Brazil, Soccer, and Racism

Brazil, Soccer, and Racism

Soccer was first brought to Brazil by the English, and at first was passed on to the Brazilian elites. As time went on every class began to play this new sport. Soccer became immensely popular and widely played. Many blacks (lower/working-class) found soccer as a way to improve their oppressed lives. On the other hand the whites (upper-class) found it as a way control the threatening lower-class energy. This view of the upper-class led them to create a commercialized soccer, in order to get the masses to play, in a way that ensured social tranquility. (This was both Liberating and Restricting.) Soccer seemed to serve the interests of every type of person. soccer clubs were eventually formed to represent the “barrio” or district that people came from. These established teams played with a rubber ball, and made there own uniforms. For the poor these soccer clubs became a way of life, people made close friends during work and made the friendship stronger on the soccer field. The game of soccer to these people represented their lives and the hardships that they faced. This is exemplified in the idea of a “Picardia” or person who is quick witted and doesn’t get kicked or hit. It showed that a lower-class person opposed to power had to weaken it or wear it out. There was a huge progression in the sport of soccer; in the beginning it represented “a material sacrifice, not a material reward.” Poor players could feel things that they had never experienced before. They were still poor, but soccer made them feel valuable, like Gods. The crowd loved the players and cheered for them. In the 1920’s more tangible rewards were given to these skilled soccer players. The rich factory owners who watc...

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...hat this says about the state of free speech in Europe is anyone's guess, but must be addressed as well. In a society where there are fewer and fewer universals anymore, soccer is the one force that has the power to unite large groups of people. UEFA could make some serious progress on this issue and help the entire continent if they made the right moves. They could implement policies that reach deep into each community to introduce people from different backgrounds to each other. They could use some of the revenue that it turns over every year to establish programs that remove the barriers of race and color from soccer...No one should underestimate the power over social issues such as this one. The role that sports have played in thawing the lines of race cannot be underestimated." (Simon Tanton) This is a response to his writings on racism in European soccer.