Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, The Olympics, and the Struggle for Democracy

by Dave Zirin  (Author)



One of the Boston Globe's "Best Sports Books of 2014"

As the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games approach, ordinary Brazilians are holding the country's biggest protest marches in decades. Sports journalist Dave Zirin traveled to Brazil to find out why. In a rollicking read that travels from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the fabled Maracanã Stadium, Zirin examines how athletic mega-events turn into neoliberal Trojan horses.

"You have to read David Zirin to believe him, and if you read him, you will believe him."—Jack McCallum, senior writer, Sports Illustrated

"I once said Dave Zirin was the best young sportswriter in the US. I was wrong. He's simply the best."—Robert Lipsyte

The people of Brazil celebrated when it was announced that they were hosting the twentieth World Cup (June 12–July 13, 2014), the world's most-viewed sporting tournament, and the thirty-first Summer Olympics (August 5–21, 2016).

Now they are protesting in numbers the country hasn't seen in decades, with Brazilians taking to the streets to try to reclaim the sports they love but see being corrupted by powerful corporate interests, profiteering, and greed. In this compelling new book, relying on original reporting from the most dangerous corners of Rio to the halls of power in Washington, DC, Dave Zirin examines how sports and politics are colliding in remarkable fashion in Brazil, opening up an international conversation on the culture, economics, and politics of sports.

One of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World" (Utne), Dave Zirin is a columnist for the Nation, SLAM, and SI.com. He is host of Sirius XM's popular weekly show Edge of Sports Radio and a regular guest on ESPN's Outside the Lines, Democracy Now!, and on MSNBC. His previous books include The John Carlos Story and What's My Name Fool? He lives near Washington, DC.