Sportsmanship, Continental-Style

A Greek friend once told me that the Anglo-American sense of honor and chivalry in sports isn't shared by continental Europeans. In soccer, for instance, cheating or fouling was only a problem if you got caught. That attitude certainly seems in full sway in this story:

Italy defender Marco Materazzi finally disclosed what he said to Zinedine Zidane in the [2006] World Cup final that provoked the French star to retaliate with a head-butt.

"I prefer the whore that is your sister," Materazzi wrote in his yet-to-be-released autobiography, according to Italian news reports Saturday.
...
Zidane head-butted Materazzi in the chest with 10 minutes left in last year's final. He was sent off for violent conduct, ending his stellar career with a red card. Italy went on to win the game in a penalty-kick shootout after the score was 1-1 after extra time.

Materazzi, who received a two-game ban for incitement, has since apologized to Zidane. France coach Raymond Domenech this month lauded Materazzi's strategy for getting Zidane out of the game.

"I say 'bravo' to him," the coach said.

Professional sports in the US have suffered from a general decline in sportsmanship, and that decline has probably worked its way down through the echelon to the sandlot level. But I'd like to believe that this statement and strategy would still be greeted with outrage in this country.