Real Madrid is probably the world's most famous sports team. Or Manchester United. Both teams play in ancient stadiums. Much older than Arrowhead. Real Madrid's stadium has changed so much over the years, it looks more like a modern NFL stadium than a stadium built in the 1940s. [Reply]
Flopping is awful but it does seem to be something you see mostly in Spanish and Latin American leagues/teams. The Premier League, for instance, isn't really that bad about it. They play pretty physical.
But Brazil is, without question, the absolute worst. Even as an extremely casual 'fan' (i.e. I watch it because my kids play it and sometimes they want to watch it), it's easy to see it. Brazil and Mexico are the worst offenders and then there are several other South American squads that aren't as bad but still awfully bad. Spain and Portugal probably next.
Italian and French teams take a bit of heat for it but i really don't think they're too bad. English and German teams don't do it much at all. Americans do it a bit, but nowhere near as egregiously.
Ultimately I think diving is largely cultural. If someone told me they had academies for it at an early age in Brazil, I'd absolutely believe them. I truly believe they celebrate it. And the frustrating part about Brazil is they don't have any sort of talent gap they're trying to close. When Nigeria does it, they're doing it to try to close a gap between them and their opponent - the soccer version of 'uglying up the game' so you can steal one.
But when Brazil does it, it's just them being monumental pussies. Because they are, in fact, monumental pussies. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Flopping is awful but it does seem to be something you see mostly in Spanish and Latin American leagues/teams. The Premier League, for instance, isn't really that bad about it. They play pretty physical.
But Brazil is, without question, the absolute worst. Even as an extremely casual 'fan' (i.e. I watch it because my kids play it and sometimes they want to watch it), it's easy to see it. Brazil and Mexico are the worst offenders and then there are several other South American squads that aren't as bad but still awfully bad. Spain and Portugal probably next.
Italian and French teams take a bit of heat for it but i really don't think they're too bad. English and German teams don't do it much at all. Americans do it a bit, but nowhere near as egregiously.
Ultimately I think diving is largely cultural. If someone told me they had academies for it at an early age in Brazil, I'd absolutely believe them. I truly believe they celebrate it. And the frustrating part about Brazil is they don't have any sort of talent gap they're trying to close. When Nigeria does it, they're doing it to try to close a gap between them and their opponent - the soccer version of 'uglying up the game' so you can steal one.
But when Brazil does it, it's just them being monumental pussies. Because they are, in fact, monumental pussies.
Cool concept. Though I can’t imagine a single US venue where it makes nearly as much sense. A place like Madrid hosts a soccer team that plays a lot of home games that can legit sell this stadium out on the reg, walkable (sorry ny and cali), and concerts and events that can routinely sell the place out.
That shit field in Mexico we played on is proof that stadiums by and large are ill equipped for this shit. [Reply]
It’s obviously apples and oranges to compare soccer players to football players who wear pads and get hit. But without a doubt soccer is extremely intensive on cardio and there’s hard data. They generally run about 7-9 miles. And it is basically like doing a 90 minute practice where you did nonstop sprints with minute breaks in between each one.
https://canada.humankinetics.com/blo...-soccer-player
“ sprints in soccer are 10 to 30 yards (9 to 27 m) long and happen every 45 to 90 seconds. The overall distance an adult male professional player covers at a sprint is roughly 800 to 1,000 yards (730 to 910 m), although in 10- to 30-yard (9 to 27 m) chunks. Hard runs (cruising) happen every 30 to 60 seconds. The time between these hard runs is spent walking, jogging, or standing.” [Reply]
