Dear Editor,
I would like to issue the following response to Mr. Pitonzo’s article that featured in your last issue:
Beauty, the concept around which Mr. Pitonzo’s article eloquently revolves, is undoubtedly subjective. Therefore, one can’t really argue with his opinions on what he does or does not consider beautiful. However, a strong and valuable opinion is always backed by concrete evidence, which is scarce if not entirely absent from Mr. P’s ‘last word’. One would think the last word in a newspaper directed at the students of a high school would encourage inquisitive, curious and satisfied sentiments, but the one-track minded nature of the article regarding the ‘beautiful game’ has completely the opposite effect.
Let’s have a look at how Mr. Pitonzo supports the notion that the three American sports mentioned are beautiful and that golf, tennis and especially football are not. A 250-meter hit in golf is not beautiful? Mr. P described a baseball player’s swing as “beautiful”, but what is different about a swing in golf? Apparently, tennis is also not beautiful, even though an aspect that Mr. P deems beautiful is athleticism and tennis players pour blood, sweat and tears into games that can last enormous amounts of time. If corruption and a boy wishing death upon the referee constitute the “ugly side” of a sport, shouldn’t the remarkable fairness and the general civility associated with tennis conversely outline the beautiful side to this game? But let’s get to the main subject here: calcio. What’s really the enormous difference between basketball and football? Both involve opposing teams putting the ball into or through a net, except the former gives more importance to speed whereas the latter to endurance. If athleticism is what Mr. P likes, shouldn’t he find an average 10 to 12 kilometers run by each player in any game beautiful? He states that a dunk in basketball is beautiful and in turn makes the sport as a whole beautiful. Shouldn’t the idea that “occasionally a shot (in football) may be considered beautiful” have the same effect on the sport in general? Moreover, calling baseball but not football a contact sport is irrational. If a catch in baseball is beautiful, isn’t the controlling of a ball flying from 40 meters away (with stunning precision, naturally) in the space of 1m2 not also beautiful? “Just a game”? I’m sure Mr. P knows that in Europe, and in Italy especially, football is a cultural phenomenon over which people from all walks of life can come together with a common cause. I would like to point our that Mr. Pitonzo is American, and that sometimes the subjective defense of our nation’s or team’s honour can get slightly out of hand, very much like the case of the little boy in Mr. P’s anecdote. One can only hope that the subjectivity can sometimes be put aside to develop ideas based on concrete logic. In the meantime Mr. Pitonzo: watch Diego Maradona’s goal against England in the ’86 world cup and give your free weekly Fiorentina tickets to people who actually enjoy the sport. If you need takers, a few people come to mind…