sports
Evangelicals have become the scapegoat for the decline of Brazilian football
The theory that an excess of Evangelicals killed the magic of Brazilian football has no theoretical or historical basis.
TL;DR
- The theory that Brazilian football's decline is due to evangelical theology is being scrutinized.
- The rise of evangelicalism in Brazilian football is a visible sociological phenomenon, with chaplains and player conversions being common.
- The article argues that there is no causal link between the presence of evangelical players and the team's performance.
- Historical examples, such as the 1994 and 2002 World Cup wins by teams with evangelical players, contradict the theory.
- Societal factors like urban violence, changes in childhood activities, and the rise of paid academies are presented as more likely influences on the decline of street football.
- The concept of individualism, blamed on evangelicals, was previously seen as a virtue in Brazilian football's style of play.
- The article suggests that blaming a specific religious group is a mechanism to avoid confronting more complex and painful societal explanations for the sport's perceived struggles.