Despite wha t you may have hea rd, reports of the “dea th of print” have been grea tly exaggera ted.
A recent survey found out tha t 88% of maga zine readers still prefer to consume a rticles via print.
While half of respondents to the sta te-of-the-media survey, aged 14 to 75 owned a sma rtphone, most of them subscribed to a t least one printed maga zine . Of course, with the adoption of ta blet devices on the rise, this gure could well be out of da te already – pa rticula rly given the rapid improvement in the quality of digital publica tions, a nd the dema nd for them to do more tha n merely replica te the content of print titles online. But, rega rdless of some highpro le print closures in recent yea rs, the stories of doom a nd gloom in the publishing industry have been tempered by a minirena issa nce in independent titles.
has a n unlikely saviour!
“Ironically, I a ttribute it to the internet,” sta tes Jeremy Leslie, the ma n behind magculture.com, a site a ny self-respecting maga zine junkie should bookma rk.
Leslie continues: “A lot of people have discovered
their opinions a nd voices writing blogs a nd sha ring in social networks.
“A na tural next step is to crea te something perma nent … I think the ma instrea m publishers have let down the industry a nd individuals a re trying to crea te better publica tions.
“But it’s not just a ma teurs who a re responsible. Some of the internet’s big players fashion sites- such as style.com, asos. com a nd netaporter.com, online kids’ ga me Moshi Monsters a nd yes, even Google itself – a re now publishing print maga zines, using traditional media to refresh the pa rts of their business model tha t other solutions ca n’t reach.
“For online bra nds, print is a nea t way of ga ining extra ma rketing a ttention a nd boosting their community, even if there’s no money in it.
“I like the South Africa n maga zine models, the print publica tions
exist to a nchor the bra nds a nd de ne the voices.
“But the money comes from the TV cha nnels, the bra nd pa rtnerships, the events a nd their releva nt stakeholders.
“You might be a ble to look a t a digital ga me or maga zine on a n
iPad, but you ca n’t cut things out, colour-in, take pen to paper or stick it on your wall.
of print, pa rticula rly a mong younger genera tions supposedly rea red in the digital age, is something dea r to them.
“When we wa tch students with books, there’s a very di erent experience, there’s tha t power of having something physical tha t they own, pa rticula rly when they write a nd see their na me in print; it’s always there. With computers, it’s all gone a t the touch of a button.
IS PRINT MEDIA UNDERRATED OR BIG BRANDS DOUBT OUR CAPABILITIES TO ADVERTISE WITH US?
“For all the wily cha rms of the digital world with its tweets, feeds, blogs a nd apps, there is nothing like the pleasure crea ted by ink a nd paper,” While admitting tha t “liveblogging a nd the pounding waves of the twenty four hour news cycle have their appeal”, our monthly maga zine instead takes a leisurely a nd contra ry look backwa rds over the previous three weeks before publica tion. We have no interest in crea ting throwaway media, We wa nt to make something which is treasured, which ends its days making the bookshelf, co ee ta ble or toilet, just tha t little bit prettier a nd more civilised. Our readers a re often writing blogs a nyway beca use the bea uty of online is tha t it allows them to insta nta neously sha re with a la rger a udience.
But the rela tionship with books is di erent. Kids take books home a nd they ca n keep them. Some students come from underprivileged backgrounds, a nd often, these children only have religious books a t home.
It’s often counterproductive to crea te divisions a nd make compa risons between the worlds of online a nd print.
It’s our admittedly unorthodox opinion tha t the two ca n co-exist, a nd in fact should co-exist, But they need to do things
maga zine, a nd indeed a ny physical book, needs to set itself apa rt from the web. Physical forms of the written word need to o er a clea r a nd di erent experience. And if they do, we believe, they will survive.
Print does certa in things very
a nd the luxury of devoting time to the printed page tha t you ca n’t put a price on.
But a t the sa me time, there’s a n immediacy a nd ‘sha rea bility’ to the online world tha t’s just as valua ble in its own unique way. However, we found out tha t the print maga zine is so much more e cient in terms of budget a nd recognition tha n doing a strea ming media website, which we aspired to back then. So the maga zine got a life of its own a nd grew into a big glossy mag celebra ting print’s qualities.
Ironically, the website now serves prima rily as a n a rchive for the maga zine.
Says Leslie, “maga zines a re simply very e ective ways of engaging with people. To the grea test extent, it just seems like common sense to us tha t a ny compa ny would wa nt to communica te with people
“More tha n tha t, it’s proof tha t crea tivity a nd ideas will always nd new ways to inspire younger genera tions.”
Computers a nd video ga mes haven’t killed physical toys a nd ga mes, so there’s no reason why
the digital world should kill print. Lack of innova tion or providing a poor product is fa r more likely
of technological opportunities tha t ca n be used to support a nd interact with print a re de nitely a bonus, not a threa t.”
