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Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP file
When Abby Wambach of the U.S. National Team gets hurt, she bounces back up -- except for when she broke her leg a few years ago. Not so much with the guys. Most women soccer players get up off the ground after an injury an average of 30 seconds faster than the guys, a new study shows.
If you’ve seen a soccer match, you’ve probably seen this scene play out: a grown man falls to the turf, clutching his lower leg in apparent agony, only to walk away seconds later, unharmed.
Such “embellishment,” as it is known, can border on absurdity, but players have been running this gambit for years in an attempt to gain sympathy from the match referee.
But women don’t play that game.
In a discovery that gives us yet another reason to watch Wednesday’s Women’s World Cup action, researchers in Germany have found that women are much less likely to engage in this sort of ridiculous behavior.
Sports scientists at the Chair of Training Science and Sports Informatics at Technische Universität München studied 56 football games, timing stoppages in play. When they compared this data between genders, they found, among other things, that women are much less likely to roll around on the ground like they are engulfed in flames than their male counterparts.
No matter the reason for the stoppage in play -- a substitution, a goal, a throw-in, or a foul -- female players will restart play at a much quicker rate. The difference for “injuries” is much more pronounced -- men spend on average 30 seconds longer on the ground.
According to lead researcher Martin Lames, the women’s desire to get on with it results in a faster, more entertaining match.
“As one hardly notices stoppages below 10 seconds there is an impression of a more continuously running game,” Lames wrote in an e-mail. “If one’s interest is more a matter-of-fact one, i.e. in the game itself, women’s games will be more appreciated.”
“Especially if one is offended by pretending to be more injured than is really true, arguing with the referee, spitting on the pitch, demanding yellow cards for the opponent and so on,” Lames adds.
Lames cites increased spectatorship and media attention as the primary reason the fellas resort to showmanship. On the guys’ side, his study used matches from German champion Bayern München, who average nearly 70,000 fans per match. With such a crowd, playing to the fans with an elaborate or drawn out goal celebrations is a “tacit norm,” Lames said.
However, the ladies’ sporting behavior can also be to their detriment. Male players commonly use game-delaying tactics (unnecessary shoe-tying, “dropping” the ball before a throw-in, etc.) to waste time when their team has the lead late in the match. Commonly referred to as “gamesmanship,” Lames’ study did not observe this phenomenon in the women’s game.
That’s not to say it never happens. Brazil’s Erika was widely panned for simulating injury deep into the overtime period against the United States.
Soccer detractors commonly point to embellishment as one of the game’s biggest flaws. The women, it seems, have trumped the men in this regard.
As if we needed another reason to watch this sensational U.S. World Cup squad.
Andrew Winner is a freelance soccer writer. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewWinnerMLS
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Andrew,
Simply because there's so much less at stake financially
Unless we're talking about members of the Brazilian Women's National Team. They did a bang up job of faking injuries this World Cup.
They sure did! Even their own players walked away from their own drama in boredom. The first time I saw this, I thought the player was really injured. Then I realized why her own players weren't even giving her a second glance as they walked away while she continued to lay on the ground wailing! She wasn't even a good actress!
At least the Brazilians finally started getting cards for their antics. Why the ref even allowed the player back on the field at the end is beyond me.
Sorry to say this but i am saying this for a long time already that many mens soccerplayers are over reacting a insury,you did not see this years ago,also the pushing and pulling each other are getting worse and out of hand all the time, it seems to be a wrestling match and needs greater attention,also this diving we see going must be stopped right now, i like to see the referees pulling that yellow card much faster on this one.
The women do much better and you see them not near that much laying on the ground after an tackle then the man do,they get up faster and play the game, But the Braziliens still play the diving or fake an insury play to many times ,we all see and know that, and they are masters in it,but this has to stop and the referees have to handle that problem by showing them that yellow card more often and sooner.
I quess you didn't see the USA vs Brazil match. The Brazilian's, known for the beautiful game were constently on the ground faking injuries. FIFA has instructed referee's to card these offenses as unsporting conduct. The Marta penalty was not a foul but a dive and should have been carded. Only one was carded for this offense in overtime. Finally. Alot of the women's world cup has seen these offenses with no response by the referees. Maybe it is time to bring male referee's into the matches since the level of some of the female referee's is not at the level it needs to be. It's not their fault if they don't have the experience level to handle these kind of matches.
