When's Zidane Bobblehead Day?

Like Bill Simmons, I think the whole Zidane thing was blown way out of proportion and been completely overanalyzed. Haven't these people played sports before? You don't get to be as good as Zidane without being incredibly competitive, and sometimes their emotions will get the better of them in battle. And he managed to make the World Cup way more interesting than it had been up to that point. This can only help the sport's growth in North America, as some people seem strangely worried and passionate about. Still a dumb move, but geez, get over it.

Sez the Sports Guy:
I thought it was fascinating to watch him wipe out two stereostypes at once: That soccer players are wusses, and that French people are wusses. I'm also delighted that the Euro papers hired lip readers to see what the Italian said to him -- you know how I've been pushing for lip readers to replace sideline reporters for the past few years. But I didn't think the Zidane thing was as big of a deal as everyone made it out to be -- 8 minutes left in extra time, and it's not like they didn't have 10 guys left. Plus, their keeper, Paul Shaffer, didn't come close to stopping any of Italy's penalty kicks. They would have lost either way. I'm just excited that Tyson's ear bite on Holyfield finally has a sports rival.

Hilarious anti-Materazzi video here, via TtP.