Anyone tha t’s on my ta ble has had to defend me a t some point in their life.
Ask a ny boxer, “In the third round, when he hit you from the side on your ea r, how did tha t speci cally feel?”
You wouldn’t da re ask a boxer tha t. Beca use you know they’re there to ght.
Mea ning now you know I’m here to ght. I’m here to ght for the re-educa tion of wha t celebrity is. To say, “Yes, we a re celebrities, but yes, we’re also innova tors, we’re also inventors, we’re also thoughtful.”
Bra nd journalism does not mea n ma rketing without a stra tegy. Every bra nd needs to have a stra tegy tha t includes a clea rly de ned bra nd fra mework, delinea ting the bra nd bounda ries within which the bra nd is free to be crea tive.
tha t the bra nd’s promise rema ins consistent. We call our approach “freedom within a fra mework.”
editorial policy tha t de nes the distinctive cha racter of the bra nd, as well as the bounda ries within which the bra nd stories a re crea ted.
To be continued in our next issue
B ONA 2027 OFFICIALLY KICKSOFF JOINT BID FOR THE 36TH EDITION OF 2027 BET WEEN B OT SWANA AND NAMIBIA HAS TAKEN OFF AFTER B OTH C OUNTRIES SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IN GAB ORONE.
B ONA2027 bidding team consisting of members
B otswana and Namibia have been trading partners for centuries. Long before our independence in 1966, and long before Namibia’s independence in 1990. Our people have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt, that together they can harmoniously share food, water, wildlife, diamonds, culture, language and many other beautiful things that life gives them. Like brothers and sisters, we have had a fair share of misunderstanding as is common in all families; it is how we resolved these
John Muinjo Football Expert (B otswana), Phazha Butale, Football Expert (B otswana), Segolame R amotlhwa, Acting Director of Sport (Namibia), Ir vine Ndjavera, Director of Sport (B otswana), Imon B ogosi, B otswana National Expert (Namibia MSYNS) ,Timothy Tjongarero, B otswana Football Association CEO, Mfolo Mfolo, Acting Secretar y General (NFA) Jacqueline Gertze, Football Expert (NFA), Tovey Hoebeb, Secretariat to the Bid Technical Committee and Rogerdeltr y Kambatuku
When opening the ceremony, Minister of Youth, Gender, Sports, Arts and Culture Tumiso R akgare said B otswana and Namibia are united as one In the past, now and in the future. ‘ Together, we come a long way. Our histor y is rooted in trade, culture, traditions, language, religion and many aspects of life’
B otswana what you are to your brother or sister. You for the good of the both of you
Quoting some famous icons Minister Tumiso R akgare says accomplished Kenyan Mexican actress Lupiya Nyongo’ once said; indeed, all your dreams are valid.
Nelson Mandela, the universal symbol of hope once said; it is impossible until it is done
‘Now, i have demonstrated that B otswana and Namibia are siblings, we are brother and sister. I have demonstrated the adversity that both countries have gone through during colonisation, and before,
remained strong through the storms. We must remain even stronger when we dream together. We must walk this path side by side, with our hands held together as one ’ He went on.
He says the beauty of sport is that it unites people
both black and white Sport has ended racism and xenophobia. Sport has ended wars elsewhere in the world. Fortunately, between B otswana and Namibia, our wish is to facilitate for rapid sports infrastructure such as stadia, training facilities, general infrastructure development such as roads, hospitality and create employment through sports, hospitality and tourism, develop sport science and Information Technolog y.
Bidding to host is a dream which if materialized would see a lot of appetite from both Government
hosting Afcon are immense Youths continue to idle
statistical information about crime rate and poverty in our region which by default is a consequence of idleness.
R akgare says there is need to arrest social and economic ills through sport. Without doubt, the mileage and publicity that comes with hosting this prestigious tournament is incalculable. ‘I believe B ONA presents a compelling case to CAF to look at our proposition to host as a totally refreshing case Our dream is centred on a developmental ambition more than a mere 90-minute spectacle. It must be the footballers and its ancillar y
legacy must be unquestionable’ He says.
is a quintessential example of how football has fundamentally changed the infrastructure has demonstrated not just hope and faith; it has without doubt imbued all of us with the euphoria that anything is possible, if you work towards a common goal and objective. I reiterate my commitment to this bidding process, and I pledge without an iota of doubt, B otswana’s commitment to the course.
On her behalf Hounarable Agnes Basilla Tjongarero of Namibia said it is indeed singular honour to witness this unprecedented kick-starting of an ambitious but critical project between the two
the two heads of states who met and agreed on the possible co-hosting of the two governments. Subsequent to the meeting of the two heads of state the two governments agreed in Februar y two countries have tirelessly been working to get us where we are today
It indeed has been an exciting and eventful time documents that have been developed in the past of Agreement, the Terms of Reference for the proposal to name a few.
assessment of existing facilities whilst waiting for CAF to release guidelines for developing a Bid document for the 2027 AFCON Finals.
