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Ditch that damn Bok!

Drugs are heinous things. People that sell drugs are even more heinous.

Yet the drug trade, sadly, is truly monstrous. It’s a simple case of demand and supply.

One method of curbing this blight on society that is gaining traction amongst those that count, is legalising the drug trade in order to gain some hope of regulating it.

For every action, there is a reaction.

With the converse also being true, I am suggesting that we ditch the Springbok, thus removing the regulation of its consumption and growth.

My bet is that it will grow almost as fast as the drug trade!

And while drugs are heinous and bad, the springbok has the ability to continue to be a symbol of hope, unification and glory that Madiba wanted it to be.

By keeping it on the Springbok jersey, all we are doing is giving no name brands who do little other than sit in parliament the ability to score cheap political points by calling for its removal in election years.

Take it away, and they might actually have to do some work – like dream up ways to keep Craven Week players of colour in the system so new Bok coach Allister Coetzee has a bigger talent pool to call on.

Or low and behold, try and come with ways to maintain our country’s infrastructure, tackle poverty, insure that education is a reality or even work out ways to stimulate the economy so as to create jobs!

“Bafana Bafana” is not on the national soccer kit. The word “Proteas” is not on the national cricket kit. “AmaGlug-glug” is not on the SA Under-23 soccer kit.

Why do we need the word “Springbok” on the national rugby kit for the team to be known as the Springboks, Boks, Bokke or even AmaBokke?

In fact, would it not be tremendously fun to wear the replica kit with the Springbok emblazoned on it in even bigger fashion than it ever was on the Bok jersey?

A fun way to pull a little zap sign at the people who are running the country into the ground, yet are happy to spend so much time getting a little 5cm buck removed from a piece of clothing.

And unlike SAFA, who missed the boat twice on trademarking the term “Bafana Bafana”, SARU have indeed trademarked all things “Springbok”, so would continue to generate revenue from it. Revenue that could be used to indeed keep those talented Craven Week players in the system for a little longer!

I suggest this not out of spite, but out of love for an emblem that I truly do not see as divisive, instead one representative of all the good that sport can do for our country.   

The Bok is dead, long live the Bok!

Tank Lanning is a former Western Province prop and vociferous tweeter from @frontrowgrunt.

Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
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