Why are soccer players so dramatic?

 

    Soccer players are notorious for theatrically somersaulting across the pitch (the soccer field) anytime the breeze blows, as if they were struck by a mac truck and need immediate hospitalization.  Then, even seconds later, they pop up like spring flowers as soon as it is convenient.  In the 2008 Women’s World Cup quarterfinals, Brazil was leading the U.S. 2-1 when the 90 minute mark came to end the game.  The match was now in “stoppage time,” the official extra minutes that the ref adds on to compensate for substitutions and injuries that stopped play while the clock continued to run.  To waste time, Brazilian player Erika lightly made contact with an American, waited for the referee to look her way and then crumpled in pain.  2 ½ minutes later, as the ref was restarting play, she jumped off the stretcher and ran back onto the field.  The U.S. ended up scoring a few minutes later and eventually won the game.

    Spectators, fans and players need to recognize that soccer is the only sport in which faking and begging can legitimately alter the game.  As despicable and ugly as this truth is, players “dive,” or fake an injury, for three reasons:  1) To get an opponent carded or sent off, giving the victim’s team more people on the field, 2) get a free kick, giving his team an advantage, and 3) to get a penalty kick (PK) giving his team an almost certain goal.  Ridiculous as seems, there actually is a purpose.  Refs cannot see most fouls that occur during a match, and if a player decides to take fouls and stay on his feet no matter how aggressive the challenge, the ref will almost never call a foul.  In soccer, the victim needs to indicate in some way that he or she was harmed, or else nothing will be called.  Unfortunately, players sometimes put to use all of the acting skills they possess to try to display fouls, both major and minor.