What a sad turn of events
Who saw the World Cup final today? I think France may have outplayed the Italians, but the final outcome for me was completely overshadowed by Zidane getting red-carded for headbutting Materazzi. It's just an overwhelmingly sad thing. I feel so badly for him and I hate all the self-righteous jocks and wannabe jocks who called it shameful etc...
He is obviously an emotional man and it's pretty clear Materazzi said something despicable that set him off. It's no credit to Zidane that he headbutted the guy in his chest, but it's somehow worse (and more cowardly) to provoke a man to violence with slurs just to get him sent off while you writhe away on the ground in fake agony. I guess it's worth it to win the world cup? Anyway, the whole thing just depresses me. There is no such thing as sportsmanship anymore - not at these levels anyway.
He is obviously an emotional man and it's pretty clear Materazzi said something despicable that set him off. It's no credit to Zidane that he headbutted the guy in his chest, but it's somehow worse (and more cowardly) to provoke a man to violence with slurs just to get him sent off while you writhe away on the ground in fake agony. I guess it's worth it to win the world cup? Anyway, the whole thing just depresses me. There is no such thing as sportsmanship anymore - not at these levels anyway.
posted by Mr. Apple at 12:36 AM
7 Comments:
I felt the same way. It was so sad to see him leave the pitch in his final international game. He had such a great championship. I've never seen a World Cup with so much drama before, except when Maradona was still playing.
Drink away with your tarts in Ottawa.
I must admit I completely respect Zidane, and was startled to see it.
Still, much like the "I raped her because she was wearing a short skirt--she provoked me" argument, an act of physical violence is always completely in the hands of the assailant.
Like several of the announcers said, Zidane, in his career, has most likely heard every insult and trash talk in the book. And he has headbutted people in the past during matches.
Bottom line, he made a choice to go out like that, provoked or not. He clearly had a lot of frustration pent up, and who better to take it out on at long last than a cocky Italian?
Well, like I said, it's certainly not to Zidane's credit that he lashed out, but the notion that lashing out with violence is somehow inherently worse than lashing out with insults is not, to me, as self-evident as it seems to be to others. I have more respect for a man who punches someone in the face for saying his mother is a terrorist whore than I do for the original insulter.
That being said, we don't know what was said between those players and it's possible Zidane said some crude things, and I suppose it's possible Materazzi simply said "Monsieur Zidane, your football skills are in decline." I'm not excusing Zidane; the headbut was completely out of bounds and he deserved to be sent off. I'm simply saying that our culture, where vile slurs are excused as "gamesmanship" and where winning a trophy is more important than comporting oneself with dignity and honour, is deeply messed up.
That goes for Zidane as well as Materazzi.
Mr. Apple,
Now that's a conclusion we can all agree with. To be honest, I doubt Materazzi called his mother a terrorist whore, which is just one of the many rumours that have been released (the most vile one.) But I do agree that the days of mustachioed gamesmen in striped singlets are long gone.
Still, I do take exception to being grouped in with "wannabe jocks" just because I may have been startled by Zidane's action (or reaction). I am not a jock and will never be. I may in fact be the least sportive person you will ever meet. (This is given that we accidentally bump into each other in Ottawa)
The "jocks and wannabe jocks" thing was in reference to the talking heads on sports shows and the sports writers whose columns I read in the aftermath of the incident.
What upset me was the hypocrisy of these loudmouths who condemn a player like Zidane for reacting in a human - albeit inappropriate - way, and at the same time laud other players for actions that in my eyes are just as bad (like provoking players with insults, or diving/faking injuries to get opponents carded). That idiot Marcelo Balboa who did the colour commentary on ABC is the worst, and the rest of that crew was not much better. This guy actually aplauded diving! On the French penalty kick, where the player clearly dove, he complements the guy for doing "a good job of selling that one".
Anyway Nick, I never heard you saying that provocation is just gamesmanship and diving is ok....so please don't take offence to the wannabe jock thing.
nick, your intellectual A-game is jockdom enough.
the love between you and apple is palpable in this exchange. i take full credit for bringing the two of you together.
T
um...uh...
oh jeez...
well, this is awkward, huh?
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