She says development of a robust and appealing strateg y that will secure the involvement of the private sector and other key stakeholders at the bid stage of the project to compliment the resource contributions of the two Governments;
means that B otswana will contribute 60% of the resources needed for the project, and Namibia
hosting AFCON 2027.
In the likely event we are successful in securing the rights to host the AFCON Finals, Namibia will host the Opening Ceremony and B otswana will host the Closing Ceremony and both the arrangement B otswana will host 24 of the 36 group stage matches, whilst Namibia will host 12. B otswana will host 5 of the 8 round of 16
equally between the two countries.
Letshwiti says to be brutally honest to both two
support of the political leadership of the two countries. I would like to take this opportunity to pledge this unconditional support from all levels of the political leadership of B otswana and Namibia.
Dr Mokg weetsi Masisi had a meeting with the CAF President Dr Motsepe on the margins of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit that was held in B otswana in April 2022 and lobbied for his support. Similarly, His Excellency Dr Hage G. Geingob met with CAF President Dr. Patrice
Namibia and lobbied for his support before the
Welcome Remarks by BFA President Mr MacLean C. Letshwiti at B ONA Launch - Lekidi Football Centre 09 June 2022 BFA President Mclean Letshwiti emphasised that ‘should we become successful in this bid, the legacy that will be inherited by the two nations will be unprecedented. Our two countries will at the highest level in football and against the development, information technolog y, sports science and medicine, tourism, economic and social cohesion, job creation, science and technolog y will be palpable, and indelible’.
that must meet and compel to go all out in terms of budgeting, planning and coordination with
the Minister together with his colleagues in Government, the business community and the media, to hold each other step by step, to achieve this together. ‘If we have never been united as a people, this is the moment to do so. I guess I am also speaking to my brothers and sisters on the Namibian side’.
‘Bagaetsho, as a word of caution to our esteemed Ministers of Sport here present; this project is a mammoth task that B otswana and Namibia have
CAF are that the bidding countries’ governments should seriously commit to under writing the huge cost of this undertaking, including budgets for the Bidding Process, Infrastructure, and the
Committee to be unveiled today is going to have serious work cut out for them. Trust me, its real work ahead’, he concluded
1.
a. Dr. Tshepang Tshube is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physical Education, Health & Recreation at the University of B otswana. Tshube holds a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psycholog y from Michigan State University.
2. What is your mandate in UB and national teams?
a. My primar y mandate at the University of B otswana is to teach sport and exercise psycholog y and also do research on sports related issues. I am an active researcher in Southern Africa published in areas of life skills, mental skills, dual career, coach-athlete relations, and elite athlete retirement transition. My recent publications include Southern Africa perspectives to coach-athlete relations, Olympians Career Path in Southern Africa, and Cultural Perspectives to Sport Psycholog y.
I have been awarded amongst others the 2013 IO C Graduate Scholar Award and in collaboration with colleagues, the 2017 African Alliance Award. In addition to my academic work, I am a member of the B otswana National Olympic Committee High-Performance Commission. I also provide sports psycholog y
travel with team B otswana. I accompanied team B otswana to the 2016 Olympic Games, 2018 Commonwealth Games and several Africa Championships.
3. What type of outreach do you apply to students and athletes who seek the type of ser vices you can provide?
a. My students are heavily engaged in a year undergraduate students set up their own volunteer experiences at sporting events/ purpose of this engagement is to have students
learn crucial skills such as communication, time management, collaboration, and adaptability of my students build network and resume from this assignment. Graduate students
platforms. For example, my students and I just hosted a panel discussion on the proposed 10 community sports facilities.
4. Let’s talk about your overall plan for Sports in the countr y hence you sometimes help at national level.
a. My plan and dream about sports in B otswana is to educate through research, workshops, presentations, seminars and lectures. In my opinion, most of our challenges are due to lack of expertise in a number of areas. For example, our coaches need to be well trained in holistic athlete development.
enough. In addition, our leaders need to know that sport management and leadership is a science
5. Mr Tshube you ’ ve hosted Sports Science and Medicine symposium, what actually prompted you to have this?
a. I have hosted a number of lectures, workshops and seminars. Note that I have not hosted a sports medicine symposium but generally sport psycholog y, leadership and athlete development symposiums. As indicated in your previous question, there is need for more knowledge in our sports community. One of the reasons for my seminars is to bridge the gap between academia and practice. Concepts and theories developed in academia need to be tested in applied settings.
