CBS Early to Excuse Zidane: 'A Male Thing Understood Around The World'

Early Show/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

by Mark Finkelstein

July 13, 2006 - 08:03

Let's imagine an American World Cup team member 'of pallor' had head-butted, oh, an Arab or African player. Would the MSM be quick to excuse, even make the incident the object of humor? Or would we have been treated to mind-numbing disquisitions on racism in sport as a microcosm of society at large?

But when a French player of Arab ancestry head-butts an Italian? Well, CBS tells us, boys will be boys. CBS's Elizabeth Palmer, who narrated a segment on the incident on this morning's Early Show, informed us that "it's a male thing understood around the world." To prove her point, CBS ran a clip from an Adam Sandler flick showing the comedian, as a football player, taking a flying foot leap into another player who had insulted his mother. We were also treated to images of video spoofs and video games that the incident has generated.

All this with nary a cluck of the tongue by Palmer or the hosts back in the studio, who, rather than condemning Zidane, joked that "inquiring minds want to know" what the Italian had done to provoke the attack.

And just in case we missed the point, Palmer concluded on this note: "For a real man, family honor trumps sporting glory every time." Well I'll be darned - the MSM as defender of macho values!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Early Show/NewsBusters ping to Today show list.

[beyond the sea]

His mother wears combat boots.

[Dog]

Poor little metrosexual...

[mewzilla]

I saw that.

Then I thought to myself...Zidane's defended for committing assault over an alleged insult. But civilized society shouldn't be allowed to defend itself against Islamofascist terrorists.

Go figure.

[NorCalRepub]

....LOL.....well before you lambaste CBS too much...I've heard that on a few sites including on FOX where John Gibson on the " Big Story" said the exact same thing..."no big deal"....haha....

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Good point!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

My point is the double-standard. Do you think CBS would have sloughed off a similar incident if an American had head-butted an Arab or African player?

[mewzilla]

Zidane, France admires and loves you - Chirac

Snort.

[garyhope]

CBS = Cowardly Broadcasting Sellouts or Commie B*stard Sophists.

[maggief]

No headbutt for Chirac?

[LoudRepublicangirl]

The liberal media can defend this action but does not defend our troops when they have been only accused of something. Screw the media!

[mewzilla]

The head butt may or may not be a big deal, depending I guess on how you feel about incivility in sports.

What I find fascinating is what the media and countries are willing to defend and what they are not not.

[NorCalRepub]

...of course not....I"m certainly not an apologist for SeeBS.....and I understand your point...I just am careful to not excoriate anyone when under similar circumstances, we might do the same thing......

[diggerwillow]

Ok to do on the playground....maybe not so ok in the World Cup final.

[wideawake]

The whole media wants to know what Materazzi did to set Zidane off - when the real question is why Zidane has such poor self-control that he's been sent off 15 times in his career, which has got to be some kind of record for a player at his level.

I'll point out that the exchange reported to the Italian media by other Italian players was that Materazzi was tugging on Zidane's shirt and Zidane said something like: "If you want to take my clothes off, you sissy, I'll give you my shirt after the game" and Materazzi responded by saying something like: "No thanks, I'll just take your wife's shirt off instead."

[Teacher317]

CBS just showing they're a bunch of dandies who have never played anything competitively. If you can't put up with a simple "Your Mama", you'll never survive even a pick-up game, let alone thriving in a professional sport where you have to keep your wits about you amidst some really fast-paced chaos.

[NorCalRepub]

....yup.....always two sides to a story...and I detest incivility in sports....ours or theirs....there is always that psychological bantering that goes on...and way too far....but professionals know that going in and should not let it get to them....if so.....the other guy wins....

[mewzilla]

Can we post pics from Rooters? Here's a link to a chummier pic...

Click here.

[mewzilla]

I don't see any excuse for assault. Not to mention that Zidane's head butt mayb very well have cost his team the Cup. To my mind, the best revenge would've been winning. But oh, no. Not for Zidane. It was all about him. To heck with his team.

What a clod.