Culture Homework #4

I must be honest, I was not expecting the futebol match in Curitiba to live up to the hype that we were presented with in class. Most of the time in our futebol focused class, I was comparing each aspect of the game, fans, and culture to sports in the US; namely baseball. I could name at least 20 guys from my hometown that have either Yankees or Mets tattoos, like the ones shown to us for each of Sao Paulo’s teams. I could relate the devotion to the team from your home area to the same devotion I see to New York and Boston teams. I could relate the arguments and possible violence to fights that I had always heard of back in the states. Finally, I could relate the racial struggles in the history of the game to the similar fight for desegregation of professional leagues in the US.

Although all of these relations exist, futebol brings these aspects to a whole new level. The energy in the stadium was electric, with the sound of drums and jumping fans constantly pounding your chest. The stadium was packed, and I found very few people not wearing the team’s green jerseys. Nearly everyone stood for the entirety of the play time, and the chants never stopped, even when big events occurred on the field. Likewise, gigantic flags constantly waved in the stands, with nobody in those sections complaining about the view of the game because they were seemingly just so happy to be there. Even the visitor’s section was filled to the brim with screaming fans clad in red and black. I could not believe my senses, and I was easily dragged into the excitement, chanting, cheering, and jeering from the concrete bleachers whenever the crowd signaled to do so.

Although I greatly enjoyed this intense energy, there were some negative aspects. While we were welcomed to the tame section of the bleachers by some older women, the attitude toward us outsiders was much different in the hardcore fan section. On one hand, this aversion to outsiders is representative of the tight-knit community that exists within the Coritiba club, it also lends itself to violent tendencies that ruin the spirit of sportsmanship. This intensity is both what makes a futebol match so great, and so terrifying. Another unfortunate aspect was the obvious absence of racial diversity. A majority of the crowd looked more European in origin. However, I am not sure if this is because of the more European population of Southern Brazil, or because of the German origins of this historic club.

Nevertheless, it was truly special to have the experience that Thomas spoke so highly of. I loved the atmosphere of the free standing room on the bleachers. The pure energy flowing through those stands was impressive, regardless of some of this energy being negative (especially when Coritiba started to lose). I now have a much better understanding of why Brazilians love futebol, and why it is such an integral part of their culture.