6. From the symposium you touched management and serious injuries that can through this a. My seminar did not address these
7. Future of Sports in the countr y, how do you see it especially with development structures that we have, do we see more medals in the upcoming global competitions?
a. I foresee more challenges in the future. I am deeply worried about the relationship between the Ministr y of Basic Education and the
in this impasse because teachers are core to the development of athletes and sports in the countr y. this issues. If BISA fails to organize and host sports across the countr y, we lose a huge number of talented athletes and that kills sports development. Research provide evidence that over 90% of world class athletes are developed in a school set up. If we are really committed to athlete development, we
8. How is your relationship with sports codes in the countr y including the teams? a. I currently enjoy a ver y positive relationship sporting codes. I had the honour to work with a lot of federations including but not limited to BNO C, BNSC, BAA, B ONA, and B OSA.
9. On the international level, do you have relations with your counterparts outside the the native nations? a. I have a huge network globally. I have University of Queensland, Western Kentucky University, University of Ghana, and San José of Queensland and I were in 2015 funded by the Association of Applied Sport Psycholog y to conduct workshops in B otswana on life skills and sport psycholog y. I have just been invited to spend a week as visiting scholar at San José State University. I will give lectures and develop network for further collaborations.
10. Lastly like you mentioned we have facilities but why are the other countries still beating us when it comes to games and your last words please!
a. Facilities are not enough for success at major games. We need clear talent development programs.
also advices upcoming athletes to care for themselves and protect their images. (Makwala pictures) even 3 or 4
year people were determined to attend with the kids especially as it would be last chance to see national treasure Isaac ‘Badman’ Makwala running locally.
to announce his retirement plans pointing out that he is not all lost to sport but will be participating mostly abroad as he nears to put down his tools. Makwala
STATEMENT
that the World Athletics has taken a decision not to R atif y Letsile Tebogo ’ s time of 9.96 as a World Under-20 Record, set in the men ’ s 100m on the 30th of April 2022, during the Gaborone International Meet Continental Bronze Tour BAA ascertains that despite the outcome of the World Record, the time remains valid as a National Record, Area
22 World Championships.
conducting a zero- gun test during the test of the timing equipment, which is
equipment prior to a race Nonetheless, the zero test was conducted post the event which World Athletics acknowledged and
appraised Due to submission post the event, World Athletics could not consider the application.
full responsibility of the outcome
First in histor y for B otswana! Letsile Tebogo
10s for his countr y, racing to a National Record of 9.96s (+1.9) to win the men ’ s 100m at the Gaborone International Meet. Tebogo is now 3rd fastest in the world this Championships in Oregon.
GLODY DUBE.
HE USED TO MAKE PEOPLE COME TO THE STADIUM TO WATCH HIM RUN, NOW HE MAKES PEOPLE COME TO THE STADIUM TO SEE
INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES COMPETE AT THE GAB ORONE INTERNATIONAL MEET GIM IS A WORLD CLASS ATHLETICS’ MEET THAT TAKES PLACE IN GAB ORONE, B OTSWANA. IT WAS RECENTLY AWARDED A BRONZE STATUS BY THE WORLD ATHLETICS MAKING IT THE FIRST OF IT ’S KIND IN B OTSWANA AND SOUTHERN AFRICA. IT AT TRACTS ATHLETES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND STANDS A VERY GO OD CHANCE OF BEING PROMOTED TO A SILVER STATUS OR BET TER THE GIM MASTERMIND
At least 144 golfers graced the inaugural Stanbic Bank Botswana Golf Day as the bank officially launched the newly named Stanbic Bank Gaborone Golf Club (SBGGC). Officiating the event and unveiling the plaque was National Sports Commission Chairman, Mr. Marumo Morule.
After unveiling the official plaque of the Stanbic Bank Gaborone Golf Club Mr. Marumo Morule noted that golf has a new home in Botswana. The beloved Golf Club, now “gone blue” is not only a symbol of the Bank’s unwavering support for growth and nurturing of golf as a sporting fraternity, but of preservation and celebration of treasured community sites in the heart of the city of Gaborone. The engagement underscored several key aspects close to the Bank’s purpose and vision and was indeed reaffirmed by Stanbic Bank Botswana on the day. This occasion also marked and symbolised a great many things for Stanbic Bank as a business, and indeed for the community.
Speaking at the launch Stanbic Bank Botswana Chief Executive, Chose Modise said, “We gather here to celebrate and invest in the growth of golf as a sport and as a discipline. The talent in Botswana, amongst both men and women, indeed even amongst our caddy community,
cannot be overlooked. With the requisite support, we can and will grow and nurture this talent, and show that golf is yet another sporting code where Batswana are a force to be reckoned with. The incredible work being done by the Stanbic Bank Gaborone Golf Club Committee is core to this, and to them we owe both a debt of gratitude and a renewed commitment to never let our support wane.” For his part Mr Morule said the Gaborone Golf Club has always been at the heart of thecommunity, a heritage site where people come together to golf, to enjoy and to simply be together. “Before this sponsorship, the Club was facing many challenges. Due to the pandemic, they had to cut down manpower, put maintenance of key areas on hold, and even scale back or suspend activities due lack of finance and resources. It pleases megreatly to see the funds invested by Stanbic Bank as part of the 3-year sponsorshipagreement to support the club and I thank the bank for their immense contribution”, -Morule said.
