Brazil will be just fine

[Paul Marin]

Main Article: http://online.wsj.com/articles/world...ine-1404917404

World Cup: Brazil Is Going to Be Just Fine

Don't Buy the Idea That Rout to Germany Will Leave a National Scar







By Matthew Futterman


Updated July 9, 2014 3:31 p.m. ET

The sun did rise in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. Associated Press




São Paulo
Guess what happened in Brazil on Wednesday?
The sun came up. People went to work. They drove taxis, opened grocery stores, clicked on their computers to handle legal and financial matters. Doctors healed the sick. Social workers tackled the problems of the vast poverty in this country of some 200 million. Life went on.....


http://online.wsj.com/articles/world...ine-1404917404

[Paul Marin]

Counterpoint: A Brazilian's Response

My very smart and sensitive colleague Matthew Futterman just wrote Brazilians will be just fine after Tuesday's historical loss at the World Cup.
As he pointed out, life seems to go on in this country filled with amazing people, ambitions and, of course, problems. Most of them way bigger than soccer.
But as a Brazilian, I see something Matthew simply can't as a foreigner. People here don't only love their footy as much as any country anywhere loves any sport, because soccer is an intrinsic part of Brazil's identity. For a Brazilian, losing that game was like losing his identity card, not knowing it can ever be recovered.
That identity, in many ways, hasn't been created by us. After winning five World Cups and producing talents like Pelé, people came to associate soccer with Brazil. That fact is clear every time a Brazilian goes abroad. I don't remember any instances when I did and people didn't mention soccer when I said my nationality. As a matter of fact, some wouldn't even know Brazil existed if it weren't for soccer.
I can't think of any other country so universally associated with one single sport. And that has its weight. And it is heavy.
Brazilians, of course, have used and abused soccer to reinforce this almost unbreakable—right now almost broken—link. Here, being good at soccer erases a lot of bad things. A new corruption scandal has emerged? The economy is souring? Brazil is again ranking low in education, quality of life and safety? Well, at least we know we are good at one thing: soccer. We only got a few medals at the Olympics? Well, it's OK because we are the best in soccer.
But after Tuesday's loss, it will be long before we can brag about ourselves again. Matthew doesn't know this, but on the contrary to Americans, who proudly raise their flags many times a year at various events, Brazilians don't. The World Cup is probably the only event we ever do it. With all the problems Brazil has, soccer is a rare object of collective pride.
Or was. It isn't by chance that the most used word to describe what happened Tuesday is "shame." Until we recover this part of our identity or find a new one to replace it, we will be soul-searching, literally. Brazilians have gone on with their lives, but they surely feel empty inside.
--Patricia Kowsmann