"Becoming a professional soccer player was always Arthur Marques' (@arthurzinnv) goal. "In Brazil, being a professional soccer player is everyone's dream as a kid," Marques says through an interpreter. The 20-year-old TikToker sort of made that dream come true. Yes, he plays soccer for a living. But it's soccer with a twist. It's called altinha, Portuguese for "a little higher." Players stand in a circle and keep a ball in the air for as long as possible using their feet, knees, chins, hips, heads."
"Marques' record is five minutes. Sounds a little short. But it's not. "That's a lot of time," Marques says. "It looks easy, but there are a lot of dynamics at play. It's almost like boxing nonstop for five minutes." Locals started playing soccer on Rio de Janeiro's iconic Copacabana Beach in 1927. But stray balls soon clashed with sunbathers, and officials tightened rules."
More than one billion users visit TikTok every month, and since its 2016 launch it has become one of the most popular social media platforms. The platform has sparked controversies and national restrictions, including a ban in India in 2020 and Australian limits on under-16s using social media. Creators across the Global South — including Brazil, Gaza, Kenya and Tanzania — have amassed millions of views and translated localized culture into global attention. These creators often convey hope, advocacy and connection through trends, subcultures, and personal stories. Altinha originated on Ipanema Beach in the 1960s after earlier beach soccer was constrained by rules and safety conflicts.
Read at www.npr.org
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