This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/sports/worldcup/world-cup-2014-peladatildeo-event-mixes-soccer-and-pageant.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
World Cup 2014: Peladão Event Mixes Soccer and Pageant World Cup 2014: Peladão Event Mixes Soccer and Pageant
(about 2 months later)
MANAUS, Brazil — It was a newsroom like any television station newsroom, unless you count the brunette receptionist wearing a crown, sash and leopard print dress and offering friendly advice on how to spice up the World Cup. MANAUS, Brazil — It was a newsroom like any television station newsroom, unless you count the brunette receptionist wearing a crown, sash and leopard print dress and offering friendly advice on how to spice up the World Cup.
“Beauty queens,” Brenda Pontes, 19, said.“Beauty queens,” Brenda Pontes, 19, said.
The World Cup does have many things — consuming attention, enthralling soccer and a carnival atmosphere — but it does not have beauty queens.The World Cup does have many things — consuming attention, enthralling soccer and a carnival atmosphere — but it does not have beauty queens.
In the Amazon rain forest, though, there is a tournament that is equal parts soccer and beauty pageant. It is one of the largest and most unusual amateur soccer competitions in the world, and perhaps the only one with a reality show. Pontes is the reigning queen.In the Amazon rain forest, though, there is a tournament that is equal parts soccer and beauty pageant. It is one of the largest and most unusual amateur soccer competitions in the world, and perhaps the only one with a reality show. Pontes is the reigning queen.
The tournament is called the Peladão. The name is a reference to pelada, a Portuguese word that can mean a naked woman. But in this case it means soccer disrobed of big money and glamour and revealed in its informal essence — pickup games played in Brazil on dusty fields, on sandy beaches and even on ferries in floating villages.The tournament is called the Peladão. The name is a reference to pelada, a Portuguese word that can mean a naked woman. But in this case it means soccer disrobed of big money and glamour and revealed in its informal essence — pickup games played in Brazil on dusty fields, on sandy beaches and even on ferries in floating villages.
About 1,100 teams and 23,000 players compete yearly in the Peladão and its affiliated tournaments. Each of the 500 or so teams in the main field will enter a queen. Parallel competitions will run from mid-September until early January, one to determine the champion soccer team and the other to choose the Queen of the Peladão.About 1,100 teams and 23,000 players compete yearly in the Peladão and its affiliated tournaments. Each of the 500 or so teams in the main field will enter a queen. Parallel competitions will run from mid-September until early January, one to determine the champion soccer team and the other to choose the Queen of the Peladão.
Why mix a soccer tournament with a beauty pageant? One must consider Brazil’s passions, said Messias Sampaio, 69, a lawyer who founded the Peladão in 1973 when he was a newspaperman.Why mix a soccer tournament with a beauty pageant? One must consider Brazil’s passions, said Messias Sampaio, 69, a lawyer who founded the Peladão in 1973 when he was a newspaperman.
“In Brazil, every business promotion has football, beautiful women and beer,” Sampaio said. “If you don’t have these, it will not be successful.”“In Brazil, every business promotion has football, beautiful women and beer,” Sampaio said. “If you don’t have these, it will not be successful.”
On Sept. 13, Pontes will arrive by helicopter to the opening ceremony, where the queens will parade in team jerseys and bikinis before a panel of judges. Organizers hope to use Arena da Amazônia, which hosted four World Cup matches here.On Sept. 13, Pontes will arrive by helicopter to the opening ceremony, where the queens will parade in team jerseys and bikinis before a panel of judges. Organizers hope to use Arena da Amazônia, which hosted four World Cup matches here.
“There are two queens in the world,” Pontes, a college freshman who hopes to become a police chief, said with a laugh. “Queen Elizabeth and me.”“There are two queens in the world,” Pontes, a college freshman who hopes to become a police chief, said with a laugh. “Queen Elizabeth and me.”
The queens of Peladão teams might not own any crown jewels, but they wield significant influence on the soccer competition. If a queen does not show up for the opening ceremony, her team is disqualified. No excuses, even for illness or death in the family, are accepted. If the queen is not there, her team is out.The queens of Peladão teams might not own any crown jewels, but they wield significant influence on the soccer competition. If a queen does not show up for the opening ceremony, her team is disqualified. No excuses, even for illness or death in the family, are accepted. If the queen is not there, her team is out.
“We’ve had fistfights,” said Kid Mahall, 45, a television producer and director who coordinates the beauty pageant. “But the teams are always eliminated.”“We’ve had fistfights,” said Kid Mahall, 45, a television producer and director who coordinates the beauty pageant. “But the teams are always eliminated.”
Yet a faltering team can also be saved by its queen.Yet a faltering team can also be saved by its queen.
If a team is eliminated on the field but its queen keeps advancing, the team enters a satellite tournament with a chance to rejoin the Peladão in the late rounds. A team nicknamed Arsenal won first place in 1998 after such a rescue.If a team is eliminated on the field but its queen keeps advancing, the team enters a satellite tournament with a chance to rejoin the Peladão in the late rounds. A team nicknamed Arsenal won first place in 1998 after such a rescue.
