Rory Petzer AKA Minister of Champions, has become one of South Africa’s most recognisable digital cheerleaders.
His content is refreshing and free from unnecessary theatrics and driven by an infectious sense of pride that reminds South Africans why supporting one another matters.
Whether he’s rallying the country behind the Springboks, Banyana Banyana, or an athlete competing on the other side of the world, Petzer has built more than a platform; he’s built a community of “Champions” united by optimism, humour and love for South Africa.
For the TJR 100 Creators, I caught up with the man behind the viral videos about staying true to his purpose, building a proudly local brand, and why being South African will always be “a flex.”
At your core, who is Rory Petzer when the camera is off and you’re not on stage entertaining people?
Rory Petzer is a dog dad to an 8-year-old wire-haired terrier rescue named Pongo and a 7-month-old Hungarian Vizsla named Sugar. I’m a partner to Yoshen, a runner, an avid sports fan and for the most part, an introvert.
Your love for South Africa shines through your content, especially when it comes to sport. What else makes you proudly South African?
Every single time I see South Africans coming together for whatever reason and forgetting all our differences and arguments and disagreements, it makes me happy.
South Africans have come a long way and been through a whole lot, but what makes me proudly South African is the ‘gees’ with which we endure everything.
We’re sociable, hospitable and friendly people. South Africans love laughing at ourselves and we will always look for the funny in everything – we’re definitely the World Champions at memes! I love being South African!
If you were appointed Minister of Sport for a day, what change would you make in South Africa?
I’d make sure every single person has at least one piece of South African sporting merchandise to wear every single Friday and it would become a national movement that everyone would be able to take part in!
Sports content creation is a competitive field. What were some of the biggest obstacles you had to overcome before people started recognising your work?
When I started recording these videos in my car I really wasn’t expecting anything to come from it, other than just literally to mobilise South Africans to support South Africans all over the world, no matter what the sport or activity.
So I never really noticed any obstacles as I wasn’t looking for people to recognize my work. It was a passion project that came about as a result of my love for this country. I wanted everyone to scream and shout for South Africans all over the world!
As your brand has grown, has it become a one-man business, or is there now a team helping you bring the Rory Petzer brand to life?
As I’ve become busier and busier, and as South Africans have started winning more and more competitions and medals all over the world, I’ve had to call in some help! I have a fantastic team of people assisting now and I’d never be able to do all of this on my own. The better South Africa performs on the global stage, the busier I get and it has been busy! I love it.
You’ve built a community that proudly calls itself “Champions.” At what point did you realise you weren’t just building an audience, you were building a community?
I think shortly after the 2023 Rugby World Cup when I told South Africans we need to refer to each other as ‘Champions’, it really took off. I started noticing when strangers would shout ‘Champion!’ at me in public places. And then someone on social media started referring to me as the Minister of Champions and then it really dawned on me that we were creating a beautiful community of South African Champions!
You’ve completed the Comrades Marathon four times. What kind of mindset does it take to achieve that milestone?
It takes a lot of discipline and consistency, and so much so that this year I didn’t even qualify for the Comrades Marathon. I just was not training enough. Comrades Marathon is a beautiful beast and it needs to be respected! It cannot be done as a hobby.
Your content is proudly local and unapologetically South African. Have you ever felt pressure to make your content more ‘global,’ and why have you chosen to stay true to your local voice?
Never felt any pressure to make it more global as that is not who the content is for and not why the content was / is created in the first place.
The content started out as a result of my love for this country and her people and that is where it will stay. In saying that, there are South Africans all over the world and in places as random as Budapest, who message every now and then to thank me for keeping them proudly South African! Global? Globally South African? Yes!
Quick-fire Qs
Finish the sentence: “Being South African…” “Being South African is a FLEX” is what I always say.
Favourite South African slang word? YOH!
One South African athlete you’d love to create content with? So many and depending on what’s happening at the time!
Favourite stadium in South Africa? Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
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