Article: Goooool! A soccer tournament in Brazil's Amazon is a win for a community and a business.(Executive Travel)(Calderaro Communications)

In Brazil, uma pelada, slang for a soccer match, is akin to a national religion. Every Sunday, the faithful don uniforms, remove their shoes and head for the beach. Quickly, the players open a clearing, place a soccer ball in mid-field and all of Brazil is again united in the national faith--soccer. In the Amazonian city of Manaus, the pelada has evolved into something more: the peladao.

At first, the peladao looks like a normal, albeit tinge, soccer tournament with as many as 900 teams playing on beaches, cleared forests and sandy lots throughout the Amazon. There's a twist: Each of the teams must bring a beauty queen, who also competes. If a team is eliminated ...

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