Lever's interest in Brazilian soccer and her friendship with Pel led to this thoughtful, well-written account of Brazilians' madness for spectator sports. Drawing on interviews with soccer club directors, coaches, players, officials, sportswriters, fan club leaders, and 200 fans, Lever gives readers a fascinating study of people, culture, and politics. She reaches beyond soccer in Brazil to analyze both the appeal and the cultural achievement of spectator sports in all modern societies. Sports, she finds, provide an arena for dramatizing conflicting loyalties while emphasizing the shared interests that make us all alike.
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"Janet Lever has given us a first-rate book." -- Charles H. Page, Contemporary Sociology
"Lever has given the reader a small book as well written as it is thoughtful; the role of sport in human society is deserving of more study, and this account is a happy example painted in the bright colors and sharp contrasts of Brazilian life." -- Philip Morrison, Scientific American
"Soccer Madness . . . is a fascinating study of people, culture, and politics-- with its ultimate insight being about us, tenants of the Sports Age. Soccer is coming . . . and fans, sports writers, and those who would be in the know about modern times ignore this book at their risk." -- Rick Telander, Sports Illustrated
"Lever has given the reader a small book as well written as it is thoughtful; the role of sport in human society is deserving of more study, and this account is a happy example painted in the bright colors and sharp contrasts of Brazilian life." -- Philip Morrison, Scientific American
"Soccer Madness . . . is a fascinating study of people, culture, and politics-- with its ultimate insight being about us, tenants of the Sports Age. Soccer is coming . . . and fans, sports writers, and those who would be in the know about modern times ignore this book at their risk." -- Rick Telander, Sports Illustrated
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best book available on Brazil,
This review is from: Soccer Madness: Brazil's Passion for the World's Most Popular Sport (Paperback)
This book is worth reading, mostly because there simply aren't many books about Brazilian football, & you have to know about Brazil if you really want to know about football. Anyway, as a book about sociology of football, it is not bad. At least, there was quite a large amount of research and it showed. It just feels a bit awkward, because, despite the many years the author spent in Brazil, she wasn't born in a country which likes football. So, sometimes what she wrote sounds a bit funny.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Sport belongs in the world of play and leisure, yet business elites, mass media, and government and political leaders recognize its potential for making profits, disseminating propaganda, and eliciting pride. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
juvenile team, weak fan, intracity rivalries, sport lottery, integrative benefits, fan scores, soccer scene, national football associations, simplest game, professional soccer clubs, organized fans, strong fans, major clubs, primordial sentiments, sport system, fan groups, samba schools, average fan Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
World Cup, Sao Paulo, United States, Rio de Janeiro, Latin America, Brazilian Selection, Vasco da Gama, Maracaná Stadium, South Africa, Emerson Fittipaldi, Minas Gerais, President Médici, South America, Carlos Alberto, Soviet Union, Super Bowl, Third World, Armando Nogueira, Jayme Rodrigues, Jules Rimet, New York Cosmos, Torcida Organizada, World Series, English League, Joao Saldanha New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Sport belongs in the world of play and leisure, yet business elites, mass media, and government and political leaders recognize its potential for making profits, disseminating propaganda, and eliciting pride. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
juvenile team, weak fan, intracity rivalries, sport lottery, integrative benefits, fan scores, soccer scene, national football associations, simplest game, professional soccer clubs, organized fans, strong fans, major clubs, primordial sentiments, sport system, fan groups, samba schools, average fan Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
World Cup, Sao Paulo, United States, Rio de Janeiro, Latin America, Brazilian Selection, Vasco da Gama, Maracaná Stadium, South Africa, Emerson Fittipaldi, Minas Gerais, President Médici, South America, Carlos Alberto, Soviet Union, Super Bowl, Third World, Armando Nogueira, Jayme Rodrigues, Jules Rimet, New York Cosmos, Torcida Organizada, World Series, English League, Joao Saldanha New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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