We Are One (Part IV)

FIFA Fan Fests

Every host city of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is destined to be flooded with thousands of fans from around the world, sometimes waiting a few days before the match they came to see.  Not to mention all the locals looking to experience some World Cup action.  And with three to four games being played a day during the group stages, it raises the all-important question of where to watch all these games?!?

To help solve this problem, FIFA set up admission-free Fan Fest areas for spectators to gather and cheer on their favorite teams with hundreds of other fans.  However, not all Fan Fests were created equally.  We never made it to the Brasília venue as it was held far outside the city due to feared protests, or so we were told.

The Recife Fan Fest was held along the water in the narrow streets of Recife Antigo, the old colonial section of the city.  We went there to watch the Brazil vs Chile match and only stayed until half time as the combination of density of people and lack of shade made for a sweaty and claustrophobic viewing experience. Not only that, but there was only one large screen, paled by the intense sun.  (We actually ended up watching from the Sony sponsored booth's flatscreen which was akin to being sardined into a friend's living room with no furniture.)

Hot, sunny, and cramped Recife for the Brazil vs Chile match.

Rio's version was situated on the spacious expanse that is Copacabana Beach.  This venue was popular and organizers actually added a second screen visible to people just outside the Fan Fest in an attempt to include more people and probably lower the body density.  We came here for the USA vs Belgium knock-out stage match.

Ready to cheer on Team USA from the Rio Fan Fest!

Sun going down on Copacabana and the USA - Belgium battle well underway.

Argentina had won the match prior to the USA/Belgium game and many
excited fans had stuck around to continue celebrating.
It appears Neymar Jr. now plays for La Albiceleste.

Verdict is in and, of the three cities we visited, Rio's Fan Fest is the clear winner.  Hard to complete with Copacabana, though!

We Are One (Part III)

USA vs Germany
Our second and final FIFA World Cup match took us to wet and humid Recife in the northeastern state of Pernambuco to see if Team USA could advance out of their "Group of Death," otherwise known as Group G.  After winning against Ghana and drawing with Portugal, odds were in the United States' favor to advance, however, it wasn't a guarantee.

The morning of the match Recife awoke to torrential rain and flooded streets.  To make matters more complicated, the Itaipava Arena Pernamuco stadium is located some 17 kilometers outside the city, in the municipality of São Lourenço da Mata.  After trudging through shin-deep puddles to a bus stop were were already soaked.  A bus ride to the metro station, train to the end of the line, bus to the middle of nowhere, and a half-mile walk to the stadium in the unrelenting rain and were there!  I've never been so happy to have seats in the upper-decks; under cover and out of the rain we actually began to dry off a bit.

Wet and happy: #ibelievethatwewillwin

Itaipava Arena Pernambuco: Good luck filling this thing after the World Cup.

Germany won the match 1-0, but due to the results of the Portugal/Ghana game running concurrently, both teams in front of us advanced to the next round of play.  A little strange leaving the venue for the long trek back to Recife with both sets of fans happy with the results.

Our entire crew reunited after the match: USA! USA! USA!

We Are One (Part II)

Colombia vs Côte d'Ivoire
Our first of two FIFA World Cup matches was between Group C teams, Colombia and Côte d'Ivoire, ranked one and three, respectively.  Held at the Estadio Mané Garrinhca in Brasília, this was the second match for both teams, coming into it with one win apiece.

Having lived in Colombia for five years before coming to Colombia, who to root for was a no-brainer.  Plus, Colombia qualified for the tournament for the first time in 16 years and emotions were electric for the soccer-loving nation as Los Cafeteros fielded one of the best teams in the country's history.

The teams line up for the playing of their national anthems.

Making Colombian hinchas out of Dan and Alissa.

In a stadium of over 68,000 fans, I ran into ex-collegues and a former student.

¡Vamos el tricolor! A lot of yellow, blue, and red in the house!

All smiles after the victory!  Mané Garrincha is a beautiful stadium.

"In Colombia, soccer is a dance."
"Soccer in Colombia is peace." 

In the end, Colombia triumphed 2-1 against their opponents, making for a jubilant crowd.  To say Colombians had taken over Brazil's capital city was an understatement!

First and last photos taken by Dan Monfre.

Neymar's Game

For the uninitiated, Neymar Jr. is Brazil's current golden boy.  He is amazing.  (So is his hair, which he changes a lot.)  He is Brazil's Michael Jordan of soccer.  And just like "Mike," he has promotions coming out of his ears.  Having Neymar endorse your product is huge.

But what are you to do when you are 22 years old, preparing to represent and lead your country in the biggest soccer tournament in the world?  Who has time for all this sponsorship nonsense?!?  It appears - and this is purely speculation! - that Neymar is a genius and went the stock-photo modeling route.

