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Originally written by Salmon Fishin':

It's a shame you didn't edit this post before I found it. Congrats to your team, they played decent ball.

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Originally written by Oh, the pain, the pain:

I complained. Loudly. You want video?

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Originally written by Oh, the pain, the pain:

I pity that "monster" Zidane and hope he doesn't get remembered for the head thing - he's too great a player over his career but what a way to end it.

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According to a local newspaper, Materattzi called him a terrorist, due to his family heritage.

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The fact is all sports have their low moments. There are players in soccer that act like thugs just as there are Ron Artests in America. There are fans for both soccer and American sports that get rowdy and behave inappropriately. There are racists in all sports. You can't categorize a sport by one incident, or one person or group.

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Originally written by Stugri-La:

Really, I find the most disturbing thing about this affair to be the general reaction to it- from the media as well as the vast majority of soccer fans. The incident of the headbutting and its aftermath came up just as I was beginning to sense a growing liking within me for this game. I'd always found soccer crushingly boring, at least compared to my favorite sports: basketball, baseball, football, and tennis. So little scoring, so much running from end to end, so little excitement generated for me, a standard American sports fan.

But, you know, I was just beginning to gain an appreciation for the artistry of some of the shots and the subtle drama of the game, I watched the headbutt and the controversy it generated. And then, clearly, I saw what was wrong with this game, what makes it not truly worth watching.

Really, the biggest problem with soccer is that it's a game for goddamn fruitcakes. The reaction to the head-butting made that clear. All this whining about the crushing blow Zidane had made to the game and his own reputation. And I thought: how many times have I seen a brawl break out in a baskeball, basketball, football, or hockey game? Tons, and no one really bothered to whine and complain about the degeneration of the sport and the shame incurred by the players involved.

Physical contact is a part of sport. So is emotion, and, as a result, so is violence. Zidane's headbutt was not a calculated attempt to cause injury to the Italian player. It was simply an expression of anger in an emotionally charged game. By all means, it was proper that he should have been given the red card. But it is not proper that he should receive the lambasting he has suffered from the press and fans.

The endless decrying of the incident is yet another reason why soccer will never reach the mainstream popularity in America that it has in many other countries. The rest of you can continue to watch your stylish, graceful, emotionally vacant game, but I'll stick to my basketball, thank you.

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