Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 19 February 2010
There are no shortage of reasons why Rio de Janeiro is commonly known as the Cidade Maravilhosa – the Marvelous City. Intricately worked in between gorgeous beaches and lush green mountains, and topped with a big dose of Carnaval attitude, Rio is the perfect location for a party. The sport culture here (and for most of Brazil) reflects this passion, and the city is literally exploding thanks to the impact of sport. Having been selected for the Olympic Summer Games in 2016, it is indeed an exciting place to be, and Why Sport Matters jumped in to find out more.
It all starts in the city’s “South Zone”, which stretches from central downtown, heading south along the coast, includes the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, the residential district of Lagoa, to the rapidly growing beach district of Barra di Tijuca. The Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain) guards the entrance into Rio’s bay, while the impressive Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer) watches over the city’s residents.
Rio’s heartbeat seems to flow from its beach culture, where Cariocas (residents of Rio) flock en masse, especially to take part in the non-stop sport activity. While jogging, swimming, and beach soccer are a constant, the long string of beach “courts” with people playing beach volleyball and foot volley (soccer volleyball) is unbelievable — check out this video we shot from the legendary Copacabana Beach. Why Sport Matters even woke up early one morning for football training with some locals on Ipanema Beach. Following the workout with a swim in the glittering waters of the Atlantic, you begin to understand the allure of the lifestyle.
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Sao Paulo, Brazil – 26 January 2010
A lesson in the local language in Sao Paulo (which is both a region as well as a city): a person from the state of Sao Paulo is called a Paulista, from the city of Sao Paulo – a Paulistano, and if you support Sao Paulo Futebol Club, you are a Sao Paulino. And it was a friend who is all three who eloquently said that in Brazil, “Everybody’s life is touched by football.”
To understand Why Sport Matters in this country, one has to get to know the football culture. To say that Brazil is football crazy is an understatement. In Sao Paulo, the business capital of Brazil and a huge sprawling metropolis approaching 20 million people, there are many players and teams to support. The big football clubs of Sao Paulo are Corinthians, Palmeiras, Sao Paulo FC, and Santos (located on the coast about 80 km from the SP city). Santos is the club made famous by football legend Pele (who is regularly still in the news and is turning 70 this year). Corinthians — the club with the biggest fan base — has made the news recently by bringing back two big stars to Brazilian football, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.
Club football in Brazil has two main types of league competitions. From May-November, there is the national league organised by the CBF (national confederation). January-May is the “state” league, where teams play for the regional championship, and are organized by the state federations. These regional championships are quite important in Brazil, especially in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro where there are many big clubs and the strongest rivalries. Sao Paulo’s FPF (Federação Paulista de Futebol) is one of the more important organisations in Brazilian football, and Why Sport Matters spent one day at the FPF offices in Sao Paulo to interview its president — Marco Polo Del Nero.
To actually take in some of the action, Why Sport Matters went to the Morumbi Stadium to see Sao Paulo FC win 3-0 against Rio Claro in the summer rains of Brazil. Thanks to Eduardo who works in International Relations for SPFC for inviting us to the match! The Morumbi has been selected as the Sao Paulo venue for the FIFA World Cup in 2014, and the possible site of the opening match. Check out this video we shot just outside the stadium (before the rain started!). Why Sport Matters also visited the newly established office of the local organising committee for the World Cup, where we saw the plans to refurbish and upgrade the stadium. Our friends Andre Megale and Rodrigo Garcia are already hard at work on it!
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