Francois Pienaar wore. The boots that Joel
Stransky wore when he kicked the drop goal that ensured a Springbok victory are also on
display.
Figure 18a. The rugby jerseys of Springbok and Western Province fullback Percy
Montgomery. This display is in the corridor leading from the WP locker rooms onto the field.
Figure 18b. Sign in BBRU changerooms encouraging players to follow in the footsteps of
players who have come before them
Figure 19. Ashwin Willemse’s 2007 Rugby World Cup winning Springbok jerseyand medal
on auction at the Paul Roos Legends Evening
Figure 20. Springbok captain Jean de Villiers signing a Springbok jersey that was auctioned
off for R20 000 at a fundraising breakfast
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