As I try to determine whether or not I want to apply for
match tickets for next year’s World Cup in Brasil, I’ve been asking a few
friends and strangers about their thoughts on the event. The responses have been somewhat pessimistic
in nature. Some have indicated that they’re frustrated that the government
would spend any money on the 2014 World Cup, arguing that there’s a much greater
need for investments in healthcare and education. A friend of mine pointed out that the
infrastructure is already bursting at the seams. “Imagine when you add in hundreds of
thousands of soccer fans for a month? What’s
going to happen? It’s going to be a mess.
I’m going to try to be in LA for the duration of it.” Despite similar infrastructure
concerns and many problems facing South Africa prior to the event in 2010, in
my humble opinion, the nation hosted a pretty successful World Cup.
As summer days stretch out into the early fall, Brasil’s currency,
the Real, has significantly weakened against the dollar. It’s currently trading somewhere around 2.38
to 1.00 USD. Even with a weakened Real, you will find that basic goods and
services are quite expensive here. Most
economists point to the tax system, a system that prioritizes consumption tax
over income tax, for the high prices. You need to be prepared to pay at least a
30% sales tax on most items. The protests earlier in the summer were sparked by
an increase in bus fares. Residents in Rio and Sao Paulo spend a much larger
share of their income on transportation than residents of Paris, New York or
San Francisco. I met a few people in Sao Paulo who said it’s not uncommon to
spend 4 hours a day commuting to work. You begin to understand why even a slight increase
in public transportation costs would be the explosive spark for social unrest, an icing of salt
to add to the cake.
On my 2nd day in São Paulo, my friend suggested that
I get a transit pass to make it easier for me to navigate by various methods of
public transportation throughout the city.
We attempted to purchase a pass at two neighboring stations and found
that both were out of stock. “You
might want to come early in the morning,” said one of the station agents. “We receive 20 passes a day and we’re out of
transit passes at the moment,” said another. “This is
a city of 22 million people and the station receives 20 passes a day,” my
friend said, shaking her head. “This is only one example of something that will
have to change before the World Cup next summer…but I can guarantee you that it
won’t…”
I still haven’t decided if I’ll be in attendance for next summer, but I am hoping for the best and I do believe that Brasil will
successfully host the event. If I do go,
I’ll be sure to explore the impact of FIFA’s relationship with the local
communities where I stay. This will be the second World Cup to be hosted
here. One major downfall of the 1st
one hosted in 1950 was the nation’s loss to Uruguay for the championship.
Romero, Simon. (2013, July 22). Prices Fuel Outrage in Brazil, Home of
the $30 Cheese Pizza. The New York Times
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| Perseverance Pays: Finally receiving my São Paulo Transit Pass |
