The short-hair look:

The new Cooper-do:

Cooper’s one-handed grab vs. Georgia:

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What’s worse is that Henry admits he used a handball but blamed the ref for missing it. This is so big the Irish prime minister asked for a replay of the game and said he would bring the issue up with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Americans have nothing on international soccer fans when it comes to passion and blowing things out of proportion.

“We were robbed” said the Irish Star, “Le Cheat” added the Irish Mirror, while the Irish Sun splashed with the “Hand of the Frog”.

A Facebook page entitled “We Irish hate Thierry Henry (the cheat)” also drew hundreds of comments, including a call for an Irish boycott of French goods.

In a twist, France’s gym teachers (yes, there is a gym teacher’s union in France) ripped the French soccer federation for not condemning the handball.

“The France team will go to South Africa courtesy of indisputable cheating, which highlights the downward spiral affecting football today,” the SNEP-FSU union said.

The sports teachers also said they objected to statements from coach Raymond Domenech and some players that sent the message that “the most important thing in sport is to win.” “All these comments are unfortunately linked to a ‘very modern’ philosophy stipulating that in all areas, including sports, the end justifies the means,” the union said.

Of course, one solution would be to allow instant replay for situations like this, a call that has increased among soccer commentators. We have the technology and this would allow obvious mistakes to be overturned and make the outcome valid. The NFL replay system, while not perfect, does go a long way in fixing up referee errors. But I imagine soccer, excuse me, “football” purists will have some dopey reason to oppose technology, but don’t trying selling that argument in Ireland today.

Video of the handball and Henry admitting it:

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Video after the jump.

Hat tip to Towleroad.

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The film is about a hardcore New York Giants fan, Paul. Blue-collar guy. This reviewer, Kim Nicolini, ties the fan’s intense love for the Giants and their star quarterback to the protagonist’s repressed homosexuality.

In telling Paul’s story, Big Fan is an incredibly tender, painful, and tragic look at the state of masculine identity, social pressures of masculinity, and how masculinity relates to homophobia and class in America via the seemingly heteronormative industry of pro football.

I’ll definitely be renting Big Fan to find out if I see the same thing. It’s not often the NFL allows the use of their brand and team names, so I’m hoping it’s something special.

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My question: Where does the placenta come from? A human? A pig?

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In his dissection of a clip of Terrell Owens (in which the receiver scored very low), Luntz told T.O. to ditch the sunglasses and hat because millions of young people look to him as a role model and would start dressing how he did. He was then asked about T.O.’s earrings:

“That may work in San Francisco.”

GLAAD is asking CBS for an apology:

In one breath, Luntz speaks of being a good communicator and role model, and in the next, utters a slightly-veiled gay joke. It’s time that Luntz and CBS realize that men of all orientations wear earrings, that the LGBT community does not exist solely in San Francisco, and that the LGBT community can no longer be used as a punchline for tired old jokes.

I am less eager for an apology than for telling Luntz it’s 2009, not 1979. Men have been wearing earrings for years and no one thinks it’s gay. And the San Francisco line lost any snap years ago. As for T.O.’s wardrobe, if he thinks wearing sunglasses and a hat in public is the sign of a bad role model, he’s more clueless than I thought. My guess is that T.O. scored low in the clip not because of how he was dressed but because he is seen as a me-first diva who has been a lousy teammate.

I have always thought of Luntz as a hack who is out of touch with how the country is changing and his lame attempt at humor demonstrates that.

The Frank Luntz clip:

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Having fought and trained a little, let me assure you that there is nothing sexual going on-fighters are in survival mode, the “fight-or-flight” instinct is in full swing. It’s kill or be killed, intensely claustrophobic, and a mental and physical war of counter and bait, deception, and speed. A fighter’s grappling style reflects his body type, his temperament, his training and his thoughts, just like an artist’s. There are thousands of variations on attacks and defense, “the ground game” is hard to appreciate at first, but worth the study. Is it homoerotic? Sure, if you want it to be. But, as Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a good smoke. Of course, to those boxers and boxing promoters who don’t understand and are threatened by MMA, homophobia is the last refuge of the scoundrel.

