Flopping: The Art of Cheating

You can’t get a straight red for diving. But yellows, sure.

Recently someone started a web site to collect clips of flops….I will have to try and find it again

As for what can be done – I think this is a situation that demands two things.

1) more attention by the refs in their preparation for game. I have actually seen some improvement here and it seems some famous floppers aren’t getting the calls they used to. Anyone else notice this?

2) discipline has to be by the league after the game. You can’t ask the ref’s to penalize a flop during the game. There’s just too much to see without the benefit of replay. The league though can review potential flops after the fact and issue fines and perhaps even suspensions for frequent floppers.

However if you flop a lot, eventually the refs catch on and don’t give you the benefit of the doubt which can screw your team over down the road.

this was on truehoop..

http://detroitbadboys.spreadshirt.com/us/US/Shop/Article/Index/article/No-Ginobili-Ringer-2175279

Excellent post. A little bit tongue in cheek, I like that. I am a ‘by-the rules’ guy, as some of you might know by my posts on the Hack-a-Shaq. I like the game to stand on its own. The object of the game is to win by scoring more than the opposition, but the rules exist to show you that the game is not being played the way it should be played, In other words, if we were in a class to learn how to play basketball, our objective would be to score more points with the lowest number of infractions.

Let me explain it this way. A player’s goal should be to not foul, just as his/her goal should be to not travel, or not double-dribble. In fact, I would be inn favor of going to 5 fouls like in college.

One of the worst rules enacted recently has been the restricted area circle. It has caused many a mad rush to get to the ‘spot’ a split second before the offensive player. Offensive fouls shouls come in two instances: One, when the offensive player clears out with an arm, elbow, or knee. Second, when after establishing a basketball move, the offensive player barrels into a stationary defender. Notice I said ‘established’. None of this split second stuff. Other than that there is moving screens, but I think those are obvious. The player setting the screen should be like a wall, not moving, leaning, hooking, or deceiving. That player is simply providing a stationary obstacle so an offensive player has some room. If a defensive player knocks the screener down, that is a foul.

Flopping will be greatly reduced if the offensive/blocking fouls are called correctly. I see no need to add another layer of referee involvement. Once players see there is no advantage to flopping, they won’t do it any more. Let’s use Amare as an example. I think about a third of his offensive fouls are legit. With a change in focus, those 2/3 offensive fouls would not be called. Guys like him and Dwight Howard are being penalized for their dominance around the basket. It really doesn’t take great defense to draw offensive fouls in the current climate. Hey, Nash always is up there. It is because that is one of the few weapons for the defensively challenged.

Just refuse to call fouls that benefit floppers. Then get rid of the restricted circle, and make defenders play REAL defense.

A little on this point:

The “offensive” flop in soccer is very similar to the dive in hockey. In all three sports (soccer, hockey, basketball) defenders get away with a ton of stuff that is not legal. It cannot be called because refs are humans and players cheat. For the offensive player, I have little to no problem with an exaggeration of an actual foul (until it gets into the ridiculous range) in any game. Really, sometimes the refs need help.

In basketball, many of the three-point plays without a foul are more of refs making bad calls than flopping. It’s the ref blowing the whistle because of what he thinks is going to happen. It’s called anticipation. We want our athletes to be good at it, but not the refs.

On the defensive end, it’s almost become the only way in which to get a charging call. This befuddles me. I don’t even know what to say about this or even start to think about a suggestion for fixing it.

Oh, back to soccer—trying running around for over an hour, leaping into the air for a ball and then getting cracked across the shins, back or shoulders. Even a moderate strike makes you lay down for a few moments. That doesn’t excuse the horrible floppers, but there are a lot of legitimate times when a player simply needs a rest after a hit.

I can’t resist a dig at the soccer fanatics for that boring game the other day in Moscow. Yeah, the Ronaldo goal was impressive, but somehow I feel a letdown when penalty kicks in the rain decide a championship.

Here’s a pretty good article on flopping.

I disagree that there isn’t as much flopping on the offensive end of basketball. Manu, Kobe, and Devin Harris are some examples. On the defensive end, I don’t mind it as much but there are some flops I can take more than others. I might just be a homer but most of Raja’s flops are way different to me than someone like Oberto.

Lebron has been shot!

This flop would make Ginobili proud