The (only) problem with soccer

Soccer (sorry, fútbol) is the only universal sport. So, like everyone else on earth, I am following this year’s World Cup, even if I only plan to watch a handful of games.

Soccer is a great sport. It can be played anywhere and by anyone. It is also a very athletic sport, and that makes it fun to watch, even if too many games end 0–0.

Soccer has just one problem: diving.

There is no other sport where faking injury is so central to winning a match. Every sport has gamesmanship, of course. But diving matters so much in soccer because of the game’s particular rules. Penalty kicks and free kicks are much more likely to produce goals than ordinary play. Getting those calls is often the difference between victory and defeat.

Diving is embarrassing. And soccer fans get embarrassed when you point it out. When it’s your guy going for the Oscar, your side is outraged by the accusation. When it’s the other guy, your side is outraged by the act. This awkward self-deception happens several times each match.

Whenever I see a dive, I wonder whether it is purely instinctual or something teams practice together. And why not? Diving is a skill like any other.

Soccer does not have a diving problem because soccer players are uniquely shameless. It has a diving problem because the rewards are enormous, the punishment is rare, and billions of people have agreed to be complicit in the ruse.