During the Boston Celtics’ championship season of 2007-08, coach Doc Rivers instilled in his team the tribal concept of “Ubuntu.” It’s a philosophy of community — “I am what I am because of what we all are” — that translates neatly to the world of sports.

Yet the same idea was used in a very different way when South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010, writes author Dave Zirin. When community organizers protested the high costs of stadium-building and the increased powers of the police during the event, they were shouted down, told they were “violating the spirit of ubuntu.”