3. Quick Overview of Brazil
● Brazil is the largest country in South America
● Official language: Portuguese
● The capital city is Brasilia, while the largest city is Sao Paulo
● Other major cities include Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Fortaleza
● There are around 2500 airports in Brazil
● Human activities such as logging, mining fishing and agriculture are important to the Brazilian
economy.
● Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil with the national team consistently among
the best in the world, winning the World Cup a record 5 times
4.
5. Brazilian Culture and Society
● Brazil is predominantly a Roman Catholic country with an estimated 65% of the population affiliated
to the religion.
● September 7th – Independence Day (based on the declaration of independence from Portugal in
1822)
● Family is of paramount importance to the Brazilian people and grown up children often remain with
parents until they marry.
● Although education in Brazil is compulsory between the ages of 6 years and 14 years, funding
resources tend to be concentrated in the urban areas and many groups are disadvantaged socially
and economically so have little access to further education.
● Brazil has a historically rich tapestry of folk traditions, music, dance, art and literature evolving
from the varied mix of cultures introduced over centuries.
● Feijoada is a great favorite with the Brazilian people and was brought to the country with the African
slaves. It is a black bean stew containing pork meat and eaten with rice.
● Other favorite dishes include Gaucho Rodizio which is grilled meat on skewers and Moqueca de Peixe,
6.
7. Most popular sports:
#1 - Football
#2 - Volleyball
#3 - Basketball
Other notable sports:
Tennis, Motor Sports (Formula One),
Martial Arts (Capoeira, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)
Overview of National Sports
8.
9. Importance of Football
“Futebol is so deeply, so passionately interwoven into
the fabric of Brazilian culture that the two entities are
inextricably linked, they define each other and share an
intrinsic identity, an instantly recognisable global
image.”
-Author Chris Mann
11. Ronaldinho : currently holds the title of best football player in the world
according to FIFA
Athletes as National Symbols
“King” Pelé : often referred to as the greatest and most impactful player of all time; elected
Athlete of the Century in 1999 by the International Olympic Committee
Other notable athletes:
Socrates, Marta, Kaká, Zico, Rivaldo,
Neymar, Philippe Coutinho
Pelé
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo : recognized as one of the best soccer players in history, Ronaldo
held the Guinness World Records title for Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by
a football player for eight years
Ronaldo
12. The Yellow Jersey : called Amarelinha or Little Yellow One,
“represents the exuberant pride of the nation and is as recognizable as the country’s flag”
Joga bonito & Samba style : “The Beautiful Game”
emphasizes beauty, style, and individualized skill and accomplishment
Seleção : nickname for the men’s national team, meaning “the national selection”
National Symbols in Sport
13. Maracanã Stadium
largest stadium in Brazil
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Capacity: 78,838
Clubs: Botafogo,
Flumienense, Flamengo, and
Vasco da Gama
14. Race and Class issues:
Football club rivalries are often symbolic of social inequalities like
socio-economic disparities and racial differences
For example, one of the sports’ greatest rivalries is between the clubs of Rio de Janeiro,
known as the Fla-Flu derby
Social Issues in Sport
Flamengo: represents the poor and working class; known as the team
of “the people”... the largest supported team in Brazil with
approximately 40 million supporter
Fluminense: represents the wealthy and white; known as the
“millionaires” team… at the club’s beginning, the Fluminense had no
black or mixed-race players
15. Other social issues:
● Gender inequalities and sexism
● Homophobia
● Crime and violence
● Poverty
Social Issues in Sport
16. Change Agents in Sport
Marta and women’s soccer
Women’s soccer was illegal in Brazil from 1941-1979
Since then, there are still very limited opportunities in Brazil, and Marta had to travel far distances to
play as a girl
“Progress for women’s soccer here doesn’t walk, it crawls. Many of these girls have the
qualifications the sport demands, but with no incentive, or sponsors or publicity, it’s impossible to
move forward. It’s impossible to support yourself playing soccer if you’re a woman playing the
game in Brazil.” -Marta, 2014
Marta was named FIFA World Player of the Year for five consecutive years (2006-2010), and is known
as the best player of the era
Marta’s success, despite the many obstacles, shaped the way for the future generations of women in
the sport
