African Team Research Articles

Lightning strikes twice: The 2007 Rugby World Cup and memories of a South African rainbow nation

This article deals with the shifting media discourses of nationalism in the South African media in relation to two victories in the Rugby World Cup (RWC) tournaments in 1995 and 2007 respectively. Through an analysis of discourse in three mainstream daily newspapers, the article seeks to establish how media attention to the South African team's performance in the 2007 RWC articulated changing notions of nationhood. While the dominant discourse in 1995 was that of reconciliation and the ‘rainbow nation’, played out on the rugby field, nationalism in 2007 seemed to be defined more in terms of ‘Africanness’ and transformation. The article maps this shift from ‘rainbow nation’ to ‘Africanness’ by examining key issues and topics that featured in three local mainstream newspapers in 2007, using theoretical concepts from Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu. The argument is that commentators in the mainstream press were unable to move beyond their divisive discourses, even when evidence to the contrary emerged in the form of inclusive fever-pitch grass root support for the Springboks during RWC 2007. In closing, it is argued that the gap between popular perception/actions and political discourse in the media can be explained in terms of the fact that in the media rugby has become a symbol of the failure of the ‘nation-building’ rhetoric in the discourse of the African Renaissance.

The battle for centre stage: Women's football in South Africa

abstract From when the first official South African Women's National Football team was established in 1993, Banyana Banyana have been ‘making it happen’ for women's football in South Africa. National team players have become inspirational icons and role models for thousands of South African women and girls. This Focus draws on academic research, media reports and interviews with national team players to highlight the struggles and victories of South African women footballers over the last 40 years. Despite numerous challenges and setbacks, women's football has experienced immense growth over the past 15 years. Highlighting examples of battles for power and leadership, homophobic attitudes and attempts to feminise the bodies of women footballers, this Focus illustrates the hard fought victories and disappointing losses in the history of South African women's football.

Nicknames of South African soccer teams and players as symbols of approbation in a multilingual and multicultural country

This article deals with the nicknames of South African soccer players and their teams. The nicknames (izidlaliso/izibongelo in isiZulu) are coined by players, supporters and managers of the teams. The nicknames were collected from the weekly South African newspaper entitled Soccer Laduma. More names came from a series of interviews with soccer fans and soccer presenters working for the South African Broadcasting Corporation in the sports section, sports journalists and public relations officers for the soccer clubs. Some nicknames were collected through interviews with students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The focus of this article is the influence of African languages on nicknames in football. This influence reflects the multilingual nature of South Africa as a ‘rainbow nation’. Nicknames of soccer players and their teams are derived from various sources, such as the regalia, town where the team originated, reputation of the managers, names of soccer teams, performance of the players as well as the names of wild animals and the team's hope and fighting spirit. The article looks at the derivation and functions of the nicknames of soccer players and their teams and finally concludes that these nicknames are symbols of approval in a multilingual and multicultural country.

Talent identification and development in youth rugby players: a research review

Several South African studies were conducted during the past twelve years (1995 to 2007) as part of a research project on Talent Identification and Development. The main objective of this project was to compile the profile of a potential talented and elite youth rugby player, primarily within the conceptual research model proposed by Salmela and Régnier (1983). Hundreds of elite youth rugby players, within the age range 10 to 19 years old, were tested on several anthropometric, physical and motor abilities, game specific skills, and injury epidemiology. The research project wasextended to England and New Zealand, and the data compared with that of South African teams. Other possible variables of talent identification, including proprioception, balance, plyometric strength, injuries, and ethical behaviour, were also investigated. The aim of this research review is to provide scientific evidence concerning the profile of an elite youth rugby player, thereby providing variables, assessment tools, and recommendations to coaches, selectors, administrators, and scouts, which may be used in the identification, selection, and development of futureelite rugby players. Hopefully, this research review will furthermore stimulate future research on talent identification and development within youth team sport.