The Marta penalty was neither a foul nor a dive. After tussling with Buehler in the box, the ball got a bit far ahead of her, so she had to lunge at that ball to try and push it past Solo. Buehler and Marta were both nudging and leaning their bodies into each other, but nothing worthy of an infraction, and Marta had already made her last-second attempt on her own before the two went to the ground.
The referee positioned herself incorrectly and consequently made the wrong decision. The play should have continued from there after Solo scooped the ball up.
American players did overact a bit on some occasions in that game, but Brazil was lot worse on top of screaming like a toddler when one of the US players so much as bumped into them.
As a referee who does both men's and women's matches, I can tell you that they are different. I agree that there is less diving in the women's game, but there was a lot less diving in the men's game 15 years ago. The women are just catching up; not a good thing in this case. I have found that if you can give a yellow card for an obvious dive early in the match, it stops it for that day at least.
I was just talking to my buddies about this very thing. I do think it makes the woman's games much more enjoyable to watch. I get outstandingly frustrated when a men player rolls around on the ground. I mean come on the Rugby boys slam into each other and get right back up. I think intentionally acting hurt should lead to a yellow.
I think this quote alone qualifies you to ref MLS games, Heyref. The refereeing hasn't caught up to the diving.
I think FIFA should impose a rule that says something like if you're on the ground for more than 10 seconds, you have to have a "medical inspection" off the field for at least 3 minutes, with the goalkeeper as the only exception.
"I do think it makes the woman's games much more enjoyable to watch."
Too bad the article isn't true.
Heyref -
You make a very good point. It will be interesting to see if/when the women catch up to the men in terms of ridiculous antics. Let's hope it's a long time...
But women have always surpassed men in milking it.
Of course, if the FIFA wants to crack down on diving, they should not only impose red card sendoffs, but also hit the player involved with a €50,000 fine. Even the highest-paid players wouldn't risk losing one game's worth of pay and €50,000 for such shenanigans.
I think was hilarious to see such a warm, heaping serving of karma dished out when Erika's act of "embellishment" and being stretchered off the field gave us enough stoppage time to score the tying goal. So satisfying to see this shameful "technique" fly in the face of their intentions for once.
and if they used instant replay although it would slow the game some it would make catching a diver alot easier.
I loved seeing that in print, the theatrics get really juvenile sometimes.
Erika's dive was not only a dive but insulting, when she got up off the stretcher and ran back onto the field.... How stupid are we and the officials supposed to be?
and she should have been given a yellow for it.
She did get a yellow for it. The referee showed her the card as she ran back onto the pitch.
well i thought the game was done so i had stopped watching by then. good for the ref, now we just need all of them to follow the same guidelines.
Not to mention they added on stoppage time after the 120th minute, which allowed the US to score the equalizer. Poetic justice is so sweet.
When females play sports they are usually trying to put out an intimidating image. Playing more hurt than you really are would undermine the tough image that they want to present.
women do it and it's not just the brazilians. i do agree they don't do it as much. obvious diving should be given a yellow card.
Don't do it as much? Women milk it more in every aspect of life, including soccer.
Why you are a complete idiot Mr. Winner, and why Soccer will NEVER be taken seriously at the professional level in the US Ever... I submit to you Exhibit #A: US Women v. Brazil FIFA 2011 Quarter Final match. In the "extended time" after regulation but before the shootout, a Brazilian player named Ericka went down. She went down after not a single person touched her, and the replay clearly showed it. She was on the ground for FOUR MINUTES! Oh it gets better... they bring out a stretcher for her, and take her off the field. As the stretcher is heading into the locker room, this player unbuckles herself from the stretcher, hops down, and... you guessed it... RUNS BACK TO THE BENCH! Doesn't limp, not clutching any injured part of her body, runs back to the bench. Oh, and at the next stoppage of play... she subbed BACK into the game. So, clearly the "opinion" in your article is not based upon factual evidence.
I believe that klusk66 is being just a bit harsh. The fact that we know about one obvious dive by a woman soccer player does not mean that Mr. Winner's article is not for the most part accurate.
Seeing as how women milk every injury in every aspect of life, this article is extremely flawed.
suggestion - if a player goes down with "injury" that requires clock stoppage then that player is out for rest of that half, team plays a man down for balance of half…no cards necessary.