“It’s a huge responsibility,” Pontes said. “The queens want to be in the final, and the team wants the same thing.”“It’s a huge responsibility,” Pontes said. “The queens want to be in the final, and the team wants the same thing.”
Once, even tinted contact lenses were forbidden among the beauty contestants, according to the book “Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life,” by the British writer Alex Bellos. Breast implants were also prohibited, Mahall said. Now, there are just two basic requirements: The queens must attend the opening parade and they must be women.Once, even tinted contact lenses were forbidden among the beauty contestants, according to the book “Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life,” by the British writer Alex Bellos. Breast implants were also prohibited, Mahall said. Now, there are just two basic requirements: The queens must attend the opening parade and they must be women.
“They had cross-dressers in the past,” Mahall said. “Now that’s forbidden. It’s a female competition.”“They had cross-dressers in the past,” Mahall said. “Now that’s forbidden. It’s a female competition.”
As the soccer tournament plays on, the field of beauty contestants is narrowed from 500 to a final dozen. Several years ago, a new twist was added: a reality show called “Peladão Onboard.”As the soccer tournament plays on, the field of beauty contestants is narrowed from 500 to a final dozen. Several years ago, a new twist was added: a reality show called “Peladão Onboard.”
The final dozen contestants are sent on a yacht down the Rio Negro, the largest tributary of the Amazon. The show is broadcast nightly for a month on a regional channel of a media conglomerate called A Crítica, and the queens face challenges like rowing a boat, setting a table and dressing quickly in cramped spaces.The final dozen contestants are sent on a yacht down the Rio Negro, the largest tributary of the Amazon. The show is broadcast nightly for a month on a regional channel of a media conglomerate called A Crítica, and the queens face challenges like rowing a boat, setting a table and dressing quickly in cramped spaces.
“The first test was to dress up in five minutes,” Pontes said. “The bedrooms are so tight, and I had three pieces of luggage.”“The first test was to dress up in five minutes,” Pontes said. “The bedrooms are so tight, and I had three pieces of luggage.”
Once the final three contestants are chosen, organizers said, television viewers decide the Queen of the Peladão. The women are mostly ages 18 to 28 — students, factory workers, some wanting to be famous, others seeking a brief escape from the everyday.Once the final three contestants are chosen, organizers said, television viewers decide the Queen of the Peladão. The women are mostly ages 18 to 28 — students, factory workers, some wanting to be famous, others seeking a brief escape from the everyday.
Pontes, in high school a year ago, wanted to honor her brother, Sansão Carioca Miranda, who was shot to death in 2012, at age 24, when someone tried to steal his motorcycle.Pontes, in high school a year ago, wanted to honor her brother, Sansão Carioca Miranda, who was shot to death in 2012, at age 24, when someone tried to steal his motorcycle.
That same year, at the 40th Peladão tournament, one of the queens was Marcia de Almeida Lobo, a 34-year-old street cleaner and a mother of five. Lobo had no delusions of winning, she told the newspaper A Crítica, but as a child she watched the Peladão parades and allowed herself to dream.That same year, at the 40th Peladão tournament, one of the queens was Marcia de Almeida Lobo, a 34-year-old street cleaner and a mother of five. Lobo had no delusions of winning, she told the newspaper A Crítica, but as a child she watched the Peladão parades and allowed herself to dream.
“I saw the queens, these beautiful girls, in front of the team carrying the flag,” Lobo told A Crítica. “The only thing I could think about was that, one day I, too, wanted to be a queen of the Peladão.”“I saw the queens, these beautiful girls, in front of the team carrying the flag,” Lobo told A Crítica. “The only thing I could think about was that, one day I, too, wanted to be a queen of the Peladão.”
Stories like Lobo’s make the soccer tournament “a shout for freedom,” said Arnaldo Santos, 75, a radio journalist and soccer commentator who has been the Peladão’s chief organizer since 1998.Stories like Lobo’s make the soccer tournament “a shout for freedom,” said Arnaldo Santos, 75, a radio journalist and soccer commentator who has been the Peladão’s chief organizer since 1998.
“There is no separation of the social classes,” Santos said. “The rich and poor are mixed. Some people don’t even know what they are going to eat on Monday, but on Sunday they are playing and people are applauding.”“There is no separation of the social classes,” Santos said. “The rich and poor are mixed. Some people don’t even know what they are going to eat on Monday, but on Sunday they are playing and people are applauding.”
The tournament began after Brazil’s former military dictatorship declared Manaus a free-trade zone, attempting to revive an economy that faded after a rubber boom of the late 1800s went bust.The tournament began after Brazil’s former military dictatorship declared Manaus a free-trade zone, attempting to revive an economy that faded after a rubber boom of the late 1800s went bust.
Immigrants began streaming into Manaus, and the Peladão helped provide recreation for these new arrivals and relieve tensions between neighborhoods, said Sampaio, its founder.Immigrants began streaming into Manaus, and the Peladão helped provide recreation for these new arrivals and relieve tensions between neighborhoods, said Sampaio, its founder.