The End of Baseball: A Novel (review)

Reviewed by: The End of Baseball: A Novel William E. Akin Peter Schilling, Jr. The End of Baseball: A Novel. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2008. 340 pp. Cloth, $25.00. In his autobiography, Veeck as in Wreck, Bill Veeck wrote, "I had tried to buy the Philadelphia Phillies [in 1943–44] and stock it with Negro players."1 Veeck claimed that Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and National League president Ford Frick thwarted his plans. This boast has sparked the imagination of both fans and scholars, and engendered no end of conjecture. In part because Veeck delighted in twitting the conservative baseball establishment, some historians have questioned the veracity of Veeck's statement.2 The late Jules Tygiel has attacked those revisionists, offering evidence that Veeck's telling of this story was "remarkably consistent" over time.3 Now, Peter Schilling Jr. has taken Veeck at his word and speculated on what might have happened had Veeck actually purchased the down-and-out team and converted it into a totally black club. For literary reasons, the author has Veeck purchase the hapless Philadelphia A's, not the pathetic Phillies. This alteration seems necessary because the A's owned Shibe Park where both Philadelphia teams played, but the novelist does not tell how Veeck persuaded Connie Mack to sell his A's. In the novel, Veeck, given carte blanche, puts together an all-time, All-Star African American team in the uniform of Mack's White Elephants. Behind the plate, the A's have arguably the two greatest catchers to ever strap on a chest protector, Josh Gibson and Roy Campanella. The infield consists of Buck Leonard at first base, Willie Wells at second base, Ray Dandridge at third base, and young Artie Wilson at shortstop. In the outfield, the team starts the season with Cool Papa Bell, Monte Irvin, and Gene Benson. Sam Jethroe replaces Irvin when the later is drafted into the army. Lester Lockett, Pee Wee Butts, and Bonnie Sherrell fill the utility roles. Leroy "Satchel" Paige, of course, opens as the number-one pitcher, but Martin Dihigo emerges as the dominant pitcher. The remainder of the pitching staff includes Hilton Smith, Dave Barnhill, Verdell Mathis, George Jefferson, Barney Morris, Gready McKinnis, Bill Byrd, Carranza Howard, and Jeep Jessup. Schilling has Veeck select Mickey "Black Mike" Cochrane as manager. Oscar Charleston serves as an unappreciated coach until he takes over as manager late in the season. The A's perform unparalleled feats on the playing field. Gibson becomes the first player to hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium; he also matches Babe Ruth's feat of clearing the center field wall of Washington's Griffith Stadium. Paige runs off fifteen consecutive wins. Dihigo strikes out twenty-three batters in one game and pitches a perfect game. Leonard compiles a thirty-eight-game [End Page 168] hitting streak, pounds out fifty-nine homers, and barely fails to qualify for the batting championship even though he has the highest batting average. In addition to the individual performances, the team compiles the best August record in the history of the game. It also shatters the franchise attendance record. In the real-life Veeck's imagination, "I had not the slightest doubt that in 1944, a war year, the Phils would have leaped from seventh place to the pennant."4 In Schilling's imagination, Veeck's A's flounder most of the season until a late-season run leaves them one game short of the pennant. It challenges the imagination to believe this team with ten Hall of Fame players, plus two more in the dugout, would finish behind the St. Louis Browns. How could a team with all this talent, with all these achievements, not win the pennant in 1944? The team is beset by troubles that make Dante seem lighthearted. Backbiting and dissent permeate the clubhouse. Cochrane has no idea how to manage this group. Wells sulks through the season, while Paige goes AWOL. Gibson loses his mind and then dies. Barnhill flirts with Communism, bringing down the wrath of J. Edgar Hoover on the team. Hecklers (nasty but not racists) drive the players to distraction. Batters go into month-long...

Baseball in America & America in Baseball (review)