Want Neymar to give your product a thumbs up?  There's a pic for that!  Want him to cross his arms next to your product with his crooked little boy smirk?  Done.  Want him to hold your product?  Problem.  He's taken the pictures already, sorry.  But here he is pointing!  You can use that! 

Neymar loves Mentos!  Yeah!  

Neymar will look up to see what a great deal Claro
will give you on your cell phone plan!

Ice cream brand Kibon got a good deal on a Neymar pic and used it well!
Here he is at a party.  Pointing his thumb at the party...

Here is Neymar pointing the other way at Kibon ice cream prices
on a vendor's cart.  He's so versatile! 

And here he is in the freezer section at the grocery.
Same direction, but look who changed his shirt color?!  Neymar!

Neymar on the side of building holding a remote!
(He may have posed for this one...)

Neymar will cheer for you as you shampoo your hair!

Neymar's head wants you to buy Heliar car batteries!

Panasonic is getting their money's worth.

Neymar points to his head because he
agrees.

It's been a fun little treasure hunt this last few months collecting these ads whenever I saw them.  These were only some of my favorites.  This guy is taking over Brazil!

Watch It!

As with most major sporting events - here's looking at you, Super Bowl - advertisers know the worth of a good soccer-themed ad for the FIFA World Cup.  Here follows my favorites* for the 2014 Brasil FIFA World Cup:

#5 - "The Game Before The Game" (Beats by Dre)
Anyone who has ever played a sport, had a pre-game ritual.  Music often plays a role in that amping-up for battle.  This ad focuses mostly on Brasil's Neymar Jr. and his conversations with his father, but highlights players from from other teams including Spain, Germany, and The Netherlands...and Lil' Wayne (?).  I like the sentiment and the crescendoing energy but, at five whole minutes, it goes a little long.

#4 - "The Last Game" (Nike)
Points to Nike for going all out and including a cast of players - Wayne Rooney (England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Tim Howard (USA), and David Luiz (Brazil), among others - that would have tipped even their budget had they been real.  Though I like the ad, the fact that they are cartoons, keeps me from ranking this any higher.  I do give credit to the animators for giving Neymar Jr. plenty of opportunities for taking #selfies, something that becomes quite evident as a favorite activity upon visiting his Instagram account.

#3 - "Ouse Ser Brasileiro" (Nike)
"Dare to be Brazilian" in English, Nike released a series of these ads for different countries at the start of 2014.  Obviously, this one got a lot of play here in Brasil.  The ad features a number of the Brazilian team members and a caricature of their personalities: Neymar Jr. grew up in Santos playing beach soccer, Bernard is known for his short stature, and Thiago Silva is known to a dapper guy.  It's hard to watch this ad and not see why Brazil and soccer are synonymous.

#2 - "Winner Stays" (Nike)
Nike again.  But this time with actual players.  The ad embodies the internationality of soccer by taking a pick -up soccer game in a park in England (because clearly this can't happen in the US) and turning it into the All-Star game to end all All-Star games with the kids claiming different professional soccer personas.  I think anyone who ever idolized an athlete growing up can relate to this ad, regardless of the sport.  I especially love when a kid is called out for not playing like their hero (Neymar Jr.) or when two kids choose the same player at the same time (David Luiz).  The thing holding this back from being number one is that, unless you know who these players are, you never get the full emotion of the ad.

   
#1 - "Gol!" (McDonald's)
The shortest of all the ads on this list, and featuring no professional players, this ad is simple and impressive at the same time. Basically a collection of sick trick-shots backed by the old-timey "Oh By Jingo" (1919), the fact that it's a McDonald's ad doesn't even present itself until the end; there's not a burger or fry to be seen. Bonus points for featuring several women/girls with skills as well.

Conspicuously absent from this list is soccer mainstay Adidas, who seem to be putting a lot of their World Cup advertising into focusing on their officially sanctioned ball, the Brazuca, with "meh" ads like "House Match" and "The Dream".  And let's not even talk about this trying-way-too-hard Galaxy 11 spot.

*I am not an advertiser, nor do I know the slightest thing about marketing or commercial design.  Neither, coincidentally, am I a consumer of any of the top five ads' products.

We Are One (Part I)

Meet Fuleco. Armadillos like soccer.

The lead up to the world's biggest single sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, has not been an easy one.  Stadiums aren't totally as finished as they should be.  There have been accusations of corruption (both by the Brazilian government and FIFA itself).  On top of all that, the Pitbull-Jennifer Lopez-Cláudia Leitte official anthem is terrible.

Nevertheless, the show must go on and the world is ready!

