Italy beat France at soccer two nil. Soccer is a game of endurance, strategy and team building. Being the most popular team sport in the world, it often stokes the patriotic fibre in fans and the public at large.

However, when it comes to sports commentators, we sometimes have to endure slurs and jabs. The latest example is Paul Doyle’s June 17 column replete with the entire Anti-French lexicon of latter day French Bashing.

  • The French team was not defeated, it “surrendered”;
  • The French team’s “shameful surrender” was “gutless and clueless”;
  • The French manager showed “cowardice”

The silver lining around this defeat in the early stages of the Euro 2008 cup must surely be the fact the American media will not take notice, thus sparing us the usual litany of late night jokes. For the record:

“Congratulations to the Italian people for winning the World Cup. … They won after France’s best player got ejected for head butting. That’s the closest anyone in a French uniform has come to combat in 60 years” - Jay Leno, 2006

“Top Ten Signs France Is Celebrating Their Soccer Victory: 8. Surrendering to Germany.” - David Letterman, 1998