This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. When Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black

president in 1994, he had big dreams for his bitterly divided country.

We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society, a rainbow nation, at peace with itself

and the world.

He had spent a lifetime fighting the racist apartheid regime, including more than a quarter century in prison.

He was a heroic figure already by that time. But to many white South Africans, they saw him as a

criminal and a terrorist. This is psychologist J. Van Bavel. As president of a United South Africa, they saw him as a criminal and a terrorist. This is psychologist J. Van Bevel.

As president of a United South Africa, Nelson Mandela, or Mediba, as he was known to his supporters,

needed to find a way for the people in his rainbow nation to see themselves as South Africans first.

Other politicians might have turned to speeches and policies.

Madiba turned to sports.

Play continues. Offside by New Zealand.

He used the Rugby World Cup, which was being hosted in South Africa.

And during the apartheid era, South Africa had been banned from competition.

And the South African team was known as the Springboks, and they were beloved by the white South Africans and despised by the black population.

But what Mandela did was he went out under the podium, not just as the president, but as a fan, he had the green springbox cap in Jersey, and he used it

as a way to make a statement that we're one team, we're one country now, and he took a symbol

of oppression and used it as a symbol of togetherness.

The president to the captain.

The spring box team captain, Francois Pinar, remembers the moment Madiba walked into the team's locker room.

It was before the finals against New Zealand.

He said, good luck, boys, and he turned around.

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