I like it.
that would be an unfair advantage for the other team if the injury is real. make it so the injured player cannot sub back in till the next half and it would stop alot of the bs.
I dunno. When I saw the headline of this article, I thought that the author hadn't been watching the same womens matches that I have--really no difference in the amount of drama between men and women. Kind of like hockey, drama is a part of the game's culture. I have to respectfully disagree with the author and the value of this article.
I haven't seen many womens' games but I've seen some mens' games where the faking was comical, players would go down and clutch their head, knee, leg, etc, without even being touched.
Rivaldo, WC 2002
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgfRCa71Kmw
It's funny but little boys who watch soccer also learn this crazy behavior and I see it almost every weekend at soccer games. It's always funny to me the way they hold their shins even though they are wearing rock solid shin guards. Since the game doesn't take any time-outs, I've always kind of thought that this display gives them a few second to catch their breath and rest.
Women endure pain more gracefully than men. That's nothing new Mr. Andrew Winner. Football mirrors life. It's imperfect. And I do not wish it to be otherwise. I want football to stay as is: beautiful with its imperfections. I love the moanings, the groanings, the fakings, the sighs, the I-can't-believe-you-made-or-missed-that-call ref, the get-your-ass-up-divo-because-there's-nothing-wrong-with-your-leg screaming sessions by fans like me on the pitch or at the tv screen. To me it seems that you're just not in love with the beautiful game because to be in love with someone or something is to love the imperfections as well. And there's always the option of not watching a game too Mr. Andrew Winner if you feel that it's not up to your standards. And why do you wanna be startin' somethin'? In spite of my criticism, I find your article quite intriguing and plain fun to read. Thank you.
"Women endure pain more gracefully than men."
HAHAHAHA! Yeah by "gracefully" you mean whining and crying like no tomorrow.
As a coworker said,"There's a lot less crying in Women's soccer."
Your co-worker is an idiot.
Apparently the author of this article doesn't actually watch women's soccer. Uh, hey, Andrew? Did ya see the Brazil game?
Huh? Did you actually read the entire article?
Yeah. What's your point? The women in the Brazil-US game (on the Brazil side) pulled this crap - to their detriment. But, the fact that women apparently don't "embellish" as much as men is a moot point. They do it.
What does it matter that they do it 10 seconds less or whatever than men?
Obviously the writer of this article doesn't know much about soccer! If he did a little more research he would know players go down intentionally after being tripped in order to draw a free kick or penalty shot for their team.
Maybe next time the good people at MSNBC will get it right!!!
Did you read the entire article?
I watched part of the Brazil v US game (first half) and noticed alot less diving just in that 45 minutes! DIdn't get to see the rest (had to be somewhere) but I even remarked to my husband that girls seem to go down less than the guys. (we watch alot of soccer around here).
The women also play with much more precision and team play than the men. Men's soccer, to me, is boring. They kick it from one end to the other. The women use skill and technique to obtain their objective and methodically charge it down the field. I love watching the women play. It' so much more interesting!
Uh, what league are you watching? The Scottish Premier League? Try watching the Eredivisie, La Liga, EPL, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, etc... The days for the long ball are over, even in the Premier League (at least for many teams).
You want precision? Watch Barcelona...
"The women also play with much more precision and team play than the men. Men's soccer, to me, is boring. They kick it from one end to the other. The women use skill and technique to obtain their objective and methodically charge it down the field. I love watching the women play. It' so much more interesting!"
Made me laugh. You probably never seen mens soccer then. Mens soccer is MUCH more popular than womens. Sorry but men play with way more, precision, team play, skill, and technique. Women's soccer is boring, bunch of manly looking fat girls.
Mingtian, that's why the mens soccer is faster, with the long ball,but this worked not always out for the good ,it depends what kind of defense that other team has.
Boys are wusses. We've all known this since the 5th grade.
Haha! Boys get into fights more, do more hazardous things, etc. since grade 1. Girls cry when they fall and get mud on them. Girls and women are wussies, we've known that since the beginning of humankind.
Researchers examined 56 games. All the men's games were from the German champion Bayern München. How did they determine that this was not just an issue related to that particular team? How did they determine that it was an issue with the men's game and not something that is done in Germany? Where all the women's games from German teams? How did they determine the reasoning? It doesn't seem that they interviewed the players. It probably makes for a good story or discussion topic, but the research seems flawed to me at least as it is described in the article.