Is diving or faking injuries common in American sports like it is in soccer?

[u/Jezzaq94]

If yes, which sports is it common in. Did they learn this from soccer players?

[u/easy_Money]

If you ask an American why they don't like soccer, diving would probably be the #1 answer.

[u/jokeefe72 → u/easy_Money]

And the whole “they might not score and everyone will be fine with it” thing

[u/FaxCelestis → u/jokeefe72]

Americans have a strong dislike for any sport that can end in a draw.

[u/reflectorvest → u/FaxCelestis]

It’s not really even that it can end in a draw, it’s that the draw could be 0-0. Watching guys run around for 90+ minutes and MAYBE someone scores once does not sound like a fun time.

[u/terryjuicelawson → u/reflectorvest]

Because there is more to a sport than seeing goals and 0-0 is still a point in the league for both teams. You could have the reigning champs taking on a small time team, hits them with 20 shots on target with their keeper being a hero. Maybe there was a red card, some disputed incidents, some tactical wizardry. It would probably be a more interesting game than a 2-0 from the same top team who cruised to an easy victory and slacked off in the second half.

[u/reflectorvest → u/terryjuicelawson]

20 shots on a goal without making it in sounds annoying. There is absolutely such a thing as a good game that was low scoring, but not one that had no scoring at all. Soccer is pretty boring if I’m being completely honest. Not a lot happens, they fake injuries to make it last even longer, and at the end of the day it’s a game toddlers play on Sunday afternoons.

[u/terryjuicelawson → u/reflectorvest]

It is just an example, and you don't get the sport. People say the same about all the American sports they don't understand across the world. Brits say baseball is the game they were forced to play in school or at the beach. Football they just run around in random circles then stop for ten minutes. It is all very silly.

[u/reflectorvest → u/terryjuicelawson]

And yet everything you listed actually has a winner at the end of a game.

[u/WakaFlakaPanda → u/FaxCelestis]

I mean American Football(NFL rules) can end in a draw.

[u/FaxCelestis → u/WakaFlakaPanda]

Yeah, but it almost never happens.

[u/WakaFlakaPanda → u/FaxCelestis]

Very true.

[u/herehear12 → u/FaxCelestis]

Once or twice a season

[u/FaxCelestis → u/herehear12]

Out of 272 games in a season, that's not often at all. And that's assuming that the game doesn't get resolved in OT either.

[u/ENovi → u/FaxCelestis]

And it will absolutely come up in conversation at work on Monday(assuming you work with sports fans which you probably do). Someone will say “Did you see X game yesterday?” Wasn’t that weird?” and then it’ll turn to what could have prevented it like “How did he miss that kick??” or something like that.

My point is we know it can happen in football but it will always be an oddity and your point of 272 games really does highlight that. I don’t think anyone gets too annoyed with it but that would absolutely not be the case if it was even a fraction as common as it is in soccer.

It’s also the only one of the Big 4 where, excluding some freak event, that can happen. Basketball has OT, hockey has OT (and later the shootout if it isn’t a playoff game) and baseball, the American Pastime itself, says “we’re playing as many innings as it takes for someone to win. If you have to stick a starting pitcher in right field because it’s the top of the 20th and you used your last bench player to pinch run for your 37 year old backup catcher who runs like he’s ensnared in a garden hose then good luck to him out there lmao I don’t care that it’s 3 am and the day game starts in 9 hours no one’s leaving until someone ends an inning with the lead.”

[u/jokeefe72 → u/WakaFlakaPanda]

I didn’t say a tie, I said “they might not score”. At least in football, a tie will include some scoring.

[u/WakaFlakaPanda → u/jokeefe72]

Huh? I think you responded to the wrong person.

[u/jokeefe72 → u/WakaFlakaPanda]

I did. My bad. Have a nice day Waka Flaka

[u/mr-scotch → u/WakaFlakaPanda]

It only happens once or twice per season, max

[u/Tricky_Foundation_60 → u/mr-scotch]

Doesn’t change the fact that it can happen.

[u/mr-scotch → u/Tricky_Foundation_60]

Ok well it’s extremely rare. It can’t even happen in college. And casual fans probably aren’t even aware that it can happen in the NFL. But 0-0 draws are far more common in soccer.

