South Africa's State Religion

It's Rugby

After Nelson Mandela’s 1995 appearance in ‘the game that united the nation”, support for Rugby has seen an unprecedented growth in South Africa , among all population groups with support being as strong as Soccer in England or Cricket in India.

This photo was sent to me this morning, it’s at Johannesburg International Airport. It’s Tuesday, and people are not in the office. Instead they are skipping work, or taking a day off, to welcome The Springboks back home after winning their fourth World Cup Victory.

There is no other sport that can get the country so motivated and make people go so bezerk as Rugby.

Sure it makes sense to celebrate, and to be proud of their win, but South Africans really have to question why the country is so obsessed about a single sport?

And so religiously fanatical about it.

1995

2007

2019

2023

Just imagine if we spent as much time on building the society and studying mathematics or science as on Rugby, wouldn’t we be far better of ?