My take on the World Cup: No doubt this was a huge success and a huge boost for Brazil. It was the coming out party they were hoping for -- the expectations were low and Brazil delighted fans. part of that has to do with the country itself, the people are awesome, the place is beautiful. Part of that had to do with the fact that people who are on vacation and enjoying a spectacular sporting event -- which this was on the field with all the high drama - are willing to forgive the occasional theft, or comms failure And the good so outweighed the bad. Whether this will be something Brazilians will be happy about is a more complex question. Over all -- a resounding yes. People are relieved that it went well, tourism has been boosted by 138 percent, and the image of the country broadcast abroad has been overwhelmingly positive. That may mean more future tourism and more investment -- though other sporting events have shown it doesnt necessarily correlate. There are a BIG bunch of BUTS in there. The fact that 12 stadiums were built ...at least 3 will be white elephants that will cost cities for decades to come. The transportation system functioned because there was 30 percent less travel as Brazilians stayed home. And the stadiums in many ways have now become symbols of the economic divide in this country -- ticket prices are up here and will stay that way. Plus all the police brutality to make sure the fans stayed safe. That will be a major issue coming up I think Im not even going to mention the performance of the team. Ehem.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:10:58 +0000