Reviewed by: Baseball in America & America in Baseball Donald J. Mrozek Baseball in America & America in Baseball. Edited by Donald G. Kyle and Robert B. Fairbanks. College Station TX: Texas A&M University Press. 2008. The essays in Baseball in America & America in Baseball, which benefits from an introduction by the distinguished historian of sport Richard C. Crepeau, originated in the Walter Prescott Webb Lectures at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2006. David Vaught focuses on baseball in small towns in California's Sacramento Valley in the second half of the 19th century. In "'Our Players Are Mostly Farmers,'" he traces the rise of interest in baseball in the towns of Davisville and Dixon at a time when other historians have claimed precedence for baseball in urban areas, suggesting more complexity in the transition to "modern" values and institutions. In "Invisible Baseball," Samuel O. Regalado explores how Japanese Americans used sport to satisfy several needs. First-generation Issei hoped that their offspring would find baseball a bridge into integration into American society, while the Nisei, born in the United States, sought a sense of identity compatible with the American values of teamwork and [End Page 143] competitiveness. Ironically, Regalado shows, despite commonalities between Japanese and American ways (baseball, for example, had appealed to the competitive spirit in Meiji Japan), Nisei baseball was essentially segregated, noticed little beyond their own communities. Daniel A. Nathan examines the rather brief history of the Baltimore Black Sox in "Chasing Shadows," a worthwhile case study of the sometimes tenuous status of African American teams in the era of the Negro League. More than other contributors, Nathan makes the methodological challenges of studying sometimes marginalized groups a recurrent motif. In impressive and persuasive detail, Steven A. Riess explores "The Profits of Major League Baseball, 1900-1956," demonstrating that major league franchises were very good investments in line posting growth as seen in industry overall. Over time, wealthier individuals and large corporations gravitated to this investment focus, succeeding the ambitious but less extravagantly wealthy men on the make who had predominated earlier. Mark Dyreson uses his special talent for cultural analysis in "Mapping an Empire of Baseball," examining sometimes awkward efforts to spread baseball in places such as fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, as well as better-known cases in Latin America and elsewhere. Dyreson shows the mix of boosterish enthusiasm with cultural bias and even racism, as when disinterest in baseball in Africa was given a race-based explanation. Finally, in "'Matters Involving Honor,'" Benjamin G. Rader keenly explores the violent life of Ty Cobb, so often attributed to possible psychological instability, as a reflection of a particular cultural code of honor related not just to the American South in general but to a particular understanding of rank—place and status—within it. Rader persuasively places an individual sometimes dismissed as an eccentric into a meaningful explanatory context. Like all anthologies, this one lacks the exhaustiveness of a successful monograph. But its virtues include the high quality of each essay and the chance to sample different methodological approaches that able scholars have brought to the study of American baseball. Donald J. Mrozek Kansas State University Copyright © 2011 Mid-America American Studies Association

A Cuban Tests Baseball's Color Line

In 1905 a named Luis Padron began a decade-long assault on baseball's color line that took him to seven teams in eight minor leagues and included close shaves with at least three major league teams. Controversy about his racial identity pursued Padron from job to job, yet his talent was such that into his mid-thirties there was always someone willing to take a chance on him. Considering that Jim Crow baseball was still in its youth, his career tested (and probably helped to establish) the assumptions and unwritten rules of the developing regime of segregated ball in the United States. And yet until quite recently this story has remained virtually unknown to baseball historians. 1When Padron made his debut in the minor leagues, it had only been 26 years since William Edward White played one game with Providence in the National League and 21 years since Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy had briefly integrated the majors with the Toledo club of the American Association. It had only been 16 years since the last African American (Fleet Walker again) played at the top level of the minors; only seven years since the Celeron, New York, club of the Iron and Oil League had been the last all-black team to compete in an otherwise white league; and only seven years since Bert Jones and Bert Wakefield played in the Kansas State League, the last African Americans to appear openly in white organized baseball in the United States until Jackie Robinson.2Just four years before, during spring training in 1901, John McGraw, then playermanager of the American League's Baltimore Orioles, had attempted to pass off the Columbia Giants second baseman Charlie Grant as an Indian named Tokohama. Although Grant's identity was exposed by late March, McGraw made one more attempt to bring him to the Orioles in May before league or club officials finally vetoed the move for good. In any case, McGraw's persistence indicates that there was still some uncertainty about how solid the color line really was in the first decade of the 20th century.3For decades, a much better established trope in baseball (as well as in society at large) was the notion of American blacks passing as Latino or Spanish. Bliss Perry's 1895 novel The Plated City focused on a black ballplayer (modeled on Frank Grant, probably the greatest African American player of the 19th century) attempting to pass as a Spaniard to play in the major leagues. More specifically, and blackness had a longstanding and complicated relationship in American baseball, dating back at least to 1886. That year a club of black professionals, originally based on Long Island, adopted the name Cuban Giants, and became the most famous African American team of the 19th century. The invocation of foreignness was probably not so much intended to deceive fans as to lend the team an exotic flair.4 They reportedly sometimes spoke a Spanish-sounding gibberish on the field, yet as Adrian Burgos points out, none of the Giants ever adopted Hispanic names in box scores and press reports.5 Instead, their supposed Cubanness was likely understood as a theatrical gesture by most of their audience, one that, like their comedy routines and shadowball exhibitions, served simultaneously to entertain and to defuse racial tensions.6Although it was never used as an actual passing strategy by black American ballplayers, the loose association between and blackness greatly affected American perceptions of ballplayers just after the turn of the century.7 By 1900, the League had been fully integrated, and the All-Cuban teams of Abel Linares that began to tour the United States in 1902 included players of varying hues and ethnic groups, many of which did not fit neatly into American racial categories.8 Consequently, while Cubans probably faced somewhat laxer racial gatekeeping than did American ballplayers, it is also true that even the lightest-complexioned Cubans were liable to become subject to racist suspicions. …

