Why I liked Zidane's headbutt.

First let me say, I was watching with my son when it happened, so my joy was reserved. I didn't want to send him (a soccer fanatic) the wrong message, but I thought it was very cool, and I spent the last two days trying to figure out why. So here's what I came up with:

First, the sport, which I like alot, has very little room for reciprocity. All of the major sports (at least football, baseball, hockey) have room for the players to keep things "right" on the field of play. But in soccer, there doesn't appear to be an on-field answer to the extremes - the writhing in pain acting by the strikers, or the brutal mind games and chippiness by the defense.

Second, I really like Zidane. His class and intensity are unmatched in our generation...very Jordanesque.

Third, I really dislike Materazzi (the reciever of the headbutt). I didn't like him in the US game, and after further research, I dislike him more now. He's a third rate thug, who is kindly referred to in the Italian press as a "late bloomer" who "worked his way up through the minors". Any hockey fan knows that's code for enforcer who thugged his way up the hard way. Add to the thug factor the fact that he's smart (a professional soccer coaches son), and you get a guy who is playing mental games too. In fact, rumor has it Materazzi's chippy mind games began referring to Zidane's modest Armenian heritage (his father brought the family to France for work and immediately provided by doing jobs the French wouldn't do) by referring to him as a "terrorist" and telling him "to go play for his own country". These last two jabs were what set Zidane off.

All this said, I didn't mind the headbutt. I kind of liked it. The American sports media has been brutal toward Zidane, and I think wrongfully so. Dan Patrick of ESPN paralleled it to Mike Tyson biting Evander Hollyfield. Michael Wilbon called it the worst action in the history of sport (come on). My parallel is way different. I equate it first by who are the characters. This Materazzi fellow is no Evander Hollifield...he's more akin to Bill Lambier, Dennis Rodman, or Brashiers (the Flyers thug). And Zidane is no Mike Tyson. Tyson didn't represent dignitty and class to the boxing world, he was just the opposite. Zidane is a father of 4 boys, a good one at that, and every father in France wishes their kid could grow up like him...more akin to Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, or John Stockton. So let's replace the characters with John Stockton and Dennis Rodman. Make the scene game 7 of the NBA finals, tie score with 2 minutes to play, and Rodman has been chipping away at Stockton, mentally and physically, the whole series. The refs have done nothing to this point. Then, away from the ball, as Stockton is slashing through the lane, like he always did, he drops Rodman to the floor. The replay shows what happened, and because Rodman, being escorted off, stops play, the refs see the replay and eject Stockton...Jazz lose the series. I'm still deep down inside, glad Stockton did it. That's where I'm at with Zidane.