For both Brazils, the country and the soccer team, victory is guaranteed in the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament. With Brazilian soccer, the world is visiting its temple of soccer excellence to pay it tribute for the gifts it has granted its followers and for permission to imitate. Brazil is the global temple of soccer creativity. With Brazil the country, its global business accomplishments have gained global recognition for playing by the rules of the American-Anglo controlled international finance and commercial complex in the post-Cold war world of integrated markets and free flowing capital. Brazil, here, is a temple to global capitalism.
The creative self of global soccer originates in Brazil and its favela dwellers; this community of Brazil’s poorest are largely African heritaged and account for 54% of Brazil’s population. That’s right, African-heritaged Brazilians are the historical and cultural source of the innovative changes in the style of Brazilian football that so amazes, called “Samba ball” it is the play of these favela dweller’s that is the envy of the world.
Samba-ball: Think of the pull-back, where the ball is shown to the opponent, pushed forward to the opponent and is then pulled-back from the opponent with amazing speed; the nutmeg, here the ball handler pushes the ball between the unsuspecting open legs of the opponent, the striker runs around the opponent collects the ball and is off to the Gods with a message of intent; the over-the-head kick, here the striker approaches, face-first, the opponent, chips the ball over the head of the opponent at high speed, runs behind the opponent and…; the crossover, here, the attacking player steps over the ball at high speed, this is designed to frustrate the opposing defender after which the striker breaks for attack, a staple of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The modern innovations of Samba-ball are the sausage meat in the Burger of the World Cup in Brazil, its bread wrapping is Brazilian money-power which has marked its rise to prominence in commercial aircraft manufacture, pharmaceuticals, agri-business, car manufacture, food manufacture, petroleum, hydro-electric power, minerals and mining. The World Cup, to be followed by the Olympics, is the global money markets reward to Brazil for its willingness to play big business by the rules of global commerce in a post-Cold War world.
So powerful is this new Brazil that its Portuguese is the dominant and only Portuguese on Google’s search engine. The casting weight was Brazil’s population of 202,656,788 compared to Portugal’s 10,813,834 and the rise to global prominence of Brazil’s capitalist economy. The colonizer has been usurped by its former colony in the age of the Internet and globalization.
The teams attending the World Cup in Brazil 2014 are saying thank you Brazil for the uniqueness of your soccer; and global business is saying congratulations Brazil on playing by the rules of international commerce. The joys your game and your players have given to the world are now matched by your economic and financial success on the global stage in the post-Cold war world of integrated markets and the free flow of capital.
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Charles Simon-Aaron