O Jogo Bonito

Of all the great things to do in Sao Paulo (outside of going to the movies alone), the greatest is to see a professional soccer (football) match. Tickets are usually relatively cheap (prices will fluctuate a bit based on who is playing), and as such, it is absolutely worth going to see a few games, depending on how long you will be in the city.

Though I am not well-traveled enough to make such a statement, there is no country in the world that has a passion for soccer like Brazil. For some time now this passion (and natural ability) has been documented internationally, largely through the exportation of Brazilian talent to countries all over the world. The best players of the world are consistently Brazilian and are made more famous by their unique names and nicknames: Pele, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Kaka. Most recently Nike released the series “Jogo Bonito” (The Beautiful Game) which captures the stories of several Brazilian players, both professional and amateur. The series seeks to show that soccer is truly a national passion in Brazil, not only reserved for the “craques” (great players) but for everyone to practice and love.

All of this creates a convincing argument for Brazil's claim to the sport, but for me, what was personally convincing is that this claim is not completely masculine. This is the big difference between Brazil and many other countries that follow soccer so religiously. Though you won't see many girls and women playing on the public courts and fields (though the women's world cup demonstrated that the Brazilian Women's National Team is a force to be reckoned with) they are far from detached from the sport. I recall my first time in Brazil getting into an argument with a friend of my host mother over who should be in the starting lineup for the men's national team. In all honesty, it was less of an argument than she telling me that I didn't know what I was talking about. Not only did she tell me that I was wrong, she proceeded to give me the histories of the players, to back up her argument. It was a funny exchange that we had, but it was also very interesting. And she was not the only one. I found myself getting into a number of these conversations with Brazilian women, whether we were talking about national or state club teams. For me, it was demonstrative of the fact that in Brazil, soccer is much less of a sport than a genuine and permanent part of the country's social and cultural fabric.

To the present day...

This time around, though only planning to spend two weeks in Sao Paulo, I wanted to make sure that I saw as many games as possible. In total, I was able to see three, though none of these featured my favorite team, Corinthians (who are currently in danger of falling to the second division). That said, below is a description of each game, which attempts to highlight a different aspect of the love that Brazilians have for o jogo bonito.

Game 1: Qualifier for 2010 World Cup: Brazil vs. Uruguay

It was truly good fortunate to score a ticket to this one. My friends Rafael and Pedro are the founders and head administrators of “Soccer Experience,” a tourism company that brings people (foreigners and Brazilians alike) to soccer games in Sao Paulo. It is an excellent service, if you are ever in Sao Paulo. They were nice enough to give me a discounted ticket for the game, which was sold out.
I found out when we arrived at the stadium that the game wasn't sold out; it was way oversold. Because we arrived only minutes before the game, I found myself standing at the very top of the stadium (think nosebleed seats...then keep going) which actually gave me a better view than most of the other parts of the stadium because I had a view of the entire field. What a great way to see some of the best players in the world playing in their home country in front of a national crowd.
However, there is an interesting aspect to this opportunity that I will touch on briefly. As Rafael (and a number of other friends who are soccer fans) explained to me, by many measures, this is the most disconnected national team that Brazil has had. Disconnected, largely because none of the players for the national team actually play in Brazil. For the most part they play for clubs in Europe, where (arguably) the quality of play is better and (without a doubt) the pay is better than in Brazil. For this reason, you don't have the same level of affinity between Brazil's players and fans as in years past. Additionally, and specific to this game, ticket prices were so high (club games cost anywhere from 15 to 50 reais, while tickets for this game were well above 100 reais) that it prevented the vast majority of supporters from even considering attending the game. But I digress...
Brazil showed a poor performance for their national audience, getting scored on within the first 8 minutes of play (great defense, Ronaldinho), but nevertheless squeaked out a victory on the strength of Luiz Fabiano's two goals and an overall strong before performance by goalkeeper Julio Cesar. On heart and effort, Uruguay had the game; unfortunately for them they did not get the necessary breaks for a victory, or even a tie.
The most interesting aspect of the game was not the game itself, but rather the fans with whom I was standing. In particular, there was a group of girls whose cheering was so animated and language so “colorful” that I couldn't help but burst out laughing on a number of ocassions. The chatter increased as Brazil's performance continued to worsen throughout the first half. Then, as the referee made a couple of questionable calls, the shouts found a new destination. They were shouting things in a packed stadium that would have made me blush if only my skin tone were a few shades lighter. I would repeat some of these, though I truly would not be doing proper justice to their comedy. And then I would get a threatening email from mom. No one wants that.

