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The author might phrase the question a little differently if he really wants an answer: why would a resident of a Rio favela pay a year's salary for a seat at the second round of women's field hockey between Senegal and Outer Mongolia? Food, clothing, and shelter (such as it is) strike me as wiser choices. Why would such an individual not resent the influx of elite athletes, elite fans, elite journalists, and very elite organizers, all of whom will profit nicely from the experience where the local fan is only going to be inconvenienced?

If I, who am certainly not a resident of a favela, decided to risk my neck to view a rousing round of competition trampoline - I'm not making that up - the air fare is around $1800, the hotels are outrageous even if you can find one, the environment a toxic brew of festering corpses, exotic pathogens, and with all the personal safety of 80's Beirut...oh, yeah, and what did you say those event tickets cost again? Might all of that have a little to do with the empty seats, dontcha think?