Football World Cup Social Impact

The 2010 FIFA World Cup placed South Africa in the limelight and it was a chance for the country to prove its worth to international standards. The social impact of the World Cup was that of bringing people of different races, ages, genders and backgrounds together to unite for the cause of supporting the country and of being good hosts.

According to Shar Adams (2010), the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a defining moment in South African history, as it played a role in uniting the country after years of separation. It is noted how Nelson Mandela was also acknowledged for helping to achieve this unity, as he had secured the rights to host the event in 2004 (Adams, 2010). Adams also mentions that the country is going through a transition from a painful and divided past and that South Africans are trying to become one nation (2010).

Oosthuizen shows how there were a number of positive and negative experiences felt by the sample groups before the World Cup. Koortzen and Oosthuizen’s research showed how the participants had expressed hope that hosting the World Cup would expose South Africans to different nationalities so as to assist in developing knowledge of cultural diversity, so as to learn how to treat others with respect (Koortzen & Oosthuizen, 2012). Their research also shows how the World Cup brought about the development of national pride, as it provided the opportunity to look past the negative aspects of South Africa, and to instead celebrate the country’s potential (Koortzen & Oosthuizen, 2012). In contrast, their research has also shown how the World Cup impacted different age groups in various ways, such as the fact that the younger generation sample group were more focused on being able to see celebrities performing and international sport celebrities, while the older generation viewed the event as an opportunity for South Africa to redeem itself on the world stage and develop international status (Koortzen & Oosthuizen, 2012). Koortzen and Oosthuizen also show how there was a desire to show the international community how South Africa was united, so as to develop international status, and this was encouraged through the unique ‘rituals’ of the 2010 World Cup such as the vuvuzelas and the diski dances (Koortzen & Oosthuizen,

This is shown through how every African team that participated in the World Cup was supported by citizens of different African countries (Smith, 2010). The research shows how the World Cup gave diverse African communities living in South Africa a sense of mutual identity and pride (Smith, 2010). Smith’s research revealed how the philosophy of Ubuntu tied in with the hosting of the World Cup in terms of uniting diverse communities for the cause of supporting one another’s teams (Smith,