Game 2: Portuguesa vs. Criciuma

From one end of the spectrum to the other. Rafael called me on the day of the game, asking if I wanted to come. In total there were four of us: Rafael, Pedro, Brandon (British friend of Pedro) and me. As opposed to the previous game, which was played at Morumbi (one of Brazil's largest and most famous stadiums) this game was played in a stadium just outside of the city's center and much smaller, by the name of Estadio Dr. Oswaldo Texeira Duarte. It was Portuguesa's last game of the season, and after two years in the second division, they were to move back up to the first division. The small stadium was nearly filled with Portuguesa supporters, showing up in numbers to cheer on their team. Portuguesa is one of Sao Paulo's smaller teams (especially compared to teams like Sao Paulo, Corinthians and Palmeiras) but has a very loyal following in the Portuguese and Portuguese descendants who live in the city. As such, the demographic of the game was a bit different compared to what you would see at the games of Sao Paulo's major teams. There was a much higher percentage of old men and families attending the game than I had seen at the matches of other teams. In fact, the only disturbance during the game that we saw was a brief scuffle between two old men during half-time. It was certainly more comedic than the brawls during or after games of the city's larger teams that require policial intervention.
Arriving during half-time, we saw Portuguesa score the final goal in their 3-1 victory, which alone made the 12.50 reais ticket worthwhile. Once the game ended, the celebration began as a small trophy was paraded around the stadium, illustrating Portuguesa's domination of Brazil's second division. The fans showed their support through a chorus of team chants, fully enjoying their moment as champions (even though it was of the second division).
The party grew as we exited the stadium to the parking lot right outside. A trioeletrico (large truck that it is designed specifically for a band to play on top of it) was parked next to the stadium and several tables were set up giving away team photos and beer. Yes, free beer; it was absolutely chaotic. In the center of the parking lot were a dozen men waving enormous Portuguesa flags to commemorate the moment. It was one of the few moments that I have enjoyed a public Brazilian party of any sort that didn't get wildly out of control.

Game 3: Sao Paulo vs. Botafogo

Like the Portuguesa game, I had gotten the ticket for this game at the last moment, which normally would have been a difficult feat, largely because this would be a heavyweight match if it weren't for the fact that Sao Paulo had already won the Brazilian league championship. As a result of these particular circumstances, I walked into a half-full Morumbi of the Sao Paulo faithful prepared to support their team, “o tricolor.” Because Rafael and Pedro were both working with a tour group, I found a seat in the general vicinity of what was indicated on my ticket and got comfortable. Begrudgingly, and because I was alone among loyal fans, I bought a 10 reais Sao Paulo t-shirt so that I could fit in a bit better.
The overall performance—that of both Sao Paulo and their fans—was a bit lackluster as Botafogo snagged a quick 2-0 lead before the half. It didn't really matter too much to the fans, except for a few fanatics who if you had watched them the entire game, would have led you to believe that their team was down 15-0 and had all but given up. Aside from these individuals, it did not make a great deal of difference; during half-time, the post-game trophy reception and parade was being prepared. A win against Botafogo would have just been the icing on the cake.
I was impressed by the heart that Sao Paulo brought to the second half as they mounted several legitimate threats against Botafogo's defense. They were able to bring the game to a 2-2 draw within the 45 minutes of the second half, and had the game continued, they most likely would have been the team to break the tie. The team's supporters showed their appreciation for the effort, coming to life towards the end of the second half as if the game was more than a formality.
After the final whistle, the celebration began, though it was not the party that Portuguesa had. This celebration was more low-key; parading the trophy and the players around the field before the Sao Paulo fans, and that was it. Rafael informed me that years ago, there used to be a parade (similar to what we know of celebrating sports championships in the U.S.) but not surprisingly, as a result of vandalism and violence, this type of celebration was no longer allowed in Sao Paulo.