Everyone loves Brazil

[boyofbadgers]

Except that they don't. Maybe.

I was going to write an entry wondering how on earth the Brazilian football team maintain their unusual levels of popularity among fans from other countries. Is it memories of amazing sides past? Is it Ronaldinho's cheeky grin? Or is it because of complex socio-economic factors and/or patronising Western views of plucky poor kids playing barefoot on the beach?

But after reading a fair bit of criticism, both pre and post last night's match, it increasingly looks like your average punter is starting to get sick of the media's sycophantic coverage of Brazil. It remains to be be seen whether this will translate over time into actual dislike of the team, or even ambivalence towards them, but it might just be the first step on the road towards Manchester United style hatred.

So, as is traditional, a poll:

[Poll #747774]

Comments

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Is this criticism also from something that could be viewed as "the media"?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Nah, it's from stuff I've read on LJ and ILX. Which are media, but not really "the media".

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

GAH Brazil are annoying for the following reasons:

1) Last night as I was running for a bus a load of stupid skinny ORANGE women with bubble perms wearing incredibly tight Brazil tops, jeans cropped to the MUFF and teetering heels got RIGHT in my way. None of them had ever eaten a Brazil nut, let alone been to Brazil.

2) Dorothy Perkins is full of yellow knickers saying "NO BRAZILLIANS". Har blinking har.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Brazillian wax there, how un-marvellous an invention it is.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

My colleagues tell me that Ronaldo is now fat! Like Serena Williams!

Why are so many football players called Ronaldo?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Fat and slow. Last night's commentators were taking a great deal of pleasure in devising new and ever more rubbish ways of referring to Ronaldo's lack of athleticism.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Why are so many football players called Ronaldo?

It's not their real names. If you want to be taken seriously as a Brazilian footballer, then you have to have a nickname.

The guy we know as Ronaldo used to be known in Brazil as Ronaldinho (when he was younger) - Ronaldinho means "little Ronaldo". Ronaldo's real name is Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima.

Ronaldinho was actually known as Ronaldinho Gaucho when he first emerged in Brazil (because he is left footed). His real name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. These two players actually have nicknames that incorporate their real name "Ronald". But they are in the minority.

Kaka's real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite because when he was little, he couldn't pronounce his own name, Ricardo, so he shortened it to Caca, which later changed to Kaka.

Garrincha, one of the most famous Brazilians of all time was actually called Manuel Francisco dos Santos, but used the nickname of 'Little Bird' because he used to fly past defender (not literally).

And so it goes on. The reason for this is that the diminutive forms of names are the traditional Portugese way of showing that you care about someone... rather than using someone's formal full name, a nickname for someone you love is commonplace in Brazil. I expect that when Kaka was a kid, his mother probably called him Ricardo when she was angry with him.

Cristiano Ronaldo's real name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. I cannot explain this, apart from saying that he was also called Ronald, but his parents were more relgious than Ronaldo's or Ronaldinho's!

[tansu.livejournal.com]

There was noticeably less sycophancy on the radio commentary than on the TV commentary, FWIW. I think some of it can be put down to the fact that Motson is thick.

People who rave about the current Brazil team should compare and contrast with the 1970 and 1982 teams. Different class.

Last World Cup I disliked Brazil due to a tendency to being "cheating, diving cunts". This time round I'm ambivalent. I do genuinely like watching Ronaldinho, and I rate Kakà highly.

This World Cup, I've enjoyed watching Germany, Czech Rep and Italy. I've been suprised (then not surprised at all actually, on a minute's thought) that the media haven't talked more about the only game where a team scored 4, that team being Germany.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

when his companion commentator noted that the camera seemed more interested in the crowd than the game, motty said drily; "they're not such bad judges"

i suspect this was mainly about fearing to be caught out when brazil took it up a notch or two, but they never did

r.kovac was good wasn't he?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

I was listening to the radio build-up when I was cooking tea, and while it didn't quite get to the level of the TV coverage there was an awful lot of OMG they are AMAZING from Jol and the overexcitable Brazilian press dude.

The cheating diving cvnts issue is something I can't get worked up about anymore, esp given the extent to which certain England players seem to roll over at the slightest nudge.

[ruudboy.livejournal.com]

I like watching them because, well, how can you not like watching Ronaldinho really? As Sean Lock said in BBC3's otherwise p1ss poor show where they showed something like all the goals from previous world cups, "He's Ronaldinho! He's fvcking great."

But the BBC coverage last night was absurd. If I was the kind of person who wrote to the Daily Mail I'd probably rename them the Brazillian Broadcasting Corporation. They were stupidly hard on them when they failed to win 15-0 as well, not noticing that Croatia were, um, quite good really.

[tansu.livejournal.com]

Prso is brilliant.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

This poll was much better 10 minutes in:)

Hang on, since when does dubdobdee not hate football?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Since he started going to the pub?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

i don't hate football, but i have NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. however i do kno that brazil love is v old so if it's gonna create a backlash it should get on with it already.

srsly, tho i am living with 1x football hata, i reserve my hate just for the hype and the pure ubiquity. the football at the centre of it can actually be quite enjoyable to watch if i can be arsed. it's obv even to my untrained eye the impressive level of skill on display.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I don't h8 football either but BOTHERD abt Brazil innit. I don't like them as much as I would otherwise ftb they knocked us out of last World Cup innit and I was sobbing into my pint at 9am...

