At the beginning of my career, a more experienced journalist once told me in the newsroom: “Marina, Brazilian doesn’t like sports, likes to win!”.
I listened and absorbed, but I wanted to prove through my own experience over the years if it made sense or not.
Today, I do not totally agree with that colleague’s phrase, I find it too radical. I believe that the Brazilian likes to watch sports and practice them and is happy to cheer for his own. But I also think there are some pillars needed to deny this sentence. There are several, but I highlight some.
First, increase visibility in the less traditional sports press. This Friday (22), began the Women’s World Cup of Rugby in England. Brazil participates for the first time in history, and this is a remarkable achievement for Brazilian sport. To be in the tournament is to be part of a select group: only 16 teams participate in this giant event, comparable to the women’s World Cup. The icing on the cake is to be in the country that invented and loves this sport. More than 80% of the 470,000 tickets have already been sold.
Even so, I have seen a small coverage in the Brazilian press, which is a great pity. I have seen few stories on the subject, and only one channel on pay TV will broadcast. I talked to the player Raquel Kochhann and the coach of the national team, Emiliano Caffera, for a report that Sheet published last Thursday (21). Raquel, an experienced athlete, Brazil’s flag bearer at the Paris-2024 Olympic Games, told me that they want to show that our country has other sports besides football and that the rugby deserves investment.
The women’s team is 25th in the world ranking. If it had a real chance of title, would the visibility be greater? For sure. But as people in Brazil will accompany and know if, outside the rugby bubble and those who follow sports closely, they don’t know that the tournament exists?
Second point: Do not think of sponsorship only as a short -term strategy. Investing in sport is a business, and it is understandable that brands want to privilege those who have a chance of medal. But it does not help the fact that our society is immediate, not having patience with those starting in their career or practices a modality with less tradition – just play something other than football. Want financial return and idols for yesterday. And it ends up ignoring something essential from the sport: most athletes lose more than they earn, except Carlos Alcaraz in tennis, the American basketball team in Olympic Games, a Usain Bolt or a Michael Phelps of Life.
Finally, viewer’s access to stadiums and arenas must be facilitated. A friend told me she wanted to take her daughter to watch the rhythmic gymnastics played in Rio de Janeiro this week, “but it’s impossible because a ticket is $ 500.” I went to check on the site, and the cheapest entry, in the worst place, was $ 298. How absurd. Outside rates, parking, snack etc. How to create a new generation of fans when the value of the ticket is abusive?
Brazilians like sports and win. But this love needs to be cultivated by different managers. And it will only work if it is a collective effort.
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