Township Rollers scores a whooping P4.5 million Sponsorship windfall from Stanbic Bank Botswana for further three years.
Speaking at the launch, Stanbic Bank Botswana Chief Executive Chose Modise said, “We continue to strengthen mutually beneficial relationships that are also impactful to the communities around us. Our aim is to see Township Rollers FC progress even further in local and African football, developing young talent and contributing towards the growth of the discipline in Botswana.”
In their six-year partnership with Stanbic Bank Botswana, Township Rollers has won the league title three times and became the first local team to reach the group stages of the CAF Champions League. The Bank’s commitment to sports development is evidenced by its active participation and sponsorship in the 41 st Botswana National Sports Commission awards, Diacore Gaborone Marathon, the GM’s Annual Charity CycleChallenge, CANA Zone IV Swimming Championships and Orapa GM’s Walk to mention but a few.
At the sponsorship renewal event, Township Rollers FC President Shah Jagdish, launched the exclusive jersey to be worn by the players at the next match. The president
highlighted that the club has grown both on field and as a business since the formation of the club’s partnership with Stanbic Bank. “It with a great deal of gratitude that I stand here this morning, to thank you for agreeing to continue sponsoring us, despite the challenges that came with the pandemic. We really appreciate this noble gesture and hope that it can grow beyond expectation and extend even further.”, Township Rollers FC President, Mr. Jagdish Shah concluded.
In the recent months age fraud has manifested itself in CAF’ s junior tournaments. In August, they failed MRI tests.
their players failed the test. Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire had one player each sent home.
imaging (MRI) was introduced by FIFA in 2009 for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup to help ascertain whether players are over age or not. MRI is considered to be 99% accurate until the medical professionals to calculate a person ’ s age But what prompts age cheating?
In some cases it’s never really the fault of the player Dr Yacine Zerguini is the vice president
of the CAF Medical Committee, and also a member of the FIFA Medical Committee He says that in the case of Under-17 age cheats: “We know that it is not generally bad intention or purpose if players are biologically above 17
“But age cheating is killing Af rican fo otball. Eg yptian Football Association
Shalaby likens age f raud to a cancer in Af rican football.”
inaccurate or even not available, without that being the fault of the player or the association.”
asked to do independent MRI scans for age tests, before CAF conducts its tests before a tournament and still, overage players get busted.
various associations and the ministries have acknowledged that they have at times deliberately created ‘football ages ’ , so that older players are still eligible for the U-20 and U-17 teams.
Football administrators believe age cheating
game in Africa. Clubs and footballers’ agents have been accused of encouraging players alter their age so that it becomes less hard to obtain contracts with European clubs looking out for young talents. But age cheating is killing African football
Medhat Shalaby likens age fraud to a cancer in African football. He argues that age fraud is a counterproductive practice, to which he is right. Age cheating is destroying football development in Africa. It makes tournaments useless because
some players must not be playing because they are too old. What is the point of a 17-year-old competing in a tournament where the opposing team has players way over that age group?
we gradually lose credence. Our football stars become subject to unfair scrutiny and taunts.
players abroad. It still is fresh to recall the age saga that broiled across Europe concerning African stars like Nwankwo Kanu, Obafemi Martins, Julius Aghahowa and not forgetting the scandal involving Samuel Eto’o and the then coach at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho who claimed that the Cameroonian is older than what he says he is. Ultimately, Africa needs to start playing clean!
women football team coach Jacqueline Shipanga. Our national football associations
call to all the federations around the continent then, this menace will live on and African teams will remain less productive and too mediocre to challenge other countries in the World Cup.
MINALA’S CLAIMS TO BE B ORN IN 1996, SOME CLAIM HE IS IN HIS LATE 40s
sports makes one wonder if the sportspersons themselves are too scared or threatened to protect their liveli hood and their professions.
Football players have been blocked by teams to go outside the countr y We have had top boxers in Lesley Sekotswe, the
In football we have retired players who plied their trade outside in professional who were actually on BNSC scholarships. initiate a movement for the formation of sports unions.
In most cases, labour unions are born out of unfair working conditions and inadequate wages for employees. Given forgotten that the pioneers of our favourite sports leagues were victims of harsh
bosses, tough expectations and unbalanced wages. Non-unionized athletes were treated as pieces of furniture to be moved at the owner ’ s whim as they had no rights to pensions, healthcare
Today’s pro athletes enjoy all these perks, while conducting salaries that eliminate the need for any of them. In the case of the following leagues, it took the resolution of a few brave players to stand up to the owners and demand a fair share of the revenues that
who played without pensions or healthcare plans.