Becoming a Hurdler: How Learning Settings Afford Identities

In this article, we present a model for thinking about how learning settings provide resources for the development of the practice‐linked identities of participants, drawing on data from a study on an African American high school track and field team. What does it mean to make an identity available in the context of a learning setting? In this article, we draw on current theories in anthropology, psychology, sociology, and sociocultural theory to develop a conceptual frame that might be helpful in addressing these questions. We focus on how individuals are offered (and how they take up) identities in cultural activities. We define three types of identity resources that were made available to student‐athletes learning to run track and explore how they took shape in teaching and learning interactions in track. [identity, learning, African American students, culture]

Profile of medical and injury consultations of Team South Africa during the XXVIIIth Olympiad, Athens 2004

Objective. This descriptive study was undertaken to document the nature of medical and injury consultations of the athletes and officials of the South African Team at the 2004 Olympic Games, and to provide data for planning future events. Setting. South African medical facility, 2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Greece. Methods. Total number of consultations and diagnoses were ascertained from medical logs and patient files which were completed daily by the members of the medical team. A retrospective clinical audit of medical records was then undertaken and the data were then compared with similar data collected during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Acute and chronic-soft tissue (muscle strain, ligament sprain, tendon injury, contusion or laceration) and bony injury were analysed in terms of nature of injury, grading of severity and anatomical region injured. Main outcome measures. Number of consultations due to medical complaints or injuries among athletes and officials. Results. A total of 180 medical consultations were logged during the time in Athens while 348 consultations were logged in Sydney. The daily consultation rate was 6 per day in Athens compared with 13 per day in Sydney. In Athens, 84% of consultations were with athletes and the remainder (16%) with officials – this was similar to Sydney. The most common medical complaints in Athens were dermatological (16%), ENT (13%), and respiratory (8%) in nature, which contrasts with the profile of consultations in Sydney (ENT 18%; neurological system 16% and respiratory 16%). Acute injury and chronic injury accounted for 26% and 14% of consultations respectively. In Athens, the most common acute and chronic injuries were soft-tissue injuries. The most common acute injury regions were the foot and ankle (25%), upper leg (17%) and knee (17%). A total 77% of acute injuries were grade I, 17% grade II and 6% grade III in severity. The most common chronic injury regions were foot and ankle (32%), lumbar spine (32%), and shoulder (11%). These injury profiles were similar to those documented in Sydney 2000. Conclusions. Injury and illness complaints of the South African team were fewer in Athens 2004 compared with those documented during Sydney 2000. This can be attributed to local environmental conditions and travel across time zones. These data should be useful for planning medical services for future multicoded events. The analysis of the nature of consultations suggests that it should be a prerequisite for physicians travelling with a multi-coded events team to have broad knowledge of both medical and injury management of athletes. Specifically, a sound knowledge of the management of soft-tissue injury is an important prerequisite for the personnel of the medical team. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 20 (3) 2008: pp. 72-76

Profile of medical and injury consultations of Team South Africa during the XXVIIIth Olympiad, Athens 2004

Objective. This descriptive study was undertaken to document the nature of medical and injury consultations of the athletes and officials of the South African Team at the 2004 Olympic Games, and to provide data for planning future events. Setting. South African medical facility, 2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Greece. Methods. Total number of consultations and diagnoses were ascertained from medical logs and patient files which were completed daily by the members of the medical team. A retrospective clinical audit of medical records was then undertaken and the data were then compared with similar data collected during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Acute and chronic-soft tissue (muscle strain, ligament sprain, tendon injury, contusion or laceration) and bony injury were analysed in terms of nature of injury, grading of severity and anatomical region injured. Main outcome measures. Number of consultations due to medical complaints or injuries among athletes and officials. Results. A total of 180 medical consultations were logged during the time in Athens while 348 consultations were logged in Sydney. The daily consultation rate was 6 per day in Athens compared with 13 per day in Sydney. In Athens, 84% of consultations were with athletes and the remainder (16%) with officials – this was similar to Sydney. The most common medical complaints in Athens were dermatological (16%), ENT (13%), and respiratory (8%) in nature, which contrasts with the profile of consultations in Sydney (ENT 18%; neurological system 16% and respiratory 16%). Acute injury and chronic injury accounted for 26% and 14% of consultations respectively. In Athens, the most common acute and chronic injuries were soft-tissue injuries. The most common acute injury regions were the foot and ankle (25%), upper leg (17%) and knee (17%). A total 77% of acute injuries were grade I, 17% grade II and 6% grade III in severity. The most common chronic injury regions were foot and ankle (32%), lumbar spine (32%), and shoulder (11%). These injury profiles were similar to those documented in Sydney 2000. Conclusions. Injury and illness complaints of the South African team were fewer in Athens 2004 compared with those documented during Sydney 2000. This can be attributed to local environmental conditions and travel across time zones. These data should be useful for planning medical services for future multicoded events. The analysis of the nature of consultations suggests that it should be a prerequisite for physicians travelling with a multi-coded events team to have broad knowledge of both medical and injury management of athletes. Specifically, a sound knowledge of the management of soft-tissue injury is an important prerequisite for the personnel of the medical team. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 20 (3) 2008: pp. 72-76

