The revolution of black people: "without Vasco, Brazil would not have known Pelé."
When we look to scenery musical, sportive and literary brazilian we can ask what would be the country if there is not the contribution of the blacks, northeast people and poor's this scenery. No entanto, o Brasil foi pensado e construído em meio a mais pobres e renegados. Quando esta discussão é feita no futebol uma das maiores expressões da nossa cultura, descobrimos um campo fértil para entender o país e suas particularidades. One the most brilliant moment of history of country happen in nineteenth century in twenties years.
Football came to Brazil through immigrants, even the first groups were formed by immigrants and elite people and if it were not for the action of some radio announcers who were responsible for translating various terms for football in Portuguese, until today we would be using a lot of Anglicanism in football. Nowadays we still use terms in English in football and we also have words in Spanish. But there is no interest in such a discussion at the moment. The most important thing is to see how Brazilians seek to give their interpretation and identity to the sport that has become national. So from the arrival of an imported product to turning into a national product was a long process often renegade by clubs and supporters. Perhaps because of the fanaticism stimulated by the press and the sports industry, we have gone unnoticed by something that can be the great achievement of a club, worthy of all honors, with achievements that may never be overcome.
We are going to analise at the history of Rio de Janeiro's Vasco da Gama football club in the São Cristóvão neighborhood, where it is nowadays its headquarters, instead of other big clubs that are still located in the southern part of the city. One of the most important parts of his history may be in the year 1922, when it won the second division of the Carioca championship and in 1923, when it won the first division. This fact provoked a revolution in football, because it was a team of poor, mestizos, blacks and illiterates. The other teams reacted with protests and began to demand from Vasco da Gama the presence of players who could sign the sumula of the game. Then the club hired a teacher to teach the players. The opponents' strategy failed. From then on, two great processes began: the first was the elimination of team blacks and the requirement to build the football field for Vasco da Gama to compete in the championships.
In relation of blacks, The Metropolitan Association Athletics Sports (AMEA) proposed to Vasco eliminate of its staffs its 12 blacks athletics, almost of all poor people, considered players of "doubt profession" as condition to dispute the main chanpionship. However, in april 7 of 1924, the club produced a document that became famous and knowledge as "historical response", in which he had vehemently rejected the idea of eliminating from his cadres those already excluded from society, failing to be part of the main league of Rio de Janeiro football at the time.
However, the story does not end here, the team was only part of the League Championship at that time, when was able to build its football field. The construction of São Januário had undergone a great campaign in Rio de Janeiro to obtain the resources. It was inaugurated in 1927. Since then, the Vasco da Gama stadium has been one of the most important places in Brazil until the inauguration of the Maracanã in 1950. It is still considered an important Brazilian symbol in the struggle against social and racial prejudice.
From the "historical response" to the construction of the São Januário stadium it was possible because of the alliance of some leaders ahead of their time and the struggle of the blacks themselves. The blacks made a revolution in Brazilian culture through their talents, they were subjects of a historical process that until today has not finished, but we have much to conquer, but it is important to highlight the role of the pioneers in art and football. We must emphasize the role of the leaders, but we do not neglect those "led", so we are sure that the people are not only the object of maneuvering.
Nowadays there is a reproduction of the "historical response" in Vasco da Gama's trophy room and with the reminder: "without Vasco, Brazil would not have known Pelé." In a way, the phrase is fair, but deny the other subjects of this process. In fact, without the blacks, football would not have known Pelé, who by irony never assumed his blackness.
We are going to analise at the history of Rio de Janeiro's Vasco da Gama football club in the São Cristóvão neighborhood, where it is nowadays its headquarters, instead of other big clubs that are still located in the southern part of the city. One of the most important parts of his history may be in the year 1922, when it won the second division of the Carioca championship and in 1923, when it won the first division. This fact provoked a revolution in football, because it was a team of poor, mestizos, blacks and illiterates. The other teams reacted with protests and began to demand from Vasco da Gama the presence of players who could sign the sumula of the game. Then the club hired a teacher to teach the players. The opponents' strategy failed. From then on, two great processes began: the first was the elimination of team blacks and the requirement to build the football field for Vasco da Gama to compete in the championships.
In relation of blacks, The Metropolitan Association Athletics Sports (AMEA) proposed to Vasco eliminate of its staffs its 12 blacks athletics, almost of all poor people, considered players of "doubt profession" as condition to dispute the main chanpionship. However, in april 7 of 1924, the club produced a document that became famous and knowledge as "historical response", in which he had vehemently rejected the idea of eliminating from his cadres those already excluded from society, failing to be part of the main league of Rio de Janeiro football at the time.
However, the story does not end here, the team was only part of the League Championship at that time, when was able to build its football field. The construction of São Januário had undergone a great campaign in Rio de Janeiro to obtain the resources. It was inaugurated in 1927. Since then, the Vasco da Gama stadium has been one of the most important places in Brazil until the inauguration of the Maracanã in 1950. It is still considered an important Brazilian symbol in the struggle against social and racial prejudice.
From the "historical response" to the construction of the São Januário stadium it was possible because of the alliance of some leaders ahead of their time and the struggle of the blacks themselves. The blacks made a revolution in Brazilian culture through their talents, they were subjects of a historical process that until today has not finished, but we have much to conquer, but it is important to highlight the role of the pioneers in art and football. We must emphasize the role of the leaders, but we do not neglect those "led", so we are sure that the people are not only the object of maneuvering.
Nowadays there is a reproduction of the "historical response" in Vasco da Gama's trophy room and with the reminder: "without Vasco, Brazil would not have known Pelé." In a way, the phrase is fair, but deny the other subjects of this process. In fact, without the blacks, football would not have known Pelé, who by irony never assumed his blackness.
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