In light of the World Cup and the recent completion of the NBA Finals, the flopping epidemic needs to be addressed. Many people have weighed in on the subject, both seriously and in jest, but the fact remains: Flopping is cheating.
In nearly every sport, particularly soccer and basketball, deception is a key part of the strategy employed by coaches and players. A coach may hide a play or disguise a defense to gain an advantage. A player may fake one way to put a defender off balance before moving in another direction.
Those forms of deception create an advantage, but not an unfair one. They do not stop play or manufacture a penalty against an opponent.
Flopping, by definition, or at least by Wikipedia’s definition, mind you, “is an intentional fall by a player after little or no physical contact by an opposing player in order to draw a personal foul call by an official against the opponent.”
To reiterate, flopping stops play and causes an official to call a foul after being intentionally deceived by the player doing the flopping. This form of deception is cheating because it creates an unfair advantage.
This may seem like a small issue, but it can have major consequences. Anyone who watched Brazil’s opening World Cup match against Croatia saw a penalty called in the box after an apparent flop. The resulting penalty kick and goal shifted the momentum and may have altered the outcome of the match.
Similarly, throughout the NBA playoffs and regular season, flopping repeatedly affected the flow and integrity of games.
So who is at fault: the officials or the players?
Referees often receive the blame because they are expected to correctly judge each play. However, professional sports move at extraordinary speed, and no official can see everything perfectly from every angle.
The greater responsibility rests with the players. They must decide whether to fairly exploit an opening or manufacture an unfair advantage that compromises the integrity of the competition.
Some professional sports leagues and governing bodies have made efforts to curb flopping by issuing fines and suspensions for especially blatant violations. That type of accountability is a step in the right direction.
Ultimately, however, flopping is a symptom of a larger disease. Our society often embraces a win-at-all-costs mentality that pressures coaches and athletes to do whatever is necessary to gain an advantage for their teams and fans.
That does not excuse the individual athlete. It makes personal integrity and character even more important when players are tempted to cheat.
The deepest consequence becomes clear from the sideline of a youth soccer or basketball game. The kid with the newest shoes and coolest arm sleeve begins substituting shenanigans for skill and flopping for fundamentals.
Sports are beautiful, and countless benefits come through participation at every level. But when seemingly small acts of cheating become acceptable and are repeatedly imitated, it is only a matter of time before those benefits are choked out by a destructive will to win.
As Scripture says, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (Galatians 5:9).
Flopping needs to stop for the sake of the players, officials, fans and the games themselves.
And, yes, for the sake of the kids. Think about the kids.