Mario Balotelli - Balotelli Challenging Minds With His Feet - The Associated Press - Column

By JOHN LEICESTER, AP Sports Columnist

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) The ignoramus that scrawled "non sei un vero italiano, sei un africano nero" "You may not be a genuine Italian, you're a new dark-colored African" on the wall near the particular San Siro arena with Milan. Did he, regardless of himself, rebound away his lounge with please when Mario Balotelli thumped household his / her target for Italy using a successful nod with his shaven african american brain and decide to put their land towards one more associated with Europe's best soccer tournament?

One hopes so.

And this hooligans with Rome who hurled numerous bananas in to some sort of icon in which Balotelli as well as other beginning Italy players had been soothing your few summers back, prompting your user that will name that police. Did they, despite themselves, yell having happiness seeing that Balotelli famous his second intention against Germany while in the semifinal, bringing off of their glowing blue Italy jersey that will proudly showcase his or her african american torso with muscular tissues plus sinews ridged like solid rope?

Again, one expectation so.

And your idiots in this article in the Euros and last Italy that have booed in addition to howled for instance apes at Balotelli due to the fact he's black. Did they, even with themselves, experience twinges of shame, and were being that they moved when his adoptive mother cradled the girl boy in a very long, tight massiv following a video game connected with his life, her whitened fretting hand lovingly stroking the backside regarding his neck and his / her Mohican-style strip with dyed-blonde hair?

Please, yes, one particular actually desires so.

One in the excellent virtues with game is definitely that it creates heroes who modify began seeing people today consider or expose people that refuse to. With their exploits, their own activism or maybe both, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius, Aborigine Olympic champion Cathy Freeman and various other sports pioneers very numerous to name have got rubbed the particular noses connected with bigots, sexists, homophobes as well as this or else small-minded inside dirt of their own ugliness, silencing a variety of them and enlightening others.

Balotelli, with his or her brilliance on the field and his / her dignity as well as excellent laughter out of it, is now doing that, too, by way of perfect such as use of other than them for the European Championship who has targeted particular attention on the racism which still blights the particular continent's favourite sport, and also which will climaxes Sunday with the final between Italy along with Spain.

The function is just not one Balotelli has lobbied for, wholeheartedly appreciated or perhaps can be naturally acceptable for. For starters, they have young, just simply 21. Before this particular tournament, when he has pleased together with his great and also earnestness, he / she generally designed information more pertaining to his or her immaturity than along with his play. Notable items were when they tossed your dart in the focus of yet another gamer at Manchester City, his tavern in England, and also any time not one but two fire trucks were called previous October to his property south associated with Manchester that will douse some sort of blaze he stated was a result of good friends environment down fireworks with his bathroom.