Why Flopping is Killing the Game of Soccer

Flopping, killing time, acting and generally wasting the clock is as old as sport itself, and it has been thrust into the limelight with the World Cup drawing viewers by the droves. People are watching soccer in larger numbers now thanks to the tournament, and it seems that the numbers would be destined to grow. In spite of this, it seems that this is the case every time the World Cup comes around. For whatever reason, when the American viewers see their team get knocked out of the tournament, a large number of them simply move on. They do not follow soccer all that much after the United States is eliminated. After watching this year's World Cup, I count myself among this group of people for one reason...Flopping.

I watched the United States lose the game against Ghana, and the last thirty minutes or so of the contest completely ruined the experience for me. Soccer is not something that I have really watched or even played all that much, but I have a great respect for those that play the game. I know that it is a great sport and to each their own. That said, it is seriously flawed when it comes to the flopping and flailing that these guys do when they get a lead in the match.

What truly blew my mind was the way that the whole situation was played out by the announcers. They kept repeating that the United States or any other team would be doing the same flopping and flailing about if they were in the lead, and they said that as though it excused the deception. It made me so sick to my stomach that I literally will never watch again until the rules are changed. I know that I am not alone in this feeling.

Here are the issues that I had:

--The fake flopping and injuries that were not even close to being real were so obvious that even the announcers were at a loss as to what to say or do.

--The time wasting that Ghana did when they had to throw in or otherwise put the ball into play was unreal.

--The wasted time on the fake injuries completely killed the drama factor.

--The fact that, inexplicably, not a single stoppage in time was called for. My understanding of this is that this is the rule in soccer. Seriously? There is no time stopping, regardless of how obviously the other team is trying to drain out the clock? That is a travesty.

There was one Ghana injury that was so obviously faked that I was screaming at the television. The guy laid on the field after literally nobody touched him. Then finally they sent out a stretcher onto the field. Then they loaded him up and took him to the sidelines. Then, right there on camera, the guy got up and walked away as if nothing happened. All while the announcers acted as though it was as natural to the game as can be. This was the stupidest thing I had ever seen.

Given these rules, the only real way you could have drama in a soccer match would be if the score were tied. This would force both teams to battle it out the way that sports should be battled.

Some people say this is no different than a basketball team stalling at the end of a game, or a football team running out the clock with a series of running plays. Hogwash! The difference in these two things are that the ball is actually in play in those situations in other sports. In soccer, the ball is not in play when people are fake injured or stalling to throw the ball into play. The clock is running all of that time.

If the soccer world really wants some fans and attention from the American sports world, then they should really think about changing the rules to fix these problems. Otherwise, soccer will continue to be considered a second hand sport in this Country. Flopping and flailing is killing the sport of soccer for viewers like me. I am sure others feel the same way.