Addressing The Slums, Literally

There are times when the influence of sports triggers steps forward in society at large.  Think Jackie Robinson and the integration of Major League Baseball.  Now, in Brazil, comes another one of those steps forward.

I found this fascinating: the slums, or favelas, or Rio are finally being mapped. 

It is depressing, but admittedly poetic in a macabre sort of way, that the poorest slums in Rio de Janeiro have not been named on maps.  The poor have been invisible, literally not listed on any map, denied the official addresses needed--as mentioned in the article--for job applications, bank accounts, and emergency calls. 

No wonder drug dealers have roamed the slums of Rio for so long. 

So, the reason why Rio is finally addressing this issue?  Sports, or more directly, the money and public attention that will come to Brazil from the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.  It doesn't seem like this prompt should have been needed, but hey, if it works, it works. 

A victory for sports, for people like FIFA's president Sepp Blatter who argue that sport should be independent of politics because it serves as its own style of diplomat, bringing outcast countries into the fold and encouraging them to ameliorate those circumstances that cause outrage within and beyond their borders.

Then again, the awarding of the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup hasn't exactly spurred human rights advances in Russia, where new anti-gay legislation is pending.  Clearly Putin loved the old Cold War movies too much, because now he wants to revive that Russia versus the world paradigm through tyranny and just general nastiness. 

Don't expect to see FIFA rescind the Russian World Cup, though, nor the IOC pulling the Olympics.  Too much money at stake, and sporting associations aren't likely to take such blatant action.  But if FIFA refuses to condemn Russia, then it certainly seems like it should not be allowed to take too much credit for improving Brazilian life, even if that is an indirect result of the 2014 World Cup preparations. The same should be said for the Olympics.

Or is it just an example of picking one's battles?  Should FIFA and the IOC be lauded for their influence, the awarding of sporting events and the ensuing public spotlight forcing positive changes in some instances? 

Perhaps we should just say objectively that sports are having a positive effect in Brazil, and a neutral effect in Russia, since the awarding of the World Cup can't be blamed for Putin becoming a jerk--he was one already.  The changes that occur are simply a matter of cause and effect, not a reason for celebrating the sports that triggered the changes. 

What do you think?  Is credit due to FIFA and the IOC for awarding these prestigious events to a country with known social ills, in the expectation that the ills might be treated?  Or is it really just all about the money with them, and any attached progress happens independently of their influence, or more specifically, independent of their intentions?