The first time I ever encountered an endangered language was at the 2014 Aotearoa New Zealand All Blacks game against the United States Eagles. My mom, a former college rugby player, had heard the All Blacks were going to be playing at Soldier Field in Chicago and thought it would be a great way to introduce my brother and I to the sport. 

We got up early that morning, drove into the city and found our seats. We had arrived early to the game to guarantee that we would see one of the most storied traditions in sports — the Haka. 

The Haka, a traditional Māori dance, is an epic display of Māori culture and language that the All Blacks perform before their matches. The All Blacks perform two different Hakas, the “Ka mate” and the “Kapa O Pango.” 

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Ka mate, composed by Ngati Toa Chieftain Te Rauparaha around 1820, is the Haka that was performed by the original All Black team in 1905 and has been performed by the team ever since. Kapa O Pango was composed by Derek Lardelli specifically for the team and was first performed by the All Blacks in August 2005. 

Both Ka mate and Kapa O Pango are performed entirely in te reo Māori or the Māori language. Beyond the Haka, Black Ferns player Ruby Tui led the crowd in “Tutira Mai Ngā Iwi,” a classic te reo Māori song after her team won the 2022 women’s Rugby World Cup. 

There are countless more examples of Māori players taking pride and championing their language as Rugby continues to foster a language-forward environment for Aotearoa players. The pride that the All Blacks take in their culture and language encourages the younger generation that looks up to them to get involved in learning te reo Māori and Māori culture, hopefully preserving the language for another generation. 

Halfway across the globe in Ireland, an entirely different athletic league is fostering language development. The Gaelic Athletic Association, founded in 1884, was instrumental in preserving traditional Irish sports such as Gaelic football and Hurling, as well as preserving the Irish language and culture. 

The GAA was formed in response to centuries of British suppression of traditional Irish sports, such as Hurling and Gaelic football, and was instrumental in reviving them into the staple sports they are today. 

I witnessed my first Gaelic football match in the spring of 2022, and while I did not understand all of the rules, it is an experience I will never forget. It was such an intense and unique sport that it really pulled me into the world of GAA sports. 

GAA sports promote language and culture through a multitude of avenues, such as casual language use within the sports. Hurling casually utilizes Gaeilge as it calls the ball used a “sliotar,” which is an Irish word. 

The GAA also promotes the Irish language through Gaelige announcers during Hurling and Gaelic football matches, allowing for Gaeilgeoirí to enjoy the game in their native tongue. The GAA has also taken to having an Irish language ambassador every year that helps promote the Irish language to the younger generation.

Back in the United States, there is another more inconspicuous game that is helping Native Americans connect with their language and culture — lacrosse. Lacrosse was invented by the Haudenosaunee people and from there, evolved into the sport we see today. 

The Haudenosaunee Nationals, the national team of the Haudenosaunee people, play internationally and compete in the biggest lacrosse tournaments.  The sport helps encourage cultural participation and turn participation in Native American languages.

One program doing a great job encouraging indigenous language and culture is the Myaamia Center at Miami University in Ohio. This program has helped revitalize the Myaamia language by combining language classes with cultural classes, effectively helping provide resources to Myaamia students. One of the cultural classes that the center offers is a lacrosse class, once again allowing students to connect to their language and culture through a sport. 

Sports are an intangible part of many cultures and continue to be a driving force in language and cultural revitalization among oppressed groups. If you are a sports person like me, getting involved in a language-forward sport by either playing or watching can help you build community and learn your endangered language. 

Peyton Dacy is a junior writing about the importance of language revitalization as an indigenous language dies out every 40 days. Dacy’s column, “Every 40 days,” runs every other Tuesday. Dacy is also the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director at the Daily Trojan.