My friends from university, Dan and Alissa of This World Rocks fame, are traveling with me throughout the next few weeks.  We started the celebration off here in Campinas at Seu Vidotti, a bar holding a special viewing party for the inaugural Brazil vs. Coatia match.  Thankfully the home country emerged victorious and the party continued on a positive note!

We had our iPhones, but the photos from the bar tell a better story:

Curtindo a Copa com amigos velhos e novos!
Enjoying the Cup with old and new friends!

We're keeping a tally of the number of times Alissa (center) gets mistaken
for being Brazilian.  We may lose count...

Sticky Obsession

Every four years when the World Cup rolls around, FIFA puts out a booklet that fans are supposed to fill with stickers of the players, teams, stadiums, and other related images.  Think baseball cards with less stats and more adhesive.

While the booklets are available around the world, the excitement to collect and trade them in the host country is at a fever pitch.  As a teacher this can be the worst distraction possible...unless you find a way to use it to your advantage: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!  And then confiscate stickers for yourself when the situation arises.

As I will be attending two matches in June the book serves the dual purpose as a sort of Official Programme, displaying all the rounds, locations, dates, etc. in addition to the primary function of a who's who of the Cup.

O que você tem? 
Stickers and albums can be purchased at most places that magazines and
newspapers are sold.  It is not uncommon to see collectors of all ages
mingling outside newsstands, trading and dealing their "repetidas" (duplicates).
This is serious stuff, folks.

Paulinho?  Check!
There are multiple ways to document the over 600 stickers needed to
complete the album.  I chose to use the app wherein you simply scan each
sticker and it catalogues it for you, even helping you to manage your trading.

Copa Controversy

Continuing with the mantra that "bad press is still press," the media reporting on the upcoming Brazil-hosted FIFA World Cup took a break from the typical bashing of unfinished stadiums, infrastructural challenges, and general governmental corruption to bring you this:

It seems that Adidas has introduced a line of World Cup themed apparel in the US that has Brazilian authorities and event organizers upset.  Understandably, by hosting the World Cup, Brazil hopes to highlight other aspects of the country other than the stereotypical beaches and butts.  Or at least wants to be the sole controller and perpetuator of such stereotypes. 

Hopefully they will lead by example when the Opening Ceremonies debut on June 12th and allude to nothing tropical or sexual.

Edited to add: These mock designs were proposed as a preferred alternative by the Ministry of Sport. Well played, Brasil.

Pa'lante Colombia!

Yesterday was the "sorteo," or draw, for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where the qualifying teams finally find out which group they are in and who they will play in the first all-important round of play.  Ladies and gentlemen, start your stats and let the wagering begin!

Most of the news I saw was concerning the USA being placed in the "death group" with Ghana, Germany, and Portugal, essentially ending their hopes of escaping the group rounds.  Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening to the USA with another combination of teams was pretty high regardless.

The highlight for me was the fact that the one game we had tickets to - June 19th in Brasilia - ended up being assigned to Colombia and Cotê d'Ivoire.  This is Colombia's first appearance in the Cup since '94 and they have been getting a lot of positive buzz around their talent and momentum leading up to their qualification.  Also, I lived there for five years and carry a piece of "la tierra querida" around in my heart.  To say I celebrated in front of some students and coworkers would be an understatement.  I'm glad my Selección Colombia jersey and Colombian flag will be put to good use here in Brazil.

¡Echa pa'lante, vamos Colombia!   I'm a bad American...

Do You Hear The People Sing?

While unrest in Turkey and Syria, among other places, has the US media's current collective attention, expect it's focus to turn south soon.  Brazilians are taking to the street!

It's no secret that Brazil has a love affair with soccer.  It's also no secret that the country has dealt with its fair share of corruption in government.  It's ironic then, that this soccer-obsessed nation is taking such a firm stand against the prestigious hosting of several major world sporting events - currently the Confederation Cup, the FIFA World Cup in a year, and the Olympics in 2016.

Many are upset at the use of government (and tax) money to fund these events when most citizens realistically will not only be unable to enjoy them, but worse, are being caused more financial hardship from increases in cost-of-living and supposed lack of funds going towards education, transportation/infrastructure, and health care.

All one has to do is read the signage as protesters have taken [mostly] peacefully to the streets of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizante, Brasília, Salvador, and other cities in recent days*:

"Excuse the disruption, we are changing Brazil"

"Welcome to Brazil
Where soap operas, soccer, and Carnival is more important than
education, health, and safety."

"When your son gets sick, bring him to the stadium."

The actual flag has the motto "Ordem e Progresso" (Order and Progress).
This altered flag blots out key letters to instead read "In Progress."

*All the images were taken from posts on Instagram or Facebook.