I played rugby for years. I'm not sure that I agree with all of the people describing it as "brutal". It's highly physical, but you don't really expect to be kicked in the head (at least not intentionally). Don't get me wrong... you're going to take a few blows, but this guy obviously stepped way over the line. As for the comments about race and apartheid and the decline of sports and society in general, let's remember that the allegations of racism were from the team that was suspended in a lame attempt to excuse their player's inexcusable behavior. It doesn't necessarily mean that racism was really the cause of this incident. It certainly doesn't mean that It doesn't mean that white ruggers are running around looking for heads of color to kick in. You simply can't draw conclusions about the state of South African rugby based on Bryant Gumbel's take on European soccer leagues.
The whole world has lost its perspective. Indeed. When will we hearken back to the days when civility ruled the land, and return to the perspective we seem to have lost? Put me in a time machine and send me back to... wait, I need a date. When did we have that perspective again. Murder is deplorable, and my sympathy goes out Riaan Loots and his family and friends. Racism, despicable. I seethe at the notion of racial hatred, and I hold plenty of contempt particularly for those who are willing to openly express disdain for another race (including, by the way, Loots -- it is a reasonable guess that he was sparking the violence, inexcusable as it was). Knowing little of rugby or its popularity in all parts of the world, I'm just going to take a flier and guess that bazillions of matches are played every year, from pickup to professional. I have never read an article about the extremely civil and sportsmanlike conduct of the players in those games. But I have read one story of serious violence breaking out in one game. So, I guess the whole world has lost perspective? The news, brought to you incessantly by the internets, is dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of airplanes take off and land safely without fanfare, but every now and then there is an accident and it gets sensationalized everywhere. Thousands of people are afraid to fly, even though it is many, many times safer than getting into your car. That is not perspective -- it is a media-driven fear. I bet I could find a tragic event that happened somewhere in this world of a gazillion people every day and post it here. And for every shocking post, 13,000 people will say how shocking and outrageous and deplorable the behavior was. My guess is that bad things happen in a very reasonable proportion. This incident was very bad, but the whole world has not lost its perspective on anything except maybe our perception of the "whole world."
Adam wrote: It certainly doesn't mean that white ruggers are running around looking for heads of color to kick in. I agree with your point, but I believe it's a white player who was killed. From the second article: He alleged that as the players took to the field, a Rawsonville player had told a Delicious players: "Luister hier, hotnootjie. Ek gat vir jou donner (Listen, Hotnot. I'm going to beat you up)." Riaan Loots played for Rawsonville. As far as can figure, the manager is trying to make the claim that the Rawsonville player was assaulted because one or more racists on his team were using slurs against the players of colour from Delicious.
Amateur, I couldn't tell from the story what the race was of the player who was killed, but I also got the impression that the Delicious (but seemingly unsavory) chairman was accusing Rawsonville of causing Loots' death by slinging racial slurs (considerably less deadly than a boot to the head). My point was that the source is not necessarily trustworthy, and that his comments shouldn't be taken at face value.
Absolutely right. And nice play on words.
I don't think this is murder really. Its manslaughter possibly but I don't think I'd go so far as to call it murder. It was a fight after a game that got out of hand, and yes there was probably racism involved. On both sides. But that doesn't mean one of the players intentionally murdered Loots by kicking him in the head. Maybe he did but you can't know that from a newspaper story. I think its sad and telling that the players are more angry about the suspension than the death of another player. It sounds like bad officiating was as much to blame for the fight as the racial slurs.
