‘I do not want to go to Brazil.’ Miami Dolphins might have dodged a bullet by not going to Brazil

The Miami Dolphins should thank their lucky stars.

When the NFL announced plans to play a game in Brazil in 2024, the Dolphins appeared to be the logical choice due to it initially being the “only team in the NFL that received rights to Brazil as part of the league’s global markets program,” per Sports Illustrated’s Alain Poupart. The NFL eventually opted for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, who will face off Friday night at 8:15 p.m., yet with the issues that have arisen prior to kickoff, it might have been great that the Dolphins stayed stateside.

In addition to the speculation that both the Eagles and Packers would be unable to wear the color green, there’s also issues around safety, air pollution and team reporters’ inability to tweet due to the country’s ban of X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter.

“I do not want to go to Brazil, you want to know why? I’m here to tell you why,” Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said this week. Slay later apologized for his comments. “They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much going on because the crime rate is crazy ... and like we’re out of the country.”

The green ban stems from it being the color of Palmeiras, the arch rival of Corinthians. Friday’s game takes place at NeoQuimica Arena, the home stadium of Corinthians, a team that fines its players for wearing the color while home fans are also discouraged from doing so. A NFL spokesperson, however, confirmed that the color rule won’t be in effect on Friday.

“None of that applies to the Green Bay-Philadelphia game, where fans of both Packers and Eagles will be wearing green,” Tom Schlittner told USA Today. The Packers will wear green jerseys.

Despite the country’s efforts to beef up security ahead of Friday’s night game, Brazil still has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, according to the Igarapé Institute’s Homicide Monitor. Then there’s the issue of air quality. Brazil’s air pollution levels are twice that of what the World Health Organization considers safe, according to the the United Nations agency. Meanwhile, beat reporters have been forced to navigate the ban of X, which the country’s Supreme Court blocked last week due to an ongoing feud with Elon Musk.

“Elon Musk showed his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, for the judiciary, setting himself up as a true supranational entity and immune to the laws of each country,” Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said.

Some Philadelphia beat reporters have opted to let their wives tweet for them, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

“The wives of the Philadelphia beat reporters tweeting for them back in Philly/NJ because their husbands aren’t allowed to tweet in Brazil may be my favorite sidebar story of the week,” Russini quipped. “I hope they let it rip tonight.”

Friday inaugural Brazil game is part of the NFL’s effort to expand internationally. Teams have been played in England, Germany and even Mexico City in recent years.