I was intrigued to read in The Wall Street Journal that French soccer star Zinedine Zidane's popularity has increased dramatically since his infamous head-butt of Italian Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup Final. (If you missed, it, here's a 10-second clip.)
At the time most people thought that the incident would be perceived as a black mark on Zidane and diminish his ability to win commercial endorsements (which earned him $11 million in 2005.) But as Marie Valla wrote in the Journal,
In the two months since [the World Cup...Zidane's] public appeal has soared.
"From an advertising point of view, Zidane's emotional charge is twice as big today as it was before the World Cup," says Frederic Raillard of Publicis' affiliate Marcel...
Through France ended up losing the match, Mr. Zidane was voted the country's favorite personality in a recent annual newspaper poll. [1]
What's going on here? Zidane's impulsive act was clearly remarkable by virtue of its setting (the largest sporting event in the world) and its mysteriousness (Materazzi's taunting seems even less provocative now that we know he was insulting Zidane's non-existent sister). So it's logical that Zidane would be the focus of intense media scrutiny, and the increased attention resulting from that scrutiny certainly explains some of Zidane's increased popularity.
But underlying that mechanical explanation is something more emotional: the obvious impulsivity (even stupidity) of Zidane's act has a visceral appeal in a world where most public actions are scripted and mediated with the greatest care. Zidane was pissed--who really knows why, or cares?--and he expressed himself directly. Not intelligently or articulately, but directly. That's in stark contrast to 99% of other public figures, and it's made Zidane authentic and, frankly, more interesting.
We can and should decry Zidane's poor sportsmanship, disdain attention-getting stunts, and aspire to a world of ethical sport. Even Zidane says "I hope that none of these kids [at a junior soccer tournament] will ever do something like I did." But there's clearly value in authenticity and, at times, in wearing our emotions on our sleeves.
[1] "Soccer Star Zidane May Have Lost His Head, But(t) It Hasn't Hurt Him" (Marie Valla, The Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2006)
Photo courtesy of premasagar. Yay Flickr.
