Dare I ask: Was the Headbutt good for Soccer in America?

I don't know if elevate is the right word but i think the answer is yes.

 

You'll probably get ripped for saying it, but the funny thing is that the headbutt certainly didn't hurt. Within minutes of it happening, I had friends texting me messages about it. Most of these people don't normally watch soccer, but because they know i watch it and had talked about it, they gave it a peek. A couple of days later, we are still starting off conversations with the headbutt. I've had a number of friends tell me that they didn't know that soccer was so physical (dispelling the concept they had that soccer was for sissies). The headbutt isn't going to put 5000 people in the stands this weekend, but it will play a small part in helping the perception of soccer here.

 

Exactly. Everyone at work knew that I went to the WC, and now everyone is asking my opinion of it. It's on the front page of ESPN, CNNSI, and Slate. It's a welcome relief to "oh, they're all flopping".

It will reach mythic status - everyone will remember the exact time they saw it happen.

 

Well, it was clearly the most memorable momment in an otherwise dismal, badly played, and overly tactical finale.

 

We are Americans - we don't mind, at least in our hearts, a little confrontation and violence surrounding our sports. Some of the most famous moments of NASCARS history - even as it's become more sanitized - are the fights between drivers. Hockey success, whatever level of success you want to say that it has achieved in the U.S., is almost predicated on fights. Baseball brawls never escape our attention. A head-butt in soccer - it may not be what makes me love the game but it certainly got attention and not the same kind of anti-soccer attention that hooliganism gets.

 

http://ytmnd.com/

 

yeah once everyone figures out that you can make tackles in football all of USA should take football serious.

 

Yes, it was the Butt heard 'round the world

Thanks Zizou.

 

Still the best WC final in my memory by far though...was 6 years old in '90, '94 was awfu, '98 and '02 were way too one-sided

 

scroll down to the bottom right.. that NES Zidane is the funniest thing..

 

link doesn't work.

 

Many people that I wouldn't consider soccer fans are still talking about it days after the game. It probably helps too that so many unknowledgeables consider "soccer" to be a sport played by little kids and girls, so silly as it is it added a brutality to the game that at least many of the guys I work with can better relate to.

I think the most important thing though is that the game was watched by millions of fans across the country and it was a decent match.

 

now the link worked.

 

I like the "Reason Why Zindane Did It"

 

I listen to sports radio when I got to sleep as habit and never once heard one single thing about this WC.But for the past two night they have been talking about it maybe not it but Zidane. Some good and bad most are just bashing him for it.

 

Ha, ha, ha.....my wife came home last night after her Bunko game with her freinds and she told me that they kept asking her about the headbutt and then after starting asking questions about the world cup and US Soccer. Now these are freinds of hers that do not follow soccer, or rather, did not. So I guess the headbutt was a good thing.......

 

I think that the headlines helped "soccer get recognized in america".....and got the casual fan interested in what they just saw. And surely so did the Portugal/Holland card fest! Because like it or not anytime there is a bench clearing brawl or NASCAR wreck on sportscenter......EVERYONE in the room will turn toward the TV.

I am not a NASCAR fan one bit -- but if I happen to catch a serious wreck (ie. a flaming car flipping end over end) on the TV then yeah I watch it and maybe talk about it with co-workers and friends -- but that is it. NASCAR fans hate to see wrecks for fear of driver injuries (see: earnhart, dale) and slowing down the competition.

So that is what I liken Zidane's headbutt to......a flaming car wreck for our sport. True supporters don't want to see it happen but it may grab the attention of everybody else for a short time. That is why you are seeing the spike in media attention.....unfortuantely.

 

One of the large morning shows were showing a new headbutt game featuring ZZ of course.

Wow, middle america conservative morining talk is in on it.

Maybe it was a good thing.

 

I listen to conservative talk radio pretty much all day here in Phoenix and EVERYONE is talking about it constantly. All of them are bashing the heck out of soccer but there is a lot of attention being given to it. I think all of those guys are shooting themselves in the foot with all the attention.

 

Yup, I agree. The talk is good.

 

"Look here, Cletus, we got us some sokker here. (laughs) That's that fairy stuff played by them there ferners."

(Zidane headbutts Materazzi)

"Well day-um, Cletus, this here sokker gots a little more edge to it than I realized. Go tell Jim Bob and Cousin Merle to turn off NASCAR and come over here and watch this."