The Best Circuit You Never Heard Of: <i>The 1897 Wood County League</i>

In late summer and early fall of 1897, there was a minor league that included a number of future major leaguers and featured brief appearances by a pair of future Hall of Famers. One team in this league featured African American players, including a 23-year-old infielder even then recognized as one of best outside major leagues. Improbably, this league wasn't represented in large or even medium-sized cities. It was based in a rural county in Ohio. Even more surprising was small-town league's level of organization: The Wood County League featured a league president, a set schedule, and umpires assigned by league offce.Wood County, Ohio, is located in northwestern part of state, just south of Toledo. After last Ice Age retreated, Wood County was covered by what would later be called the Great Black Swamp. Not surprisingly, swamp was one of last areas of state to be settled. By end of Civil War, swamp was being drained; agriculture became main economic focus, but that would soon change.In 1884 and 1885, oil and natural gas were discovered just south of Bowling Green, county seat. Some of county's wells produced 10,000 barrels a day, and area was nation's leading oil producer into 20th century. Eventually most of money wound up in hands of John D. Rockefeller; but for a few years, county's economic boom spawned new settlements, funded building projects, and-in a little-known sidebar to these developments-set stage for regional organized ball.The first community to have professional baseball in Wood County was Cygnet. Located in southern part of county, Cygnet imported professional players including pitcher Jerry Nops and outfielder Charles Dusty Miller. Cygnet's main rival was another oil town to South-Findlay had more and better professionals, including Bud Fowler and a local teenager named Grant Home Run Johnson. Cygnet's team folded midway through 1894 season, while Findlay's team just got better and better. The independent squad held its own with Western League teams. That fall, Fowler and Johnson formed what would become first great African American team. Originally hoping to stay in Ohio, pair moved to Adrian, Michigan, after securing sponsorship from Page Fence Company.In 1897, only six minor leagues were part of National Agreement. The Western and Interstate had teams in Ohio. Twelve cities in those leagues were located within roughly a 200-mile radius of Wood County. Generally those teams consisted of experienced professional players, making it diffcult for talented young players to break into Organized Baseball. Independent teams offered one solution to this problem. Earlier in summer of 1897, Lima in west-central Ohio had a strong independent team, featuring Bresnahan battery of Roger (pitching) and James (catching). Lima had acquired team after Bryan (a town near Indiana border) failed to support it. At first new team did well. Roger Bresnahan and James Delahanty were stars, and nearby Wapakoneta-led by future major leaguers Bob Ewing and Theodore Whitey Guese- was a natural rival.In early August, these two cities combined with St. Mary's and Piqua to form Northwest Ohio League. But league foundered soon after its formation. Despite strong pitching of Nick Altrock, Piqua was unable to field a competitive team. The situation worsened when Roger Bresnahan and several other promising players were signed by major or minor league teams.Farther north in Wood County, season started quietly. The teams were mostly amateur with perhaps a paid battery. Tontogany probably had best aggregation of local players, including 17-year-old pitcher William Red Wright. Tontogany generally defeated other area teams, and was even competitive against semipro teams from outside county. In mid-July, Togs lost 11-10 in an 11-inning game to a picked nine consisting of players from three Toledo teams. …

Towards a conceptualization of the study of Africa's indigenous manuscript heritage and tradition

This paper share experiences of th South African Conservation Technical Team of the Timbuktu Rare Manuscripts Project in the conservation and preservation of manuscripts in Timbuktu. A manuscript is always more than just its textual information – it is a living historical entity and its study a complex web of interrelated factors: the origins, production (that is, materials, formats, script, typography, and illustration), content, use and role of books in culture, educated and society in general. The widespread availability of paper made it easier to produce these manuscripts as some of the important vehicles for transmitting of knowledge in Islamic society. Islamic written culture, particularly during the time of the European middle ages was by all accounts incomparably more brilliant than anything known in contemporary Europe. The time for studying the African manuscript tradition has never been more appropriate given the recent renewed calls for the need to reappraise African history and achievements. It must be acknowledged, however, that the study of African manuscript heritage will not be without difficulty.

