World Wires

U.S.-style football making inroads in soccer-crazy Brazil

 

McClatchy Newspapers

The field in beach football is shorter by 38 yards than the standard 100-yard American football field. The goalposts are different as well. Most teams place a soccer goal on each end of the field and include four to six PVC pipes to create an ’H’ figure.

The more familiar American game – players tackling on the grass, fully equipped with pads, mouth guards and helmets – has come more recently. In 2009 the first national tournament was held, called Touchdown, a private competition that was limited to teams that could afford the equipment and travel costs. This year, the fourth edition of the tournament will host 18 teams in a five-month competition starting in July.

A study last year by the Brazilian Association of American Football found that there were about 200 people in Brazil who routinely played football in 2000. By 2011, that number had jumped to more than 5,000.

As more evidence of the sport’s growth, Brazil’s major soccer teams have noticed football. The Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, a major soccer team from Sao Paulo, formed a football team as a partner in 2004. Today 10 First Division soccer clubs have partnerships with American-style football teams, offering the use of their brand names and in some cases facilities.

“The soccer teams give us visibility," said Caroliny Machado, 21, who plays wide receiver for Fluminense Guerreiras, a women’s team in Rio. “It works as a window to show the sport.”

VIDEO: AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN BRAZIL

(Video by Eric Visintainer, John Andreadis and Chloe Elmer, Penn State University)

Visintainer, a student at Penn State University, reported this story for a class in international journalism.

Read more World Wires stories from the Miami Herald

  •  

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakea hands with Palestinian restaurant employees as he stops by for a snack after his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

    Kerry makes sub-Saharan Africa visit

    U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Nigeria must respect human rights as it cracks down on the Islamist extremists. He's also pledging to work hard in the coming months to ease tensions between Sudan and South Sudan.

  • 7 Filipino marines, 4 militants killed in clash

    At least seven Filipino marines and four Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in a clash Saturday as the military launched an offensive against al-Qaida-linked gunmen who have been blamed for recent kidnappings and of trying to sabotage a road project in the southern Philippines.

  • Reversal of Rios Montt verdict in Guatemala sparks criticism of genocide charge

    The overturning this week of former military dictator Gen. Efrain Rios Montt’s conviction on charges stemming from Guatemala’s brutal civil war has created a surprising consensus among critics on both the left and the right: Prosecutors badly overreached when they tried to pin accusations of genocide on the 86-year-old former president.

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category