Jerry Brito

In defense of diving

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There’s an article in Slate today defending the practice of flopping in soccer–that is, falling to the ground at the slightest touch by an opponent and writhing in pretend agony so as to get the ref to call a penalty. The author claims that this is part of the drama of soccer and that it is only done to bring attention to legitimate fouls. Whatever the case, I think it’s probably one of the main reasons why the sport will never be embraced by Americans. Flopping looks too much like cheating to sit well with the American character (Dave Eggers calls it “a combination of acting, lying, begging, and cheating”), and it’s become too integral a part of the game to be avoided. Here’s a fun allegedly undercover video of the Italian team practicing their flopping: