I'm a huge HUGE sports fan... but also an American, so I can't make it through one half of Soccer. Yeah, I've tried... fell asleep within 15 minutes. But one thing I don't understand is the diving??
I know people try to say basketball players dive... but if you play basketball you know its just the proper way to take a charge. If you put in the effort to not collapse, you will probably get called for a foul yourself, so you take contact and just let yourself fall.
But otherwise, there is no other (real) sport in which players act like that!
Yet whenever I turn on ESPN (which, unfortunately, has been overrun by soccer in recent weeks), all I see is these ridiculous flops. Players grabbing their heads, rolling in pain without even being hit.
Imagine if a football player were to do that. He would be the laughing stock of the entire country! Or a hockey player... never! Do soccer players have no pride? Is that not embarrassing to the entire country when a German / French / Spanish player fakes getting hit?
So, whats the deal? Can someone explain?