FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS APP PODCAST Opinion & Analysis : Hyden's Take HYDEN BLOG: The Art Of The Flop

May 26, 2010 - 8:35:01 AM


I received an interesting e-mail the other week. I had intended to publish it last week, as it deals with UFC 113, more specifically Josh Koscheck and the phantom knee from Paul Daley. However, I got sidetracked with other things and forgot to include this e-mail last week. The name of the author is Cambo Nelson, here's his e-mail.

"I have some thoughts and opinions on the phantom knee everyone is ripping Josh Koscheck over; and the double standard.

So on Saturday I watched the great night of fights that was 113 but after the event and on the blogs I read everyone couldn't help but rip Kos. To be truthful I'm a Kos fan but that's besides the point.

Let's look at some other sports real quick. NBA - if Kobe Bryant or any other pro basketball player faked a foul in the fourth quarter of the conference finals with 30 seconds on the clock and down 2 it would be seen as a smart play, something that set that team up for a championship! Basically the position Kos was in.

Or baseball, when a player "leans into one" in the ninth. Or a soccer player swings for the ball and the player with the ball falls with a "broken leg," and once that color card is passed out all is fine not even a scratch!!! (watch the World Cup; every game)

My point being it's not as frowned upon as Kos's was, and everyone brought out the pitch forks and torches and went on the fraggle hunt.

The man has already begun to sell the GSP fight.

He plays the villain to pad his pockets, same way Brock does. Seems like it's worked for him.

I'm just saying this sport we love and put so much into gets the bad rap for something that is so widely accepted.

I understand the honor and BS but for a title shot you can't fault the guy.

And I have said for the last year the only person who WILL beat Georges St. Pierre is Kos.

Ala Matt Serra he can rock him on the feet and hope to keep it standing.

Thanks for listening
I would love to hear what you think

Cambo Nelson"

===

Cambo brings up a very interesting point. There's a long history of professional athletes flopping, or trying to influence the referees or officials with antics or words. Phil Jackson routinely plays mind games with NBA refs and opposing players. Hell, he'll play mind games with his own players. No one looks down on Jackson for doing that. Manu Ginobili flops all the time, but is still considered a great player. How about NFL receivers who complain about holding and defensive pass interference?

I'm not saying that I agree 100% with Cambo, I just think it's important to consider this as a whole and in the context of other sports. The opposite side of that, however, is that a lot of other individual sports don't involve flopping. Golfers routinely call penalties on themselves, even at the cost of winning and money. Tennis players generally try to adhere to a similar code. MMA is more like the latter two sports in that the competitors are directly competing with each other. It's basically impossible to flop in tennis or golf.

There's also something to be said for the culture of each sport. Cheating is essentially encouraged in baseball, or at the least, overlooked. However, hockey players look down upon flopping, diving as it's more commonly called, in their sport. Ultimately, it might come down to personal choice. I can't say for sure, but I don't think I would flop if given the opportunity. If guys want to flop, though, and they can get away with it, I don't know if there's a lot of reasons to not do so.

Let your opinions be heard, send your comments or suggestions to hydenfrank@gmail.com

ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick, Rich Hansen, and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.