[http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/]

I said 'funny' to the last question, but the Czechs could do it. I'd love to see both them and holland getting to semis/final/win it. It annoys me they've been runner-up twice and not won the thing.

hmm, I thought Ricky only liked cricket not footie.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

I would really like the Czechs to go on and win it as well.

Heh, see my answer to Alan re liking footie. I do follow it a bit during the normal season, but in a fairly disinterested way.

[darkpigeon.livejournal.com]

Brazil produce a lot of individually talented players that rise from a mass of football obsessed youths into being the best into the world - Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho have all been the best in the world at various times over the last 10 years, and players like Kaka, Adriano (sometimes), Emerson are all world class, while Cafu and Roberto Carlos used to be. The media coverage may be a bit romanticised with players rising from the favelas to dominating Europe with their skillz, but it is partially justified. The current squad has just got to learn to play as a team (like 1970 for example)

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

CATFOOD! call him by his name...

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Having been to Brazil in February for the Rio Carnaval, I can honestly appreciate why so much of the world is in love with Brazil and Brazilians. They are the warmest, friendliest people I've ever met. It's no coincidence that despite being ethnically one of the most diverse countries in the world, there is virtually no racism in Brazil.

The way Brazilians play football and think about football is very different from the rest of the world. Some countries (England, Germany, the Scandinavians, most of the Europeans) play to win. Some countries (Portugal, the African nations) play to entertain. Brazil plays to entertain first, but only if that entertainment results in a victory. It was noticable last night that when the Croatians stepped up the pressure, you saw far fewer of the traditional Brazilian flashy moves than normal.

The reason fans around the world love Brazil is indeed partly down to memories of past teams, partly down to flair, partly socio-economic. But mostly, I think it's because when the Brazilians win, they make it look so easy, they make it a joy to watch. I know several people who dislike football, but will always watch Brazil play.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

there is virtually no racism in Brazil

Really? I had heard there was a great deal indeed, with socio-economic position being very easy to predict from skin colour.

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

Funny isn't the right word, but it will make the tournament more exciting. I dind't see the game last night, but gather they were less than marvellous.

-x-

IMPORTANTLY

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

the czechs knocking brazil out will only be funny if all the goals are scored by koller nodding home cech goalkicks.

jan koller: like two peter crouches stapled together...

Re: IMPORTANTLY

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Enough of this big man mentalism already!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

surely we need a FOOPTIMISTS community

1xfooptimists community

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

come one come all (http://community.livejournal.com/fooptimists/)

the logo = some FOOTIFATTENERS

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, Brazil's in a fairly unusual position. Doing AS Spanish and Spanish converation classes at work means that I'm surrounded by people of the "Latin America is the coolest thing eva" type (I'm just as bad), particularly given all the elections this year, and the "interesting" dynamics (and shift of dynamics) between Latin America and the US. But, in Brazil, they don't speak Spanish, so, you may as well just write "Here be dragons" and so on for all that you'd follow what's going on.

(Actually, that's an exaggeration, because written Portuguese is perfectly understandable if you know Spanish and know the transcription changes and other shifts of letters between the two...)

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

I usually hate football, and esp. the statto nonsense, but I am happy to enjoy the world cup in a 'can't beat em so join em' spirit. I will support underdogs OR sides who play well (I am a Michael Schumacher fan in the brrrm brrrm car racing). (I also want England to lose and go out at the earliest opportunity) Brazil qualified on neither ground last night, but loads of their players had a few sparkly moments every so often, which kept my interest.

[lnr]

God I'd be less "meh" about the football if they'd just stop playing that godawful Embrace track on the radio.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Oh god, it's dreadful, isn't it? Embrace are bobbins at the best of time, but this is a new low even for them.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Can't believe you posted about the football. I thought you at least would be maintaining some sort of aloofness *points finger* Judas!

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

What? When have I ever claimed to be aloof from wide-scale cultural events?

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

First World Cup I watched was 1970, and I've still seen nothing to match the Brazil of that year, or a player to match Pele, or a goal to match the last one in the final. I fell for them then, probably without much notion of the beach and poverty back-story we get all the time now, and they've produced enough great football since to keep me very fond of them. They didn't win five World Cups with hype, and there's been no one in recent years who has made me smile with astonished delight as often as Ronaldinho. One uninspiring showing against pretty tough opposition is nowhere near enough to make me dismiss the chances of a team featuring at least half a dozen world class players.

We shouldn't assume they'll be playing the Czechs in the second round - I wouldn't be too surprised if they finish above Italy, giving us a repeat of that great 1970 final at a very early stage.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

martin you are needed on fooptimists (http://community.livejournal.com/fooptimists/) (even tho you possibly know too much for our stringent protocols)