Bullpen I wasn't talking about just this one incident. I agree with you that all murders are deplorable. Be it this man in a rugby game or the gang banger that killed four people in my home town the other day. I was speaking to the fact that sports have gone from being part of life to being bigger then life. You asked when it was that we had perspective, I'll tell you. When I was a kid I loved the Packers (still do). The best players in the NFL made a wage that put them at the top of the middle class. Alot of the players had to get jobs during the off season. The players making top wage had played for a few years and worked their way up in pay. Now kids just out of school are handed a signing bonus that most of us could live on for the rest of our lives. Without proving thay can even play pro ball. Again, when I was kid we would go to the local Sears store, buy a uniform and play pick-up games in a vacant lot or in the school yard. Or we would get up a game of baseball after school at the local park. Now days its RYS soccer, POP Warner Football or little league baseball. All being run by well intended but over controlling parents. Yes it does serve to teach the kids how to play the games properly, but at the same time it becomes more about the compation and less about playing a game. I can't tell you how many parents I have seen at youth football games who are convinced their kid has what it takes to play pro-ball. The kid is only nine years old and their trying to decide what to wear to the Hall of Fame dinner.
I coached AYSO soccer for many years. Early on we had an incident with a parent, and every season after that I held a parents meeting before the players meeting. I had few rules for parents: 1. support your kids by being there at games. 2. do not coach from the sideline. if you want to coach, get your own team. 3. any parent outburst or bad behavior on the field or sideline would result in the immediate and permanent suspension of their child from the team. As far as AYSO (and I) were concerned, kids were here to learn the sport, learn to play as a team, play to the best of your ability, and learn good sportsmanship. I had no problems with parents for the rest of the years I coached. Of course, the war paint I wore to those meetings might have had some small influence...
His name was Riaan, he went to Strand High and he was dishing out racial abuse to Cape coloureds (which is probably a very un-PC thing to call them these days, but that's what I knew them as - if it is offensive, I apologise) in Afrikaans - I think it's safe to assume he was white. Fighting, while not as much a part of rugby as it is of, say, hockey, does go on and never results in the sort of blanket sendings off that something like soccer would insist upon. Rugby lives on a fine line just shy of outright violence - that it spills over that line every so often isn't surprising, especially at lower levels where ineptitude can cause accidental problems. Add that mix to a country with huge remaining racial tensions and I am surprised that we don't read about this sort of thing happening more often. Here is your oppressor, you may physically challenge him to this limit, but not beyond. It's asking for trouble. I wish I had an answer as I love the country and (some of) the people, but I don't. Tragic and mindbendingly unnecessary. Blame is easy to apportion, but it's important to bear in mind the context. That context doesn't excuse what happened in any way, shape or form, but it might make it slightly easier to understand that such a thing could happen. The world's perspective is fucked - but it always has been, and I'm not sure this is any further indictment of that fact.
His name was Riaan, he went to Strand High and he was dishing out racial abuse to Cape coloureds Well, it's not clear to me that Riaan was the one dishing out the abuse. But thanks for the context.
You're quite right - it doesn't say it was him dishing it out - I must have made that up. I should stop posting at 1 in the morning - it never goes well.
CB: I won't argue that sports have grown as a presence in our lives at a very fast rate (the perspective of an American east coaster -- observations around the globe may vary). But in my opinion, sports have redirected our inclination to stupidity, not enhanced it. I have my doubts that for many "kids just out of school," handing them a big bonus right away ruins their lives more than not handing it to them. Sports are taking kids who might otherwise be privately inclined to drug and alcohol abuse, rape, spousal abuse, tax evasion and other crimes violent and otherwise, and making them do it under the public spotlight. Yes, that means we hear about it more. It also means (in most, though certainly not all cases) that higher consequences are paid -- you give a kid more, they have more to lose. Regarding overbearing parenting, same thing. I haven't been alive forever, but I suspect that the notion of controlling parents is not a new and novel concept. Where maybe the goal used to be physics or the violin, now it's sports. If anything, sports have forced these parents out of their private parlors and conservatories into the more public eye of the Pop Warner and Little League fields. I have my doubts that you can show me that the collective behavior of people is substantially worse, proportionally, than it used to be in the good old days. The bad behavior is just better publicized. Well, it's not clear to me that Riaan was the one dishing out the abuse. It's never good to make assumptions in these cases, and I made a few in my earlier post. I retract them, especially my accusation of Riaan. That said, though, it is worth considering that not one but two players ganged up on Riaan, and no violence seems to have been inflicted on anybody else. Circumstancial to be sure, but evidence nonetheless.