A History of South African Baseball

For most casual baseball fans, sight of a South African team at 2006 World Baseball Classic must have been befuddling. But after team--made up almost exclusively of amateur players--took an 8-7 lead into ninth inning against established baseball nation of Canada, any onlooker should have clearly recognized that sport did not emerge overnight in African nation. In fact, South Africa has a long history of baseball. game was first played on its shores in 1895 when a group of Americans, who had migrated to South Africa during gold boom just before Boer War, settled in Transvaal Province. Americans were true missionaries for sport, bringing equipment, creating a baseball diamond, and setting up games. Thanks to their persistence and local interest in baseball, an official league was set up in 1899, and, in September 1904, Transvaal's first official provincial baseball body was formed. In league's inaugural season, circuit was dominated by hitters. Washington Post reported on December 25, 1904, that the players of different teams can hit ball, even if they have not yet attained accuracy and agility in fielding that their American cousins have reached. Of thirty-seven players who were listed in 1899 official records, twenty-three hit over .300, and top batter registered a .535 batting average. Four years later, game was still developing, and some South Africans were even boasting about quality of their facilities. In a letter to former New York Yankees president Joe Gordon, L. A. Servatius, who was involved with sport in city of Johannesburg, crowed that fields they were playing on were as fast and level as a billiard table. Still, sport at that point was experiencing growing pains. According to an article in April 19, 1908, edition of Washington Post, South African League had just four teams, and they had to pay for use of their fine fields at a location (Wanderers Athletic Association) where top teams from other sports were allowed to play for free. Nevertheless, Servatius was sanguine about sport's future, which at time featured games drawing from one hundred to seven hundred spectators. The growing Africaner is taking to game, and there is a possibility of a school league being formed in addition to our little organization, he wrote to Gordon. (1) By 1930 sport had spread, thanks to a provincial player from Transvaal who moved to Natal Province and brought baseball with him. A year later, on July 5, Natal and Transvaal played their first interprovincial contest in Durban. Along with birth of baseball in Natal, sport also spread to Western Province at start of 1930s, again because of players from Transvaal. During this period, baseball was enjoying sustained growth in Transvaal, as junior membership exceeded one hundred for first time in 1932. Baseball continued to migrate during this era with games being played in Cape and in Eastern Province, where an association was formed in Port Elizabeth in 1934. Baseball entered a quiet period between 1940 and 1946 because of World War II. But game survived in Transvaal, and unofficial leagues were contested elsewhere by servicemen on leave. Following war, provincial play returned, and popularity of game was such that baseball in Transvaal was split as a new Northern Transvaal association was founded. In 1951 an Eastern Transvaal association was also created. With growth of game in 1950s, first large National Tournament was held in 1952 in Cape Town and Johannesburg. South Africa stepped onto international stage in 1955 when an American team of All Stars toured SA. U.S. players were not superstars but a solid combination of amateur and college players. Coached by Terry Bartron, a high school skipper from Rosemead, California, and managed by Ray Hanson, director of athletics at Western Illinois State College in Macomb, Illinois, squad was selected by United States Amateur Baseball Federation, based on nominations from federation's affiliates throughout United States. …

Psychological preparation of the 2004 South African Olympic team

Background. The 2004 Athens Olympics represented the greatest opportunity for psychological preparation yet afforded a multicode South African team. A coordinating psychologist was appointed a year before the event, with access to financial and other resources. Aim. The purposes of this paper are fourfold: (i) to describe a 5-stage model used for the psychological preparation of the 2004 South African Olympic team; (ii) to report on the athletes and their management teams’ perceptions of its efficacy; (iii) to describe the perceived positive and negative determinants of these same subjects’ state of mind at the Olympics; and (iv) to make recommendations for the existing model’s further improvement. Results. The psychological preparation was well received, with almost all athletes and coaches requesting an expansion thereof in the future. Recommendations are made for the model’s improvement, particularly for its ongoing implementation throughout the 4-year Olympic cycle