It was also common for pre-union players to work permanent jobs to support their families because if you get an injur y or a player miss game, it was ver y rare to be taken care of and get paid during the time of absence, ostenably brought about by an injur y incured while on
Without healthcare plan and no income, families of athletes struggle mightily to pay play” and cut the salar y.
Such treatment should inspire all the legends to rally today’s players to form a union
ex-players across the leagues should be successful in creating a small association of players so that the players can be able to unite in enough numbers to convince the owners to recognize their demands and not punish players for being members.
With athletes becoming professional much earlier, it is important that those older players on the road to retirement have a proper pension.
Big leagues boast some of the largest salaries in all of sports, with the biggest purse being that of US Middleweight champion, Floyd Mayweather whose bout with Manny Pacquiao who grossed in the region of $300
Sport has long been a big business in the world and it can only take many manifestations of the Players Association to get a fair portion of the revenue paid to the players.
Starting with the brotherhood of Professional players, players should organize to increase their salaries and, most importantly, end the reser ve clause that essentially gives owners the right to control where players could play.
With players taking action, the fans will be that can spoil a sport. B efore these players’ union, players were in most cases not paid for missing a game with an injur y. Players are responsible for maintaining their uniforms and equipment, and they do not receive any money when traveling.
Players across the leagues who should get on board, including legends such as Dipsy Selolwane, Khubamang, Amantle Montsho
players will successfully invigorate the leagues to address their grievances, as well
a pension plan. contest for their powerful millionaire bosses and risk their professional careers to ensure that future players in these leagues would be well compensated and cared for beyond their playing careers.
of speculation in livestock, by which they are bought, sold and transferred like so many sheep.
Technically, there isn’t actually a union for players at the moment, as on the surface, it is share of thousands in revenue.
In 1971, the organizers of the World Cup found themselves without a cup to call their own. The year before, Pelé’s Brazil had won the tournament for the third time, which meant they got to keep the trophy. As Brazil’s captain, Carlos Alberto, held the trophy aloft on a blazing hot day in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, there was a sense that the title, previously kept by the winning team for the four years in between tournaments, really was coming home. That trophy — a fourteen-inch high, gold-plated sculpture of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, hoisting an octagonal cup above her
head — was named after Jules Rimet, a former president of FIFA, soccer’s governing body. It was first presented to Uruguay, in 1930. Won by Italy in 1934 and ’38, it spent World War II hidden in a shoebox to prevent the Nazis from taking it. In 1966 it was stolen from a public exhibition in Westminster, only to be recovered by a curious dog named Pickles, who found it wrapped in newspaper and stashed under a hedge outside his owner’s home. The trophy was stolen again in 1983, from the offices of the Brazilian Football Confederation, and never recovered. With its new trophy, FIFA decided not to go in-house with the design process, soliciting fifty-three submissions from seven countries. One
came from a quiet, private sculptor from Milan named Silvio Gazzaniga, a fifty-year-old who had spent his life creating symbols of other people’s success. Gazzaniga grew up during World War II and spent his youth admiring fine jewelry and the architecture of Milan. He designed his first medal as a teenager, and spent the next three decades working on jewels and skiing trophies, finally rising to creative director at Milanese trophy design firm Bertoni. It was there he learned of FIFA’s search for a new trophy. Interviewed last month through a translator, Gazzaniga, now ninety-three and still living in Milan, reminisced about the competition.
“I closeted myself away in my studio, situated in the artists’ quarters of Milan,” he says. “I began work immediately.”
Tucked away for a week, Gazzaniga, in his modest-sized studio near Sforza Castle, etched and molded as the ideas flowed.
Gazzaniga, a soccer fan who, perhaps unsurprisingly, supports AC Milan, said that he was aware of the history and significance of the previous trophy.
“The Rimet Trophy was a perfect example of the end of the 1800s way to conceive a cup,” he says. “My design was a good example of the end of the 1900s way to conceive a trophy.
“FIFA approached the old trophy as a precious jewel,” he continued. “The Rimet Trophy was a jewel, but, in 1971, FIFA was aware of the era of television and they were looking for something more photogenic, soft and good-looking on TV — a new symbol updated for the end of century…a precious sculpture, not a squared jewel.”
And so Gazzaniga set out to make something a little more flowing than the rigid old trophy. Aesthetic pleasure overcame everything else as he molded a wide base that narrowed before shooting out again, where its lines sprung upwards, spiraling, to receive the world that sat at its top. The World Cup. Shaped into these lines would be “a human being — the hero — but not alone, because the game and every match is done by two teams, two wills opposing and acting together,” Gazzaniga says. “Energy, force, strength, dynamism, roughness, agility, speed, success,
achievement, victory, triumph. All this had to turn around and embrace the world, who is over all and over every single man.”
