The Flop.. Good for Sports?

I was listening to cry babies, a pod cast from This American Life. It highlighted the advent of the pro athlete version that has taken all of the sports by a storm. The flop.

In its most pure form and perhaps the originator of the flop comes from World Soccer. These injures or "fake injuries" help to slow down the play. The subject claims dramatic injury from a minor or no infraction. The sport of soccer has a way of dealing with this. Additional time is added to the end of the game when time is taken and cards are displayed. Cards are displayed for inappropriate play. It is still a theft of the audience time when half the team spends time withering in pain on the field of play.

This segment from This American Life cited that even baseball and Derek Jetter were not immune to such antics. Derek faked being hit by the pitcher to get on base for the New York Yankees. Vladi Devak, the 7 foot 1 inch former center for the Sacramento Kings and later the LA Lakers had perfected the flop and introduced it to the whole National Basketball League. Its inception was exasperated by a rule change that did not allow any hand checks in the game. Fear of the flop resulted in more passing in the game and more interesting play by outside shooters.

The flop in football is fairly prolific. The quarterback fakes the smash after the ball is thrown. The receivers and the corners play with the referees on pass interference. The ultimate flop is recorded for a punter that gets hit after kicking the ball. There is even an anti flop provision that would recall the play if the kicker intentionally flops.

So where is flop when you consider sportsmanship? Does it effect games? Is it fair to effect play with acting?

I really think overall the flop is cheapening the sports experience. I have no problem with good acting. It should however not be in sports. It should not slow the play or give unfair advantage to an athlete or a team who is beaten in the play and this is the only recourse to make it even. I think that in televised pro sports the flop is inappropriate.