Isokinetic neck strength profile of senior elite rugby union players

To delineate and compare the isokinetic neck strength profile of senior elite rugby players. One hundred and eighty-nine rugby players (mean; 95% confidence intervals: 24.31; 23.87-24.75 years) were sampled from South African provincial teams and assessed anthropometrically and isokinetically according to a set protocol. Specially designed equipment was used to perform the isokinetic assessment and gathered data were analysed according to positional categories (front, second, back row and backline players). Second row forwards performed the best in the measure of peak flexion (44.04; 40.41-47.67Nm) and lateral flexion right (69.42; 63.36-75.48Nm) and left (66.31; 61.21-71.41Nm) torque, while the front row forwards performed best in peak extension torque (65.60; 62.12-69.08Nm). Few significant differences (p<0.05) existed between the forward positional categories. However, they all proved to be significantly (p<0.05) stronger and more powerful than the backline players. Peak torque values relative to body weight indicated much less variability between all positional categories. Cervical flexor to extensor ratios showed that front row forwards (65; 61.94-68.06%) had significantly (p<0.05) lower ratios than the other positional categories. Absolute peak torque is an important positional prerequisite, especially among the front row forwards. Isokinetic neck strength data presented here provides a benchmark for the effective and quantified comparison of neck strength variables, assisting with preparticipation screening and the effective rehabilitation of injured senior rugby union players.

African Football

Football in Africa: Conflict, Conciliation and Community by Gary Armstrong and Richard Giulianotti (eds)Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, Pp.xi + 301, bibliography, index ISBN: 0-333-91979-3 (cloth) Football is the most popular sport across the African continent. Thriving domestic leagues exist in many African countries; continent-wide club championships are played each year; and the bi-annual African Cup of Nations pits national teams against one another. Five national teams represent the continent in the FIFA World Cup held every four years. African teams have reached the quarterfinals of this specific competition. They have had even greater success in the junior world competitions and the Olympic Games, both of which they have won. South Africa will host the 2010 FIFA World Cup and this will bring the tournament to African soil for the first time. For over 50 years, African players have been exported to the lucrative leagues of Europe and have excelled, while foreign coaches have brought their skills to the continent. African football has become an integral part of the football community worldwide.

Travel fatigue and home ground advantage in South African Super 12 rugby teams

Objectives. Studies have shown the existence of a significant home ground advantage in a range of sports. The aim of this study was to determine whether home performances of the South African teams during the 1996 - 2005 seasons were different before touring to Australia and New Zealand, compared with the home matches played after the 4 - 5-week tour. The question was relevant because this competition places unusual demands on the players. For example, the duration of the tournament is 12 weeks, during which time the South African teams travel across 37.3 ± 2.5 time zones as they play 11 matches. Therefore, any home ground advantage may be negated by travel fatigue. Outcome measures. The mean points difference was calculated for home fixtures for four South African teams both prior to and following touring during the competitions from 1996 to 2005. Play‑off matches were excluded from analysis. Performance was defined as a positive points difference (points difference = points ‘for' minus points ‘against'). Results. The first finding of the study was that a home ground advantage did indeed exist for all the teams during the tournament (points difference of 6.6 ± 17.4 (N = 664 matches) home vs. -6.8 ± 17.3 points away (N = 656 matches) (p &lt; 0.05). There was no difference between the mean ‘home' points difference for all the South African rugby teams either before (1.9 points, N = 96 matches) or after (2.3 points, N = 107 matches) touring overseas in the Super 12 competition. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 19 (1) 2007: pp. 20-22

A comparison of performance indicators between the four South African teams and the winners of the 2005 Super 12 Rugby competition. What separates top from bottom?