He was a reporter at the time, and the Peladão had another purpose — enhancing the circulation of a new Sunday edition of the A Crítica newspaper.He was a reporter at the time, and the Peladão had another purpose — enhancing the circulation of a new Sunday edition of the A Crítica newspaper.
The first parade of queens was held in 1974 on a square near Manaus’s San Sebastian Church. The ceremony drew tens of thousands of spectators, Sampaio said, and the ire of the local clergy.The first parade of queens was held in 1974 on a square near Manaus’s San Sebastian Church. The ceremony drew tens of thousands of spectators, Sampaio said, and the ire of the local clergy.
“While the parade happened outside, the priest was talking bad things about us inside,” Sampaio said, laughing. “He accused the Peladão of exploiting women. Soccer balls were hitting the faithful as they came out of church. It was an organized mess.”“While the parade happened outside, the priest was talking bad things about us inside,” Sampaio said, laughing. “He accused the Peladão of exploiting women. Soccer balls were hitting the faithful as they came out of church. It was an organized mess.”
In some ways, it still is. Car lights have illuminated games on makeshift fields after dark. A referee was chased up a tree by a Rottweiler unleashed by an irritated team owner. Another referee dispersed an agitated crowd with a fake pistol.In some ways, it still is. Car lights have illuminated games on makeshift fields after dark. A referee was chased up a tree by a Rottweiler unleashed by an irritated team owner. Another referee dispersed an agitated crowd with a fake pistol.
To rebut charges of exploitation, Sampaio decreed that queens be accompanied at appearances by their mothers or a close relative. Recently, the mother of Pontes, the reigning Queen of the Peladão, told a photographer, “Don’t kidnap her; if you do, kidnap me, too.”To rebut charges of exploitation, Sampaio decreed that queens be accompanied at appearances by their mothers or a close relative. Recently, the mother of Pontes, the reigning Queen of the Peladão, told a photographer, “Don’t kidnap her; if you do, kidnap me, too.”
Today, Manaus has two million people, and the Peladão has added a masters division and related tournaments for women, children, indigenous tribes and teams from the interior of the state of Amazonas. Last year, 1,142 teams and 22,983 players participated. A recent championship match drew a crowd of more than 40,000.Today, Manaus has two million people, and the Peladão has added a masters division and related tournaments for women, children, indigenous tribes and teams from the interior of the state of Amazonas. Last year, 1,142 teams and 22,983 players participated. A recent championship match drew a crowd of more than 40,000.
Some rules have been tailored to the competition. Offside is not called. The ball can be kicked instead of thrown into play from out of bounds. Yellow cards can be expunged by buying balls for disadvantaged children.Some rules have been tailored to the competition. Offside is not called. The ball can be kicked instead of thrown into play from out of bounds. Yellow cards can be expunged by buying balls for disadvantaged children.
As the tournament has grown, so have the stakes. Former professionals regularly play. Team sponsors provide jobs to top players or school fees for their children. And violence has intruded. Last December, a goalkeeper named Paulo Christian Bezerra da Silva, 36, was shot and killed, reportedly for refusing to throw a semifinal game.As the tournament has grown, so have the stakes. Former professionals regularly play. Team sponsors provide jobs to top players or school fees for their children. And violence has intruded. Last December, a goalkeeper named Paulo Christian Bezerra da Silva, 36, was shot and killed, reportedly for refusing to throw a semifinal game.
The Peladão reality show, broadcast aboard a yacht, leaves the tournament vulnerable to charges of elitism, Sampaio said. “This is going to end the Peladão,” he said. “There are no poor women on that boat.”The Peladão reality show, broadcast aboard a yacht, leaves the tournament vulnerable to charges of elitism, Sampaio said. “This is going to end the Peladão,” he said. “There are no poor women on that boat.”
Yet for now, the allure of being named Queen of the Peladão remains strong, the rewards generous. Pontes won a car last year, which she sold to pay for college and housing. She took a job as a receptionist at the A Crítica television station and has endorsed beauty products, lingerie and jewelry. For the last month, Pontes has been a cheerleader on a nightly program devoted to that other soccer tournament, the World Cup.Yet for now, the allure of being named Queen of the Peladão remains strong, the rewards generous. Pontes won a car last year, which she sold to pay for college and housing. She took a job as a receptionist at the A Crítica television station and has endorsed beauty products, lingerie and jewelry. For the last month, Pontes has been a cheerleader on a nightly program devoted to that other soccer tournament, the World Cup.
She aspires to win other beauty contests. And why not? Priscilla Meirelles de Almeida, a former Queen of the Peladão, was named Miss Earth in 2004. Pontes will start with less global ambitions.She aspires to win other beauty contests. And why not? Priscilla Meirelles de Almeida, a former Queen of the Peladão, was named Miss Earth in 2004. Pontes will start with less global ambitions.
“I will be Miss Brazil one day,” she said.“I will be Miss Brazil one day,” she said.