Let's see. Sportswriters all over the world are decrying Zidane's disgraceful head butt. Blogs are clogged with discussions about competing claims from varied "professional lip readers" about what Materazzi actually said to him. And Sepp Blatter is hinting that Zidane may have his "golden ball" award stripped from him and that Materazzi could expect some severe penalty if it is found that he uttered something truly awfully insulting. And almost nothing is being said about the real disgrace in this game and so many other matches.

France's only goal came off of a dive.

"It's part of the game." "You see it in all sports." ... and so on. Rationalizations. France's ONLY goal came from a fake foul. Beyond that, how many of the games were marred by key players falling down at the slightest contact in an attempt to draw a foul? Nearly all of them. Don't get me started on the unbelievably unmanly displays of pain/agony. I don't care if your femur is sticking out of your leg, you won't see players in most other contact sports writhing about celebrating their discomfort/pain. Only in soccer. And it too often affects the game in a huge way, witness the French PK in the WC final.

This is NOT an anti-France, pro-Italy (god no) post. It's a statement of hope that the public will heap scorn and ridicule upon those who bring the game into such disrepute. New rules won't change things, only public disapproval will return the game to a place of honor. While deserving of serious penalty and condemnation, Zidane's action was less-far from manly behavior than the countless acts of wussiness displayed by so many otherwise top-flite players in so many WC matches. I truly love watching REAL players like Hargreaves, Zidane, Miguel, Robinho and the like play the game. I truly hate watching the amateurish theater displayed by the likes of Ronaldo, Figo, Henry, Donovan, etc. and hope that public disgrace and humiliation will find it's way to them. Only then will the world's game be returned to the status of a GREAT game.