As the Telegraph article points out, the decision to hold the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, seems like a perfect fit. The Fifa secretary general even calls Brazil the "mecca of football." Yet the main news concerning the event has been centered around the massive protests against the highly anticipated tournament and for reasons that are far deeper than simply soccer. The citizens of Brazil took to the streets because the 11 billion set aside for the World Cup would never really benefit the masses of Brazil. The public transportation and services remain in poor condition and expensive while the massive stadiums for the one month long event receive funding and ad campaigns. Unfortunately, this storyline of decadence over funding returning to people is not unique. While there are no riots that accompany them, many sports stadiums in the US are paid for by tax dollars even though the fee to enter them prohibits them from truly being public facilities. These kinds of projects are approved by those who have everything, and ultimately bring prestige and wealth to anybody but the taxpayer.
In a country like Brazil, where extreme poverty is visible from exotic beach resorts, it is easy to see why this situation caused such outrage. In the US, it seems as though destitution is compartmentalized and therefore the problems are out of sight and of mind. However, there are many explanations as to why Americans tolerate tax money contributing to what I would consider a luxury construction. Still, when Chicago made a bid for the Olympics, the plans called for massive facilities in the heart of the South Side, where the money could have went so much further in schools or hospitals. The phrase "Bread and Circuses" was originally used regarding Ancient Rome but it is not hard to see the significance that is placed on circuses and not just in the US but all over the world.
Politicians know that people like sports and like many rich folk, they see an investment opportunity in nearly everything. Tax money is not meant to be spent on frivolous "public" stadiums though. It should be paying for important subsidiaries and necessities that benefit the kind of people that probably can't afford to go to sporting events often. Perhaps protests are needed in this country as well because few states have the surplus to be making large investments that are clearly not bear minimum expenditures.
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