Brothers Rion (23) and Zane Gianone (20), managing
directors of Etrusco at the Savoy Pizzeria and
Spaghetteria, celebrate after New Zealand's 1-1 draw with
world champion Italy. Photo by Linda Robertson.
The All Whites' World Cup campaign could signal a shift
in New Zealand's national identity, a University of Otago
academic says.
One person watching the All Whites more closely than most is
Dr Mark Falcous, of the Dunedin-based School of Physical
Education, who is researching how New Zealand media -
newspapers, internet and television - report on their
performance in the tournament.
Rugby had traditionally dominated New Zealand sports media,
but the World Cup provided an opportunity to gauge how media
would respond to the "historically marginal" sport of
football, he said.
An analysis of media coverage over the four-week tournament
would reveal not only the exposure given to football, but its
changing position within New Zealand and how it reflected our
changing national identity.
Dr Falcous said the performance of the All Whites, coupled
with the Phoenix in the A League, had led to increased
interest in football and made household names out of players.
Conversely, rugby appeared to be in a state of flux, and
while the public expected the All Blacks to win, the All
Whites were clear underdogs who were performing above
expectations.
One person who knows all about winning and losing is Gary
Pearn, a senior football bookmaker with the TAB.
The All Whites' first appearance in the tournament since
qualifying for the 1982 finals had resulted in a huge surge
of interest from the public, with the match early yesterday
against Italy attracting more interest than the All Blacks'
game against Wales in Dunedin on Saturday night.
Two Dunedin men confident of New Zealand progressing further
are Zane and Rion Gianone, managing directors of Etrusco at
the Savoy Pizzeria and Spaghetteria, who watched the All
Whites draw 1-1 with Italy.
The brothers, who are of Italian heritage, said they were
proud of New Zealand's performance against the world champion
and were tipping the team to go further - much further.
"I'm putting $5 on them to win," Rion said.
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