The World Cup: The Diving Epidemic

There they are. Athletes who would earn better marks than Alexandre Despatie or Greg Louganis. Rolling around in agony as though they had been mugged, raped and pillaged all at the same time. It doesn't matter if someone hit you in the leg; some clutch their faces as though Vlad the Impailer had stabbed them. Next, the stretcher comes on and they are whisked to the sidelines where magical liquids and water are sprayed anywhere in the vicinity of the injury and suddenly - Presto! They're back in the game.

You can tell a lot about the difference between North Americans and Europeans when it comes to sports. Take the recent obsession with diving in soccer. There is no question some players and nations try to feign or deceive the referee into turning a call into their favor. It can be an embarrassing thing to watch. Many will counter that this is part of the game but FIFA should crack down on it. Either by adding a second referee on the filed or video replay. As for those who think that it's part of the history of soccer I refute this. While soccer has had its tumultuous and controversial moments, the original intent of the codified laws did not envision this nonsense. Soccer is one of the world's first sports to ask its participants to player with a 'gentleman' ethos.

Europeans tend to tolerate the diving because it is viewed as either a coy tactic or as a cynical acceptance that humans cheat. No referee can ever root or tell the difference so it is an accepted part of the game. It makes up part of the million and one nuances that riddle the sport.

North Americans are a little more cut and dry about it. We tend to like our athletes to stand up and take a punch, inside pitch, flagrant foul, body check or tackle like a warrior. Only go down if you are truly hurt. I'm the same way. I think all athletes, soccer players included, do view it this way too. We are definitely less tolerant of cheats- or divers - and this explains why we use and mix technology into our sports culture. We are always in a search - some say this is futile - to perfect ourselves. Either way, we want to ensure as much as possible that the right calls are made.

Contrary to popular belief, many in the soccer world do dislike the antics of some players. However, I caution people to grasp a few things about soccer before they pass judgment.

Most players do in fact get clipped around the ankles and the slide tackles are so jarring that the shock tends to keep you on the ground. I should know, I tore my ACL playing soccer and I can attest that it can be one rough and tough sport on the legs. Some plays may seem innocuous but don't be fooled. The cleats do sometimes get into your leg, shin or ankles - shin and ankle pads notwithstanding. More often than not, this is the case.

Diving is also a tactic used to waste time and/or rest the players on the field. This sort of thing becomes obvious during an epic marathon and exhaustion begins to set in.

The next thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between diving and embellishment. What's the difference? Diving is an outright lie. Players who do it are basically cheaters. And this problem knows no nationality. They all do it. You see this everywhere. Some more than others but no one are above it. Embellishment is essentially where a player does get hit or clipped but still falls anyway. It's much less offensive but annoying nonetheless.

If someone is to claim that the English dive much less than the Germans, Brazilians, Argentineans or the Italians they may have a point. However, one has to examine how each country approaches the game. In England, where tactics are not necessarily a priority, defenses tend to mark their forwards much less. There is a much more open style and as such you will see tackles but very little in close clippings.

Italy on the other hand is a league built and rooted in tactics. The marking is notoriously tight. Star players in the Italian league are hacked to bits and have become accustomed to falling.

It's similar to Team Canada (or NBA players at the Olympics for that matter) in hockey when Europeans complain about our aggressive play. We respond by saying that it's 'good old fashioned Canadian hockey." Our NHL guys play like NHL players at international tournaments. I don't see any Canadians complain when we win. Exact same thing with Italy or England. Both have a distinct style in their domestic leagues and this is how they play internationally.

In between all this lies the discrepancy on how referees call a game in Italy and England and at the World Cup.

In any event, this is just an observation and I do not wish to expand on this any further. The point being that there is some logic and reasoning behind the madness. However, maybe FIFA should adopt a slight North American ethic when it comes to the scourge known as diving.