The South African regional teams participating in the Super 12 rugby union competition seem to under-perform compared to the performance of the national team in the Tri-Nations competition against similar Australasian opposition. The aim of this study was to compare various performance parameters between the four South African Super 12 teams (Bulls, 3rd position; Stormers, 9th position; Cats, 11th position; and Sharks, 12th position) and the eventual winners, the Crusaders from New Zealand. Nine games from the 2005 Super 12 season were analysed. These nine games included the four South African teams playing against the Crusaders and against each other (one game, Stormers v Sharks, was lost due to technical problems). All game analyses were performed after the tournament using a digital analysis software program (Sportscode Elite version 5.4.24, Sportstec, Australia). Ball possession, tries scored and various performance indicators associated with successful ball retention and attacking effectiveness in the tackle situation (as obtained through a panel of elite coaches and analysts) were quantified.There were no statistically significant differences between the teams for the total amount of ball possession per match (Crusaders 1057±216s, Bulls 1048±158s, Cats 852±73s, Sharks 1078±84s and Stormers 984±186s) or time of each movement involving ball possession (Crusaders 15.2±3.0s, Bulls 15.5±1.9s, Cats 13.0±1.0s, Sharks 16.9±2.3s and Stormers 15.0±3.8s). There were no significant differences between the number of tries scored (Crusaders 6±4, Bulls 4±3, Cats 3±1, Sharks 3±2 and Stormers 2±1 tries), number of offloads (Crusaders 19±12, Bulls 12±4, Cats 13±5, Sharks 15±4 and Stormers 17±5 offloads), turnovers won (Crusaders 3±3, Bulls 4±2, Cats 5±1, Sharks 2±1 and Stormers 5±1 turnovers) or conceded (Crusaders 4±1, Bulls 3±2, Cats 4±2, Sharks 5±1 and Stormers 6±2 turnovers). There were no statistically significant differences between the number of times the different teams committed 0, 1, 2 or 3 support players when they were tackled. There were also no statistical differences in the number of times the various teams committed 0, 1, 2 and 3 support players to counter-ruck once they had made a tackle.Due to the relatively small sample size, there is a risk of making a type II error (i.e. missing significant differences) between the variables analysed. However when these data are inspected using a visually striking box and whisker plot, there are noticeable differences between the styles of play of the teams. Future studies should investigate whether this form of data analysis is valid, particularly when having to give feedback to coaches of elite teams, involving analyses in which the sample size may always lack statistical power.

The viability of business data mining in the sports environment: cricket match analysis as application

Data mining can be viewed as the process of extracting previously unknown information from large databases and utilising this information to make crucial business decisions (Simoudis, 1996: 26). This paper considers the viability of using data mining tools and techniques in sports, particularly with regard to mining the sports match itself. An interpretive field study is conducted in which two research questions are answered. Firstly, can proven business data mining techniques be applied to sports games in order to discover hidden knowledge? Secondly, is such an analytical and time-consuming exercise suited to the sports world? An exploratory field study was conducted wherein match data for the South African cricket team was mined. The findings were presented to stakeholders in the South African team to determine whether such a data mining exercise is viable in the sports environment. While many data constraints exist, it was found that traditional data mining tools and techniques could be successful in highlighting unknown patterns in sports match data. However, it is questionable whether this type of data mining is viable in this industry. People in the sports world often do not have the time or the required expertise to acquire, interpret and use the results. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 28(1) 2006: 109-125

Promoting sustainable development through whole school approaches: an international, intercultural teacher education research and development project

This paper focuses on a British Council funded Higher Education Link project involving three institutions—Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in the UK and two South African institutions, the University of South Africa (UNISA) and Rhodes University. The link is a research and development project that has three main research strands: contextual profiling that will establish the applicability of a European teacher education project to the South African context, evaluative materials development and piloting predicated on a respect for indigenous and contextual knowledge, and impact analysis that will examine the role of multidirectional intergenerational mentoring in disseminating messages about sustainable lifestyles. The project is strongly influenced by the South African Revised National Curriculum statements pertaining to environment and an analysis of the impact that these materials have had on promoting whole school approaches to environmental education in South Africa. The link's initial purpose is to develop advanced certificate in education (ACE) course materials that will promote whole school approaches to environmental education, based on developing concepts of collaboration, pupil participation, educational process and action in schools in South Africa. Materials from the MMU‐based, European Commission funded Sustainability Education in European Primary Schools (SEEPS) Project will be adapted for use in South Africa by UNISA and Rhodes. This paper reports on the development of the project and explores some of its activities and results to date. It documents how the project team approached the integrating redevelopment of SEEPS ideas and materials to use these resources in the design of continuing professional development (CPD) activities for ACE courses in environmental education at UNISA and Rhodes. The second section is written in semi‐dialogue form to try to reflect the nature of the discussions that occurred between the partners in the link during meetings in the UK. This dialogue outlines the conceptual and philosophical background to the SEEPS Project before examining continuities and tensions that arose in clarifying and situating guiding perspectives for CPD and whole school approaches in and for South African school contexts through the medium of teacher education. The paper also reviews how the South African team are interacting with ideas and materials from SEEPS to clarify whole school approaches to environmental education in South Africa and discusses the contexts within which the outcomes of the link will unfold.