Happy with his mold and sketches, Gazzaniga submitted his design to FIFA. In the age before email, it would be months before he heard anything.
“I was proud of my design and was happy with the result,” he says, “but I honestly did not expect such a success.”
After months of suspense, a message came from FIFA: His design had been chosen.
Compared to the bland silver cups given as prizes for most European football competitions, Gazzaniga’s design was flamboyant, an irresistible representation of exaltation and joy. What’s more, it would undoubtedly look mighty and appealing on TV — the champion’s hands wrapped around the contesting opponents; the sun’s light shimmering off the curvature of the globe. Modest and down-to-earth, the designer describes his emotions at the time as nothing more than “happy” and “proud,” but admits that he was a little overwhelmed when he saw his trophy on the world’s stage for the first time, in 1974.
“The first time is everything, for me,” he said, reminiscing about the sight of the West German captain Franz Beckenbauer collecting his trophy. “The One.”
Since that moment, the trophy has been lifted by some of the greatest players ever to play the game, from Maradona to Zidane.
A story is told of a young South Korean golfer, who moved to the US as a 20-yearold with no English, no family and no friends, just a dream to become the best golfer in the world…my emphasis! She Won the US Women Open Golf Championship in 1998 and sparked the Asian Women Golf revolution. Today Asian women dominate the professional ladies golf circuit. Since 2008, nearly 40% of the major championships on the LPGA Tour have been won by South Koreans. While Asian girls, account for 54% of the top 100 in the Rolex Ranking Women’s World Golf Ranking, 70% of those are South Korean. It is interesting to note that in Asia it is quite expensive to play. Korea is no di erent and most of their players are not allowed in
golf courses until they are of certain competence. Most golf is therefore played in Driving Ranges. If you think golf is expensive in Botswana and access to golf courses in Botswana go to Asia… You will come back with a di erent perspective…What continue to bother me is lack of traction of the sport of golf in Botswana. Why are we not getting a lot of Batswana getting into the sport? is brings me to another inspirational story in sport… Most people now know that….Sprinting to Jamaican is like religion… e story about Jamaicans become sprint Kings and Queens is however not known by most. Indulge me for a moment to narrate the little I know about the evolution of Jamaica short distance running…Prior to 1999, Jamaica had pockets of brilliance in track and
eld. However the revolution can be traced back to 1999, when Coach Stephen Francis, together with his brother, Paul and cousin, decided to form the MVP Track and Field Club of Jamaica. ey had an ambitious dream, to have Jamaican sprint champions, trained in Jamaica, by Jamaicans and managed by Jamaican. e club aimed to provide high quality coaching which mirrored American college system so that talented athletes would not have to travel to the USA. Of Course people laughed at them, called them dangerously ambitious. Rasmus Ankersen in his book, “ e Gold Mine E ect” details how the MVP Track and eld coaches used to beg for high school student coaching gigs. Simply because people did not believe in the possibility that Jamaican sprint athletes, can be developed in Jamaica
by Jamaicans. Of course, fortune smiled on them, when one of their athlete Asafa Powell, who by the way, was a reject of the athletic programme, broke the 100 metres world record in 2001. e Asafa Powell moment gave the MVP Track and Field Club of Jamaica their break through. is bold and ambitious step reversed a long-standing pattern, where Jamaican sprinters, who were typically poor, ran to get scholarships at American colleges where facilities and coaching were superior, but the surroundings were foreign. Now, with better coaches, most of the country’s Olympic runners train at home and they are champions. As most athlete now understand, staying and training at home can make a di erence, in terms of the weather and the support structure. In the case of Jamaica, it appear that coaching, motivation, and hard work might have done the trick.
