That swarm of bees buzzing on our television in June and July is quiet now. Unless you pull out your own personal “vuvuzela” and give it a toot (I do every once in a while), World Cup Fever is subsiding. South Africa’s big coming-out party was the second event in a year full of world-class extravaganzas for us. It began with the Vancouver Olympics and now we move on to the World Expo in Shanghai, which has already reached a full head of steam.My good fortune of working on the world stage for many years now has drawn us together with exceptional colleagues and wonderful friends everywhere. And it is those relationships that have guided us into these high profile international happenings. South Africa is perfect case in point.
Twenty years ago, I made my first trip to South Africa. I remember when changing planes in Johannesburg, you had to go through an x-ray machine. Next to the machine, on a steel table, was a grey plastic box like the one’s we’re all used to now for our shoes, laptops, coats and all. The stenciled sign on the box read “Deposit all weapons here”. And the box was perpetually full. Hand guns, knives, machetes, cartridge clips, even steel-tipped darts. Virtually every local that walked through was carrying a weapon of some sort. Unbelievable, I thought at the time! They were handed back to the owner at the other end of the flight…but they were on board with us.
Fortunately, that doesn’t happen anymore. Well past the turn of the century, I made yearly trips to South Africa. I was there just before, during and right after Nelson Mandela was elected president. A few years later, I made the trip to Pretoria. We pulled up, just like Matt Damon in the movie “Invictus” did, to have our audience with the president and his national head of sport at the Capitol. I can still smell the purple-flowered Jacaranda trees in full bloom as we walked in. We were the first international sporting event to be hosted by South Africa after the election. It was an exciting time.
The lasting friendships I’ve made there over the past two decades are very special to me. They have taught me so much about their country and life in a society that we outsiders are still struggling to understand. They’ve exposed me to the beauty of their land, the warm graciousness and hospitality of the people, as well as the sadness, violence and poverty that continue to plague them in many places.
My friends are also very well connected…and so, just as I did in Beijing with the Olympics, when South Africa got the nod, I sent an email telling them that I wanted to share the experience anyway I could. You might guess that they pulled me into all the action from every angle…right down to “tweeting” minute to minute from the stands during several of the matches. As you can see, I’ve even made a personal contribution to their economy by owning every possible piece of World Cup merchandise that was offered at the stadiums.
My insider’s view began with the building of the stadiums, the airports and the transport systems. The locals were skeptical themselves that they could pull it off but the infrastructure came together to make it happen. My good friend in the health care business had three hospitals in her region chosen as FIFA hospitals. During the 18 months prior to the World Cup, disaster plans were developed for all based on the New York City model, post-911. These related directly to the crisis work that we're being asked to do on a regular basis.
I got an intimate look at sponsorships including VISA’s prime involvement. Their link with Castrol put VISA in a position to use ticket promotions at the retail level, which resulted in increases from 40% to 300% in various markets. They were also able to get good outdoor trade exchanges from many shopping centers. However, it was interesting to see that banks, consumer goods and even some other gasoline retailers were able to put ticket promotions together without paying any sponsorship fees by having their customers spend with a VISA credit or debit card. Without the option of offering tickets, MasterCard and American Express were really never able to compete.
From opening day to the final match it was “absolutely electrifying…the people, the flags and the vuvuzelas were just impossible to beat,” according to one of my local compadres, “Such a special time in our lives”. Even the personal tragedy in Nelson Mandela’s family could not diminish the enthusiasm of the natives of his country when the cameras rolled for the month-long event. It was an education for the rest of the world. When I met him last in Seattle a few years ago, President Mandela was receiving an honorary degree. I was representing one of our local community colleges and he said to me, “You know that education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” That statement could not be more true than for the power and influence of South Africa’s World Cup.
The championship drew a global audience 7 times larger than the Super Bowl. Futbol (soccer to us in America)is an amazingly democratic game. It can be played anywhere and the pitch (the field) is always level…literally and figuratively. It is a game that helps raise the standards for education and encourages youth to work together. This World Cup did all that and more. It helped free a country from a false impression.
So much was right about South Africa’s World Cup. The people there worked together to make it a huge success. One of today’s greatest players, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o is quoted as saying “Success is much more than a question of quality…it’s a question of heart.” That’s true of the game and of the South African people.
To Susan, Howard, Ian, Rob, Grant and Margaret, my deepest heartfelt thanks for sharing this World Cup experience with me… for all you’ve taught me over the years…for all you’ve helped me see…for the compassion, friendship and understanding you’ve shown. You have my undying gratitude and love…for you and your magnificent country. YOUR World Cup was a vision of the future for all of us. Ngiyabonga!
Dan Mc
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
Nelson Mandela
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