A ‘terrão’ (earthen field) is an oasis in the urban landscape. The reddish tone of a soccer field turns into a stage for resistance of popular soccer. These fields are increasingly rare to be seen because of property speculation and land occupation, and they standing as a spirit of resilience.
Some of them are owned by local soccer clubs, while others are public spots. Some of them are mainly dirt, while others are made of sand, or even rests of weathered grass. Nevertheless, they are a breath of fresh air for the hard daily lives of those who live in the city outskirts of Sao Paulo. These fields show the urgency for public and communal places to practice sports and to improve community living, a portrait of those who fight for leisure and a better life in a city like Sao Paulo.
These fields are a solid basis of soccer’s spirit in Brazil, being colored and powerful in face of the greyish scenario of the periphery houses. It’s not hard to find friends, relatives, adults and children cheering together for their local teams.
Even in face of social and political difficulties, a ‘terrão’ shows us the real soccer, far away from a society mediated by powerful media groups. The rawness of a ‘terrão’ can't be fitted as a media spectacle.
Some of them are owned by local soccer clubs, while others are public spots. Some of them are mainly dirt, while others are made of sand, or even rests of weathered grass. Nevertheless, they are a breath of fresh air for the hard daily lives of those who live in the city outskirts of Sao Paulo. These fields show the urgency for public and communal places to practice sports and to improve community living, a portrait of those who fight for leisure and a better life in a city like Sao Paulo.
These fields are a solid basis of soccer’s spirit in Brazil, being colored and powerful in face of the greyish scenario of the periphery houses. It’s not hard to find friends, relatives, adults and children cheering together for their local teams.
Even in face of social and political difficulties, a ‘terrão’ shows us the real soccer, far away from a society mediated by powerful media groups. The rawness of a ‘terrão’ can't be fitted as a media spectacle.
