What’s the Goal? Brazil’s Response to Hosting the World Cup and Olympics

Abstract

Brazil’s plans to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics have provoked both euphoria and criticism domestically. Some believe that hosting successful games will cement the country’s position as a world power and economic player, but others object to the government’s extravagant spending on lavish stadia while basic social services remain neglected. We must then ask: if Brazil already faced daunting tasks in improving its public programs and increasing development, why did it eagerly vie to take on the additional burdens of hosting the two largest sporting events in the world? I argue that Brazil has justified hosting with three promises: an economic boost, infrastructural impetus, and “feel-good” effect for Brazilians (for example, national pride and unity). In this paper, I evaluate the claim that Brazilians value the abstract benefits of hosting mega-events enough to justify their high price tags. Original survey data and an analysis of views published in a Brazilian newspaper’s letters to the editor support my hypothesis that Brazilians generally do not value hosting the World Cup and Olympics while more pressing social concerns remain unaddressed. Considering the opaque process of bidding for mega-events, it seems plausible that Brazilian boosters overstated the domestic support for hosting, and that Brazil’s taxpayers will subsidize mostly private gains from the games.