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Originally Posted by NJReds
In hockey, diving is considered taboo .. in soccer, it's accepted for the most part.
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I wonder if that's one of the reasons why the sport has a tough time reaching the mass market here. The American sporting character demands that its athletes not only be tough but act tough -- take a hit, and if you go down get back up, and it didn't hurt. Now, we know that soccer can be rough-and-tumble and elite players have to be tough, but with the diving and injury-faking and whining at the refs, they come across as something less than tough. There's plenty of room for gamesmanship in American sport, but acting like a candy-youknowwhat doesn't play.
I've also wondered why there's only one official on the field with all that ground to cover. I understand it at the lower levels, but in the premier leagues and FIFA events, you'd think they'd pony up for a better level of officiating.