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Derek Catsam

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The new 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Professor Derek Catsam about his new book on the strange, sanction-busting Springbok of the USA in 1981, 'Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement'. This is story of the interlocking of rugby union politics, apartheid, the Cold War and some inconsequential rugby matches. Coming straight after the the hugely controversial 1981 test series between the All Blacks and the Springboks, the American tour probably qualifies as one of the strangest events in rugby history. For more on the history of rugby and the other football codes, take a look at www.rugbyreloaded.com (where you can find the links for this episode) and follow me on Twitter at @collinstony

The new 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Professor Derek Catsam about his new book on the strange, sanction-busting Springbok of the USA in 1981, 'Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement'. This is story of the interlocking of rugby union politics, apartheid, the Cold War and some inconsequential rugby matches. Coming straight after the the hugely controversial 1981 test series between the All Blacks and the Springboks, the American tour probably qualifies as one of the strangest events in rugby history. For more on the history of rugby and the other football codes, take a look at <a href="http://www.rugbyreloaded.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.rugbyreloaded.com</a> (where you can find the links for this episode) and follow me on Twitter at @collinstony

178. The 1981 Springbok tour of the USA, with Derek Catsam

 University of Texas Permian Basin history professor Derek Catsam ("Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement") joins to delve into the intriguing story of how a relatively low-key South African rugby tour of the United States in 1981 became an unwittingly pivotal turning point in the nation's growing collective conscience against apartheid, and an influential test of American foreign policy.  By the late 1970s, the US lagged significantly behind the rest of the Western world when it came to addressing the thorny moral, societal and diplomatic issues posed by the Republic of South Africa's racial policies, and its ruling National Party's obstinate defense of them despite increasing international condemnation.    The September 1981 American tour of the country's perennially world-dominant "Springbok" national rugby union team - a continuation of an already tumultuous and violent summer of matches in New Zealand - markedly changed that dynamic.  Those who had been part of the US’s relatively small anti-apartheid decades-long struggle opportunistically seized the visit by one of white South Africa’s most cherished sporting and cultural institutions to mobilize against both the team, and the political regime it represented.  American protestors confronted the Springbok team at airports, chanted outside their hotels, and openly courted arrest at matches - forcing tour organizers to hastily (and bizarrely) convert publicly announced matches into near-clandestine affairs to avoid undue attention or confrontation.  What began as a modest effort to publicize an exciting but little-followed sport in the US, quickly gave rise to the solidification of the nation's soon-robust anti-apartheid movement.

University of Texas Permian Basin history professor Derek Catsam ("<a href="https://amzn.to/3k6KHGg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America's Anti-Apartheid Movement</a>") joins to delve into the intriguing story of how a relatively low-key South African rugby tour of the United States in 1981 became an unwittingly pivotal turning point in the nation's growing collective conscience against apartheid, and an influential test of American foreign policy. By the late 1970s, the US lagged significantly behind the rest of the Western world when it came to addressing the thorny moral, societal and diplomatic issues posed by the Republic of South Africa's racial policies, and its ruling National Party's obstinate defense of them despite increasing international condemnation.   The September 1981 American tour of the country's perennially world-dominant "Springbok" national rugby union team - a continuation of an already tumultuous and violent summer of matches in New Zealand - markedly changed that dynamic. Those who had been part of the US’s relatively small anti-apartheid decades-long struggle opportunistically seized the visit by one of white South Africa’s most cherished sporting and cultural institutions to mobilize against both the team, and the political regime it represented. American protestors confronted the Springbok team at airports, chanted outside their hotels, and openly courted arrest at matches - forcing tour organizers to hastily (and bizarrely) convert publicly announced matches into near-clandestine affairs to avoid undue attention or confrontation. What began as a modest effort to publicize an exciting but little-followed sport in the US, quickly gave rise to the solidification of the nation's soon-robust anti-apartheid movement.

230: The 1981 Springbok Rugby Union Tour - With Derek Catsam

Derek Charles Catsam, professor of history and humanities at University of Texas-Permian Basin, joins Andrew and Ray for a conversation about race, class, and rugby in sports history. For this episode we read Catsam's essays for Africa is a Country. 

Derek Charles Catsam, professor of history and humanities at University of Texas-Permian Basin, joins Andrew and Ray for a conversation about race, class, and rugby in sports history. For this episode we read Catsam's essays for <a href="https://africasacountry.com/author/derek-catsam" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Africa is a Country</a>.

Ep Thirty-Seven: Derek Catsam on Rugby 