Football, Brazil and the role of the public intellectual

Abstract

The concerns in this essay relate to questions about the role of the public intellectual and the university as a resource to address public issues and actively embrace public engagement as part of the university contract. The essay draws upon the social and political protests in the build up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as a basis for researching two questions: What are universities for? What opportunities are provided though sport to act as a public intellectual and a resource of hope in the world today? This small study of football, Brazil and the role of the intellectual draws upon both secondary and primary sources. The article concludes by recommending that those working in and through sport in the university have an ideal medium to work with the public on issues that matter to the public, and should use this opportunity to the full.