We've all seen it. An athlete, usually in soccer, flops to the ground with an apparent "injury" with intent to force a penalty or delay the game. Unsurprisingly, men are more inclined to flop than women — two times more!
According to a recent study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., women soccer players are significantly less likely than males to fake an injury.
After studying men's and women's soccer matches, the researchers concluded that there are an average of 11.26 injuries during a men's match compared to just 5.74 in a women's match. Meanwhile, the group concluded that only 7.2 percent of the male injuries were real compared to 13.7 percent for females.
"Perhaps the higher visibility or financial stakes of the men's game creates greater incentives for gamesmanship," the group wrote. "Another theory could be that the men's game may have greater frequency and force of physical contact as it involves larger, faster players. Collisions could lead to initially painful injuries like contusions that do not require a player to withdraw, or more frequent contact situations could mean that there are more opportunities to try and influence the referee through simulation."
Thankfully, the group also pointed out that these injuries do not play any significant role in the outcome of the game.
