{"id":1095,"date":"2016-10-24T15:26:42","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T20:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1095"},"modified":"2016-10-24T15:50:11","modified_gmt":"2016-10-24T20:50:11","slug":"brazils-sporting-exploits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2016\/10\/24\/brazils-sporting-exploits\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazil’s Sporting Exploits"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"2014<\/a>
2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Photo by paulisson miura, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Done and dusted. Brazil\u2019s run of hosting global\u00a0sporting events has officially ended. From the opening game of the <\/span>FIFA Confederation Cup<\/span><\/a> in 2013, to the closing ceremony of the <\/span>Paralympics<\/span><\/a> on September 18, it has been quite a ride. Spectacles of the grandest of scales were to be portrayed on television with mostly smiles and laughs, but also some sadness. In the eyes of the world, <\/span>Brazil\u2019s sporting exploits<\/span><\/a> look to be a success, but was it worth it? \u00a0Was the\u00a0estimated\u00a0$30 billion the Brazilian government spent hosting these events a good investment? It is probably too early to say for sure, but sociological research can give us a sense of what kind of analyses need to be done to find out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, economic growth has often been seen as the primary reason for hosting major sporting events for developing nations. But when even economists acknowledge that little economic revenue will be produced, we must look to other rationales. The hope of breaking into the upper-echelon of nations with positive news coverage and prestige has emerged as one of the justifcations for hosting global sports spectacles today. For example, South Korea, who co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, used the event to promote itself as a modern state, just like its neighbors Japan and China.<\/h5>\n