The Black Man in Brazilian Soccer
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
At turns lyrical, ironic, and sympathetic, Mario Filho's chronicle of "the beautiful game" is a classic of Brazilian sports writing. Filho (1908–1966)—a famous Brazilian journalist after whom Rio's Maracana stadium is officially named—tells the Brazilian soccer story as a boundary-busting one of race relations, popular culture, and national identity. Now in English for the first time, the book highlights national debates about the inclusion of African-descended people in the body politic and situates early black footballers as key creators of Brazilian culture.
When first introduced to Brazil by British expatriots at the end of the nineteenth century, the game was reserved for elites, excluding poor, working-class, and black Brazilians. Filho, drawing on lively in-depth interviews with coaches, players, and fans, points to the 1920s and 1930s as watershed decades when the gates cracked open. The poor players and players of color entered the game despite virulent discrimination. By the mid-1960s, Brazil had established itself as a global soccer powerhouse, winning two World Cups with the help of star Afro-Brazilians such as Pele and Garrincha. As a story of sport and racism in the world's most popular sport, this book could not be more relevant today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The late sports journalist Filho's famed 2003 account of Brazilian society and soccer gets its English-language debut in this lively translation by Draper. Viewing soccer's "increasingly multiclass and multiracial playing field" through a postcolonial lens, Filho uses scores of interviews to discuss the cultural shifts of the game—from its original white, upper-class roots to its distinctly Brazilian character. Introduced to Brazil by wealthy Englishmen in the late 19th century, the game rose in popularity on the streets and among the country's working class and Black communities. Soccer, Filho notes, became a "showier" performance when Brazilians played it, with players favoring individual flourishes and intricate shot-making over the more methodical, traditional game. He also paints a memorable portrait of Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, who became an international idol in the 1960s for embracing his blackness and pushing back against racial tensions within the sport. "No black man in the world has contributed as much to sweeping away racial barriers as Pelé," writes Filho, who credits the star's indelible style and magnetism for helping distinguish Brazilian soccer and its star Afro-Brazilian players from the European game. Dense but readable, Filho's comprehensive work will leave sports fans with a better understanding of soccer as both a sport and a global cultural phenomenon.
