Arabic to English Other Sports / Fitness / Recreation Football

Hi everyone,

I'm working on an article about the similarities and differences between football and writing. In the section where this term is found, the writer is arguing that reading and writing require more thought and analysis than watching football, which makes football more popular than than literature:
أما ما يكشف الحقيقة ويشجع على التنوير والتغيير للأفضل والإصلاح فلا أحد يريد أن يشغل نفسه و«يصدع» رأسه بهذا.

Is يصدع the term used to describe "heading" the ball? Or does it simply mean "crack/split"? I'm trying to work out whether the writer is using a football metaphor here.

Many thanks!
Anam