Here at home, we continue to provide excuses on why we cannot be successful in golf… fair enough, the game su ers lack of access to the school sport system and inaccessibility of the golf clubs to most Batswana Children. However, South Korea has been able to overcome these seemingly insurmountable constraints…Is it because we lack the ambitions of the founders of the MVP Track
and Field Club of Jamaican or are our young golfers not hungry enough… e case of South Korean and Jamaica rhyme well with the ndings of Angela Lee Duckworth study of successful people…She found that, ”People who accomplish great things, usually combine a passion for a single mission with a unswerving dedication to achieve it, regardless of obstacles and the length of time it take.” Are we a nation of excuses… both at administrators and athletes level…Do we know how to create success and we stumble upon it? Are our athletes hungry enough? Rasmus Ankersen will ask, “How do you create hunger in Paradise?” It is my opinion that, if we can correctly answer this question we will be on the right track to unlocking the potential of sport in the country, create world beaters and make sport an alternative source of employment for most of Batswana youth…I know we want to create Millionaires…Sport is one of the ways we can create young Millionaires… I hardly share my stories and experience coaching some of the youngsters I work with as I consider these to be private moments, I however sought permission to share this one from araniitharan Panchalingam… aran is going for college in the US next month, he has an ambition of making the college golf team…I started coaching aran in 2013, he was a beginner golfer…However he was athlete through and through and according to my
observation he had great chance of making his dream a reality. Within two years aran had dropped his Handicap from 24 to 3, He was now among the top golfers in the country… Pity he travels on a Sri Lankan Passport otherwise he will have made the Botswana Junior team…However something happened, the relationship broke and aran went on his own in the last two years of so…Guess what…He is still playing of handicap 3 and he swing the club like an Octopus…We recently rekindle our coach-athlete relationship, with the sole goal of ensuring that he makes the college team. I am con dent he will make it as he has great potential. Why am I boring you with such feeble tales…
e legendary Jack Nicklaus is reported to have said, “If you can beat everyone in your town, everyone in your city, everyone in your state, everyone on an a national level, you’re probably good enough to turn pro”. Under normal circumstances the above detail the progressive step, however there is one fundamental assumption…that every stage there is good quality competition… what if there is nobody to beat…how do you escape an environment that is designed to perpetuate mediocrity? how do you motivate and guide junior golfers to aspire to be world beaters, when all they see glori ed and supported by sponsors is the old men and women,
who play the game for fun. Where we confuse social sports for elite competitive sport. For a moment, aran lost sight of why he played golf, he got caught up in the funk, all of a sudden he could compete and beat his peers and he thought he had arrived…He is one of the best ball strikers in the country. He failed to recognise the di erence between our standards and international standards. With the advent of google and abundance of information about the golf swing, he thought he could self-coach… ere is only one elite golfer who self-coach… Bubba Watson, he is an exception and not the norm… e danger of such…Is an Octopus swing, frustration and ultimately youngsters quitting the games. As I have indicated above, it is my view that we can achieve success in golf in Botswana in the next 10 years. We already have pockets of brilliance, we have the infrastructure, both physical and coaching and this therefore provide the minimum requirement for such success. What we need now is our Osafa Powell or Se-ri Pak moment… is will rely on the golf union, golf clubs and coaches demonstrating a strong sense of determination to achieve success as they say, “talent ocks to organisation that project a strong sense of purpose”. However the overriding factor for success is the burning desire of the athlete… ose who want it most…
Many people wonder what sports tourism is.
Sports tourism is traveling from one region, country, state, etc. to another in order to watch a sports competition or game. For a very long time we have Toyota Desert Race which by far is the most attended sporting tourism event as it attracts big brands and faces from across our borders.
ere is also Makgadikgadi Epics, Cycling Challenges, Rasesa Airshow and even golf tournaments. It is endless but
While sports tourism has not always been extremely popular, during the recent decade the amount of people attending out of area sporting events has drastically increased. People are now traveling far and wide just to attend their favorite events, and it is no wonder as to what has encouraged the sudden spike in popularity.
Technology is Key
While the technological advances in recent years may not have appeared to make a huge impact on the sport industry, they
most certainly have. Due to the availability of buying sports tickets online through various admissions sites, people now have access to multiple resources that were not available a decade ago. People are also more aware of when and where the games and competitions will take place in advance, so they are more able to prepare for the cost and time that is needed to be able to attend the events. Sports tourism has not only managed to find a place in the technological industry, but it has increased because of it.
Tourism Consumers e types of sports tourism consumers vary from sport to sport. e most generalized statistics are that most sports tourists are males between the ages of 18 and 34, and they are in the middle-class economic
groups. Delving deeper into the study will help to get a more accura te sta tistical ra nk on class, sta tus a nd age. For exa mple, cricket a nd rugby fa ns a re generally older a nd have more disposa ble income tha n basic football a nd basketball fa ns. While di erent sports have di erent sports tourism consumers, all sports have taken a popula rity increase in recent yea rs.
Sports tourism is not di cult to gure out. Sports tourism is the act of traveling from one loca tion to a nother with the goal of being a n a udience member to a sports competition of a ny kind. For exa mple, one who travels from Chicago to Houston with the goal of seeing the Houston Texa ns play is considered a sports tourist. However long or
short the trip is does not de ne
factor is whether or not the person is traveling to see a sports competition or traveling with a nother agenda
While sports tourism has ga ined popula rity in recent yea rs, one must stop a nd consider wha t it really is a nd why it has become so popula r a mong the sports fa n crowds. Not only has it ma naged to steadily increase each yea r, but it has also taken a spot a mong the top reasons for traveling a nd vaca tioning. It appea rs as though more a nd more people a re using their well-ea rned vaca tions to see their favorite players in action. So, wha t is sports tourism? It is simply a mea ns to see a competition up close a nd personal a t a loca tion tha t is not considered home.
