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The Equalizers

A secret history of the fight for social justice among Brazil’s greatest soccer stars of the past century

Kurt Shaw
By Kurt ShawJul 11, 2014
Kurt Shaw
After working with homeless teenagers in New York City, Kurt Shaw created Shine a Light, a network of more than 300 nonprofits serving marginalized youths around Latin America. He lives in Brazil.
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Brazil has won more World Cup titles than any other country, but the nearly 200-year old South American host nation has a legacy of competitors as valiant off the field as on it—so much so that it is possible to imagine a player at every position on the soccer field whose life displayed an abiding commitment to rallying against social inequality.

Illustrations by Filip Peraić and David Schwen

social impactsocial inequalitybrazilsports and fitness

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