This article analyzes the meanings for Brazil of hosting the World Soccer Cup of 2014 and the Olympic Games of 2016. Considering the dimensions of these two mega events, their meanings are diverse and controversial. Since it is not possible to come to terms with all the analytic possibilities they offer us, we have chosen to focus our gaze on two main aspects. One of them deals with the representations of "Brazilianess" which are updated brought up in official ceremonies and the announcement of Rio de Janeiro as the seat of the Olympic Games is taken as a reference of this process. The other aspect is more diffuse and fragmented and has to do with the controversies involving the use of public resources by the State for the organization of the World Cup of 2014. In this case we used different sources of information, including, among others, official narratives, accounts of expenses, and internet media postings. Our objective is not to provide a synthesis of the meanings of mega events for Brazilians but to show how the country experiences a singular moment of enunciation, justification and tension of its national identity and of the State.
anthropology; Brazil; Olympic games; World Soccer Cup
