Brazilian Soccer, the Predecessor to J-League
Soccer is the #1 sport in Brazil. I went to a Palmeiras game on Sunday night at this awesome stadium in Sao Paulo. And yes, they won. Also, soccer in Brazil was probably a big inspiration for the creation of the J-League, and the unofficial #3 national sport in Japan (after sumo and baseball). The J-League—a national professional soccer league consisting of 18 teams—was just formed in 1992, but it made instant soccer fans out of every single Japanese person within days of its inception. When players like Brazil's Zico went to Japan to play and coach, it was a huge big deal. (My little brother had him as a coach in his middle school league. Lucky guy.)
So I was super excited to go to a real Brazilian soccer game. It's still early season, so the stadium wasn't full, but the people who were there were serious fans. Guards with riot shields surrounded the field, just in case. The stands shook every time the crowd sang a song or cheered or clapped.
omg... the palmeiras stadium is so close to my home.. something like 10 or 15 minutes.. =]
Posted by: Gil | May 20, 2008 at 04:32 PM
Man, I really hate our stadiums. There´s always violence, home-made bombs etc... If I were you I would stay out of them, even if the matches are awesome. But I´m still loving your brazilian posts
Posted by: ZHK | May 21, 2008 at 05:12 AM