Sheridan was responding to another Daily Beast post (in which I was quoted), by Thaddeus Russell, in which he wrote:

Recently, gay bloggers, homophobic critics of MMA, and even straight fans have declared that one of the great appeals of the sport is its homoeroticism. They note the large number of gay men and straight women who have become fans of MMA and attribute it to the appeal of the nearly-naked hard bodies of the fighters and the intimate, often pelvic techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the favored grappling discipline in the sport.

Sheridan says that it’s the nature of MMA (where the “fights continue if the combatants fall to the ground”) that give it its gay vibe. And some of the terms such as “rear naked choke” clearly can be several ways. It’s a sign of the growing popularity of the sport and the increased acceptance of male-to-male sexual imagery that discussing MMA and gay in the same sentence is becoming fairly common.

For example, I easily found this YouTube clip where a couple of guys and a woman titter like Beavis and Butthead as they watch slow-motion replays of what could be construed as one MMA fighter kissing another. They seem more fascinated than repulsed:

You can also go to the MMA Fix website, which regularly posts its “homoerotic photo of the week:”

I think homoerotic is a much better term for MMA than gay. I agree with Sheridan that anyone in an actual fight is not viewing his opponent as a potential sex partner; it’s hard to have sexy thoughts when someone is trying to pummel you into submission. And I would guess that the percentage of MMA fighters who are gay roughly mirrors the percentage in society as a whole.

But there is an undeniable homoerotic aspect. This has always been true of certain sports — one that feature the body (bodybuilding, gymnastics, swimming) or ones that feature some form of domination (wrestling, football, rugby, MMA). I leave boxing out of this since I have never seen it argued that watching someone punched repeatedly in the face is sexy.

A lot of discussion has come about after boxer Bernard Hopkins and boxing promoter Bob Arum dismissed MMA as nothing but gay porn. Their reactions spoke more of desperation over boxing’s rapid decline, since calling something “gay” is supposed to render it unwatchable by the mainstream (especially young men). But when straight fans can write about their top MMA hotties, and UFC head Dana White welcomes gay fans and fighters, the gay slur is losing its punch.

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On the face of the deal, it’s a smart move. Johnson still has juice and could fill in nicely if he needs to. Getting him in now, when you don’t need him and he can learn the offense, is a great idea. But I just have this nagging feeling that prognosticators could look back at this six weeks from now and say this was somehow what sent the Bengals on a downward spiral.

The Bengals certainly have a favorable schedule to make the playoffs. Four of their final seven games come against teams with 2 or fewer wins. If they just win those, they will have a home playoff game. And don’t think part of this isn’t Larry Johnson eying the Bengals’ Dec. 27 game: at home against Kansas City.

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I know a lot of people think he’s hot, and I must say his looks have grown on me a bit. But he is tough to watch out there. Time to sit the guy on the bench and trade or release him in the offseason. Maybe he can do a better job sitting on a bench in Jacksonville or Green Bay.

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Since Out magazine likes to sexualize sports, there’s no shortage of cute sporty double entendres. For example, two guys are labeled “The Jocks.” One, Scott Evans, does play in the New York Gay Football League and is as big a Patriots fan as I am. So that’s something. Their “Most Valuable Players” are a couple peeps in advertising and marketing…playing softball (kinda) in the photo. Grey Gardens writer/director Mike Sucsy used to play flag football with the gay group that Jim runs here in L.A. So it’s not completely devoid of true sports. But pretty much.

Truly my favorite is the “Head Coach” of the 100 is Desperate Housewives creator and former Golden Girls writer Marc Cherry. I’ve become friendly with Marc since moving back to L.A., and we often end up at the same game nights (often hosted by Marc, but always hosted by Cal Iseminger; If you live in L.A., book him to host your next party, he’s amazing!). The last one was about a week ago and for the “celebrity” portion, Marc and I ended up on the same team. He chastised me for not knowing who the star of Gypsy was (Ethel Merman). But when it came to sports, Marc wasn’t quite sure who the New England Patriots’ quarterback was. So we’re even, but it’s funny that Out decided to make a sports reference for him. He is a wonderful guy and very deserving of the honor. (By the way, the guy in the red singlet is actor Tuc Watkins, a friend of Marc).

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