Italy v France Today

If you want to see the best goalkeeper on the planet, keep an eye on Gianluigi Buffon. On the French side, look for brilliant play from Zidane and Henry. Italy is particularly dangerous on corners and other set pieces. France is most dangerous when on a fast break with Zidane feeding the ball to Henry (or the impetuous Ribery taking the ball in unexpectedly). Should be a good contest. The drama of sports is, of course, that no one knows before hand how it unfolds or how it ends. This is unique in the world of ceremony. Thus, an excellent sports contest (particularly football, given its constant movement, team dynamics, and potential for the electric moment) can far exceed the dramatic appeal of an excellent stage performance, although these events are radically different in other ways. In particular, the stage performance allows for a sort of intimacy of discourse (and explication of philosophical notions and contradictions) that is absent from the more visceral world of sports. This is only partly made up for in football by the complexity of the dynamics, the chess-like nature of the choreography combined with the chaos and serendipity of having two teams, with opposed objectives, clashing (trying to undo the other's choreographed moves and forcing invention or failure). In any event, I look forward to today's match.