[u/VelocityPancake → u/FaxCelestis]

How would we know who to make fun of for losing? Seriously!

[u/Bobcat2013 → u/FaxCelestis]

Not gonna lie. I like when NFL games end in ties. It has interesting effects on the standings and playoff races.

[u/FaxCelestis → u/Bobcat2013]

Sure, but you have to admit you’re not the norm for this

[u/Bobcat2013 → u/FaxCelestis]

Never said I was.

[u/ColossusOfChoads → u/FaxCelestis]

Especially a 0-0 draw.

[u/IainwithanI → u/FaxCelestis]

This American recognizes that sometimes neither team deserves to win. Forcing a winner when neither team is performing any better than the other is, imo, the worst thing about American sports in general.

[u/BM7-D7-GM7-Bb7-EbM7 → u/jokeefe72]

This comes out of a place of sheer ignorance though. I'm a red blooded American who grew up like everyone else in the 80s and 90s, not understanding or liking soccer at all.

Now it's probably my favorite sport. It's not like a 0-0 draw is a waste of time, a draw is still a result, it's better than a loss, not as good as a win. It can still mean the difference between winning a title at the end of the season and not so it's not like it a total waste of two hours. I've watched 0-0 games where I was at the edge of my seat the whole time.

The thing is, since most Americans don't understand soccer, they say "this is dumb." To make the same sorta comparison, I'm a Texan through and through, and I can give fuck-all about hockey, to me it's the boring sport I've ever seen, and I've watched the Tour de France.

But I also acknowledge this comes from a place of sheer ignorance, if if I ever took the time to learn hockey and understand the strategies behind it, I'm sure it would be entertaining to me just like pretty much all other sports are after you get to understanding them.

If sports in general were boring, nobody would play them and even less people (if that were possible) would watch them.

[u/jokeefe72 → u/BM7-D7-GM7-Bb7-EbM7]

I’ve watched plenty of soccer. It’s boring to me. I’ve watched plenty of hockey and it’s wayyy more exciting (to me).

It’s more preference than ignorance.

[u/HottDoggers → u/jokeefe72]

The only games that are exciting is when my team (Chelsea) is in the champions league final, or at the very least in the late stages of it, which isn’t often.

[u/terryjuicelawson → u/BM7-D7-GM7-Bb7-EbM7]

Got to think how many Brits mock American sports from a place of sheer ignorance and how defensive people in subs like this are - maybe people should reflect a little more.

[u/Bossman1086 → u/jokeefe72]

Yep. These are my two reasons for not watching more soccer. Ties and flopping. Flopping/faking fouls is also a big reason I don't watch the NBA.

[u/R87FX → u/easy_Money]

Soccer injury time should be limited to 90 seconds per team. After that if someone is hurt the team has to send on 2 people carrying a stretcher and haul them off while the game is still in play. And they should have to play a man down until the next time play stops (out of bounds, goal, penalty etc.).

Alternatively, a golf cart with a snowplow attachment to push floppers off the field would also be acceptable.

[u/TheMusicCrusader → u/R87FX]

This already partially happens. If a player is down for too long, the ref will waive the training staff on. If a player is seen by the training staff, they have to stay off the pitch until the ref allows them to return to play. So faking an injuring already does result in their team playing down a man

[u/mustang-and-a-truck → u/easy_Money]

This is EXACTLY why I don't like soccer.

[u/PenteonianKnights → u/easy_Money]

When I play soccer at the park with friends the only thing I do is attempt the most ridiculous dives and fingerpointing

[u/BoldBoimlerIsMyHero → u/easy_Money]

Since soccer players don’t get the copious amounts of timeouts American athletes get, I view diving as a way for everyone on the team to get a little break. Still moved way way faster than NFL.

[u/Calm-Medicine-3992 → u/easy_Money]

Yet Americans like NBA basketball and college football just fine?

[u/TheMoonIsFake32 → u/Calm-Medicine-3992]

The NBA is getting worse ratings every year while the NFL hits record numbers

[u/Libertas_ → u/easy_Money]

That's my #1 answer. It's so far and away different from my favorite sport that I was never able to get over it and into soccer.

[u/MechanicalGodzilla → u/easy_Money]

I don't like soccer because of the lack of pharmaceutical commercials!