Related Sponsors

Sports and Entertainment in Brazil

Home » Brazil » Brazil People and Culture » Sports and Entertainment in Brazil

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazil National Football Team is extremely popular, and has won the World Cup Tournament a record five times. Pele, one of the world’s most recognized players, led Brazil to three of those championships. There are also three other variations of football that are popular: Futball, beach football, and Footvolley, which is a mixture of football and volleyball. Volleyball is also popular in Brazil. There are both national and state leagues, both with a good-sized fan-base. However, television coverage of the sport is limited. Brazil’s national volleyball team boasts of two Olympic gold medals in the men’s division, in 1992 and in 2004. Basketball was more popular before the increased attention on volleyball, but Brazil can still boast about their national basketball team. They have won the Basketball World Championship twice, once in 1959 and once in 1963. Oscar Schmidt, a Brazilian basketball player, was on of the best players in the history of the sport. Tennis has become more popular over the years as well, especially since Gustavo Kuerten won the French Open 3 times and reached number1 status in the ATP world ranking.

Auto racing is also a well-knon sport and its popularity in Brazil is not a new thing. Brazil has produced its fair share of Formula One World Champions over the years, including: Emerson Fittipaldi (1972 and 1974), Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983, and 1987), and Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, and 1991). Tony Kanaan, the 2004 Indy Racing League champions was also from Brazil. Sailiing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu are two other strong sports in Brazil.

The Brazilian Carnival is another important part of Brazilian culture. It is held every year, forty days before Easter to mark the beginning of Lent. In Brazil, it is known simply as Carnaval. Although it has Catholic roots, it is no longer celebrated as a religions event.

Next Page: Cuisine in Brazil

Related Brazil People and Culture Articles