What's In a Name?

What’s in a name? Does the weight one carries in their name matter so much it has the bearing to determine their failure or success in life? I have always had this perception that the reason people are named is primarily for identification purposes. It’s a view I feel strongly about and whenever I encounter an opposing stance, I’m fairly quick to dismiss it with a reminder that a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

To be fully honest, being a football supporter has got me questioning myself on this belief. More so than I would care to admit. Granted, the flower would still have the same look and smell, but would it serve the same purpose had it been bestowed with a different combination of consonants and vowels? Let’s take players who ply their trade in the Premier Soccer League for example; most of them have been raucously criticized not because of their talent [or lack thereof], but the name resting on the back of their jersey.

Jomo Sono is by any standard one of the most talented footballers this country has produced. This is a fact most can agree on; with even Orlando Pirates retiring Sono’s jersey number 10. The odds are greatly stacked against anyone placed beside him in comparison. Perhaps even more so against his own offspring. Bamuza Sono was more than a decent midfielder. In his best season, the average points per game was 1.3. It might seem trifling, but in our league that guarantees a team a top 8 finish. Why was his talent questioned? A shift in focus would see us having a picture of the Motaungs. With senior being one of the football greats, Junior Motaung was always going to have his back against the wall. I’ll be the first to admit that he wasn’t the most talented striker in the league, but was he as lacklustre as people made him out to be? I’d be labelled a vicious liar if I were to remind anyone that he was the best striker at Kaizer Chiefs in the 06/07 season. A 15 goal contribution [12 goals, 3 assists] in 25 league games is by no means average. To add a hint of perspective, that’s a goal contribution every 112 minutes. This begs the question; Was his worst mistake being the son of ‘Shintsha Guluva’?

You’d be forgiven for assuming the pressure is only applied to the sons of legends in the game, but that’s not the case. No branch of the family tree is safe. Patrick Ntsoelengoe’s nephew, Molefi, was on the not-so-talented side of the fence, but he was highly exposed because he carried the surname of the great “Ace”. He never stood a chance. Even sibling rivalries cannot be exempt: consider Siyabonga and Thamsanqa Sangweni, Themba and Thokozani Mnguni, Thabo and Thando Mgomeni, Edward and Jappie Motale, Papi and Nhlanhla Zothwane, Itumeleng and Lucky Khune, Clifford and Shasha Moleko, Bryce and Ryan Moon. These are just some of the few that come to mind. It’s as if there’s an unwritten rule in the universe that grant’s the older sibling the lion’s share of the talent. But would the spotlight still shine as brightly on their younger sibling’s prowess had there not been a big brother to be compared to? We’re left wondering once more.

On the flip side you find players who are fuelled by this very pressure. It’s as though they have been keenly enduring the squeeze and when their turn to push back got the green light, they shouted “challenge accepted”. Neil was better than his older brother Mark Tovey, Lebogang Maboe is showing the potential to surpass his father, Sidwell's abilities and Bradley is as established a striker for SuperSport United as his dad Les was for Moroka Swallows. Top of that food chain is Benni McCarthy, younger brother to Jerome. There has never been so much daylight between siblings. But to be fair to Jerome, he grew up with the best player to come out of SA - It was never a fair comparison; a 13-trophy venture with a league title in almost all the leagues he played in [Except the EPL and La Liga], a 205 club goal contribution [175 goal and 30 assists] that is second to none, and having gone on to become the only coach in the country that holds a EUFA Pro Licence, Bennie turns the meagrely talented younger brother rhetoric on its head.

Walking in someone’s footsteps is difficult. Chasing the shadow of a relative is even harder. Before you set foot on the pitch there are expectations, measurements and comparisons. What’s in a name becomes a question less about what value one's moniker adds or subtracts from them and becomes more about what additional challenges one faces. It would seem there are many things in a name, with rivalry, prominence, unbearable demand and overshadowing being but a few to name among the very large number of petals on a complex and sweet rose.

Research Credit: @ProPhilani