Sports Country Trends: Brazil


Figure 1.--Football or futebol dominates Brazilian sports. This team photo was taken in the municipality of Rio Negrinho, Santa Catarina, a state in southern Brail. It was taken during 1964. Although it sounds odd, this soccer team is formed by the Ruby shoe factory. We are not sure to what extent the children are workers or the children of workers.

Sports especially outdoor sports are very popular in Brazil and because of the climate can be practiced year round. We do know that sport is dominated by soccer (footbll), almost to the exclusion of many other sports. Futebol is more than a sport in Brazil, it is a cultural phenomenon. A factor in the development of football in Brazil is surely the fact that only a ball was needed--no expensive equipment. We see boys kicking balls all over the country. And of course, the country is a perenial favorite in World Cup competition ever since Pele led Brazil to victory in the 1950s. He is considered by many to be the greates player of all time. The only sport majny Braziliab boys want to play is football and thete is no seasonal shift as is the case of America and Europe. There is no cultural divide as well. All other major sports pale in popularity to football. This is reflected in the Olympics competition where Brazil does poorly in relation to its popularity. One other sport in which Brazil does excel is volleybazll, probably because of the popularity of beach volleball. And Braziliazns have combibed their interest in football and volleyball to create futvolley. A factor in Braziliab sport has been the endemic poverty of a large part of the population. The country's increasing economic success may change this in the future. Hopefully Brazilian readers will tell us more about sport in their country.

Overview

Sports especially outdoor sports are very popular in Brazil and because of the climate can be practiced year round. Economic conditions are a factor. Sports developed first in Europe where prosperous people had leisure time to devote to sports. A factor in Braziliab sport has been the endemic poverty of a large part of the population. The country's increasing economic success may change this in the future. Notice that many early team portraits in Brazil show generally European Brazilians and not many blacks who were economically undeprivlidged. After World War II when more blacks began entering the economic mainstream, this began to change. Of course Pele (Edison "Edson" Arantes do Nascimentoin) the 1960s is the best example of this. Hopefully Brazilian readers will tell us more about sport in their country.

Individual Sports

We do know that sport is dominated by soccer (footbll), almost to the exclusion of many other sports. Futebol is more than a sport in Brazil, it is a cultural phenomenon. A factor in the development of football in Brazil is surely the fact that only a ball was needed--no expensive equipment. We see boys kicking balls all over the country. And of course, the country is a perenial favorite in World Cup competition ever since Pele led Brazil to victory in the 1950s. He is considered by many to be the greates player of all time. The only sport majny Braziliab boys want to play is football and thete is no seasonal shift as is the case of America and Europe. There is no cultural divide as well. All other major sports pale in popularity to football. This is reflected in the Olympics competition where Brazil does poorly in relation to its popularity. One other sport in which Brazil does excel is volleybazll, probably because of the popularity of beach volleball. And Braziliazns have combibed their interest in football and volleyball to create futvolley.









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Created: 6:04 PM 9/9/2010
Last updated: 9:36 PM 4/27/2011