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The Proteas cricket team, accustomed to criticism, have been showered with praise after winning their first major title in 27 years.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma interacts with fans who turned up at OR Tambo International to welcome home the world Test champions on Wednesday. Picture: Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images
When South African athletes and teams are not winning, sport fans and local media can be very critical, but when they are triumphant, the celebrations are next level.
As a sporting nation, we don’t have much time for second best.
That’s not to say we don’t appreciate silver and bronze medals, or the efforts of teams that progress to playoffs at major tournaments, but the celebrations are far more limited when we don’t win gold.
On digital media platforms, the statistics we receive are very useful, as it tells us what news people are consuming and what they’re ignoring, and when individuals or teams win gold at international level, the interest shoots through the roof.
High standards
The reality is that we have won enough titles over the years as a nation that the bar has been set really high, and anything other than victory is worth little more than a brief nod of appreciation.
Perhaps the athlete who has experienced the brunt of this lofty standard more than anyone is Akani Simbine, who has consistently been among the top sprinters in the world for a decade but remains perhaps the most underrated athlete in the country because he is still without a global individual outdoor medal.
Simbine has, however, received some love this year after leading the SA 4x100m team to gold at the World Relays championship, with hundreds of people turning up at the airport to welcome home the national squad (who also won the 4x400m relay).
But that’s the thing. As harsh as we can be, both the fans and the media go big when our sport stars triumph.
Proteas celebrations
Similarly to Simbine, the Proteas cricket team have become accustomed to criticism, despite being one of the best sides in the world since readmission.
They were shown real appreciation on Wednesday, however, when scores of fans turned up to welcome them home at OR Tambo International.
The Proteas will also have a celebratory function in Sandton on Thursday after winning the world Test title, ending a 27-year trophy drought.
Yes, we can be tough to please, but when South Africans win, we shower them with praise. Meet our nation’s high standards and you will feel the love.
