2022 Race

No, the NFL didn’t endorse Bolsonaro

bolsonaro nfl miami dolphins
Jair Bolsonaro hosted Durval Queiroz Neto, who had a brief NFL stint as an offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins, for a meeting at the presidential palace. Photo: Marcos Corrêa/PR

President Jair Bolsonaro took advantage of a tweet published by the National Football League in the early hours of this morning, to jokingly frame it as an endorsement from the American football governing body. The NFL tweeted: “don’t know about you, but we’re feeling 22.” 

The tweet is a reference to a Taylor Swift song, and was used to break the news of a move by the San Francisco 49ers to acquire Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey, who wears number 22.

President Bolsonaro replied to the NFL’s tweet with a “thank you!” message. Candidates are identified on Brazil’s electronic voting machines by numeric codes. Mr. Bolsonaro is represented by the number 22 — which belongs to his Liberal Party.

The president later posted a photo with Durval Queiroz Neto, who had a brief NFL stint as an offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins.

Brazil — a country so associated with “soccer” — has all of a sudden become the third-biggest fanbase for NFL football. Only Mexico and the U.S. have more aficionados of the sport than Brazil, according to a study by Global Web Index.

According to the Washington Post, Mr. McCaffrey is scheduled to join the 49ers on Friday and could play for them in their game Sunday at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Mr. Bolsonaro, for his part, will face former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (whose electoral number is 13) in a runoff election on October 30.