Thursday, October 28, 2010

Culture Lesson: Flops

A flop, in sports, is when a player fakes a foul. In basketball, a flop is when a player throws him- or herself on the on the floor by falling backward, with great emphasis, as a result of having been "pushed" or come into physical contact with another player. Wikipedia explains the benefit: "The hope is that it will appear to the official that the defensive player was knocked off of his feet by the offensive player's contact, thus prompting the official to call a charging foul against the offensive player."

Flopping is somewhat new to the American sports world, and is considered a negative impact.

A flop, in sports, is when a player fakes a foul. In basketball, a flop is when a player throws him- or herself on the on the floor by falling backward, with great emphasis, as a result of having been "pushed" or come into physical contact with another player. Wikipedia explains the benefit: "The hope is that it will appear to the official that the defensive player was knocked off of his feet by the offensive player's contact, thus prompting the official to call a charging foul against the offensive player."

Flopping is somewhat new to the American sports world, and is considered a negative impact, as it's cheating. (And whining.) It also looks like bad sportsmanship, as the the player is lying or exaggerating instead of relying on smarts and athletic prowess.

Internet historians (and This American Life) agree that the practice was introduced to American basketball by way of soccer. It's also suspected that Derek Jeter's attempt at flopping this season was influenced by the World Cup, where the practice was prominent. (Now the proclivity to falling on the field for seemingly no reason at all makes sense!)

Additional Resources:Flop, Wikipedia
Crybabies, This American Life
Is Derek Jeter ready for the World Cup? , ESPN

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