Support for Bolsonaro and Lula moved the world of Brazilian sport like never before

Perhaps tired of the criticism, Neymar took to Instagram to ask people to express their political opinions.

“I call on everyone who has not taken a stand and who can take a stand, yes, because you have your freedom to take a stand, express your feelings, your values.”

It was a reaction by the best player in the country and captain of the Brazilian team to criticism. He had publicly supported the candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for re-election as President of the Republic.

Shirt 10 may have been the most famous. But he wasn’t the only one to do this. The dispute between Bolsonaro and Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who ended up being elected, moved active and retired athletes as never before, according to sports sociologists and marketing specialists.

“I don’t have the data, but that’s the perception”, says sociologist Ronaldo George Helal, coordinator of the Sports and Culture Research Group at Uerj (Rio de Janeiro State University), about the growth of the political manifestation of sportsmen. “I don’t know if he [Neymar] is politically aware. I believe he thinks he has it and it’s his duty. But I believe that what Flamengo’s board did is more serious. One thing is the CPF. The other is the CNPJ.”

He refers to the behavior of the club after winning the Libertadores title last Saturday (29). Representative Rodolfo Landim and other leaders posed for photos on the lawn of Guayaquil, Ecuador, where the final took place, making signs of the number 22, used by Bolsonaro. The candidate met with the delegation on election day, on Sunday (30), and raised the cup.

But it wasn’t just leaders. Team players, such as the side Rodinei and the striker Everton Cebolinha also expressed support for the re-election by making 22 with their fingers next to the President of the Republic.

“Nowadays, athletes have a direct communication channel with the public. Before, in order to express themselves, the sportsman had to do it through the press. He had to give an interview. With social networks, political positioning is facilitated, the ideological positioning. We manage to place this person within a political spectrum”, analyzes sociologist Marcel Diego Tonini, a senior researcher at the Brazilian Football Reference Center at the Football Museum.

In the days leading up to voting in the first round (October 2) and during the second round campaign, the candidates received different support from the world of sport.

In this, Bolsonaro seems to have won. He received expressions of support from defender Thiago Silva (from Chelsea-ING and the national team), from full-back Daniel Alves (from Pumas-MEX), from full-back Rafael and defender Fernando Marçal (both from Botafogo), from goalkeeper João Paulo (from Santos ), coach Renato Gaúcho (now at Grêmio), former players Rivaldo and Ronaldinho Gaúcho, MMA fighters José Aldo, Fabricio Werdum and Wanderlei Silva, to name a few.

The most significant gesture Lula received was from Raí, a former player for São Paulo and the Brazilian national team, world champion for both. When delivering the Socrates Prize, in honor of his brother, during the Golden Ball, in Paris, he made a gesture with the letter L, to remember Lula.

PT also received support from coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, volleyball player Carol Solberg, striker Paulinho (from Bayer Leverkusen) and former midfielder Juninho Pernambucano. Between others.

Bolsonaro has used the football team in the past to gain popularity. He took the field at half-time in the 2019 Copa América semi-final against Argentina and walked along the edge of the field with a Brazilian flag. After winning the final over Peru, he lifted the trophy with the players and in front of the crowd. He did the same in the Brazilian title of Palmeiras, his favorite team, in 2018.

“Social networks are an arena of very warlike conflict, of lynching people. In this sense, the athlete could be more careful. Expressing support for a candidate wouldn’t be a big deal if there wasn’t the extreme side. I don’t know if they [os atletas] realize this. They didn’t realize that whoever threatened democracy was their candidate”, criticizes George Helal.

The political demonstration also brought the discussion about the athlete’s public image in the matter of marketing and attraction to brands. This is in line with the market trend, experts believe, even if it goes against the grain of political ideology. Generally, companies are looking for a vision that is considered progressive, not conservative.

“Some of the world’s leading brands have valued an athlete’s political performance, but there is an evident preference for those linked to more progressive agendas. In addition, political action is different from giving a political opinion or voting declaration. Attitudes, involvement in causes of public interest is that they have value in this context and create a relevant image, for better or for worse”, defends Bruno Maia, a specialist in new sports technologies.

And, for them, the tendency is for political or electoral demonstrations, such as those that took place this year in Brazil, to become increasingly common.

“As time goes by, we Brazilians will face this even more naturally. Athletes are people with tastes and preferences. If my idol thinks differently from me, what’s the problem? [no mercado] to naturalize this because we all have opinions”, concludes Bernardo Pontes, a specialist in sports marketing who works with brands, athletes and digital influencers.