Well we are finally into the last stages of the Euro 2008 summer ballet season, thank goodness. Surprisingly, there has not been as much as expected on offer. But the two main ‘troupes’ delivered as usual last Tuesday.
First an Italian managed to trip up on a particularly thick piece of fresh air to secure a penalty after being bumped slightly. Then the French replied with a few swan dives of their own. It’s a pity that one of the teams actually won, as they both prefer theatrical performances instead of kicking a ball once they get onto the field. We would have been better off with Romania in the quarter finals, who would at least have put more effort into a sporting performance instead of an artistic one.
The game is called ‘Football’. And that combination of the ball being impelled by the foot (or other legal parts of the anatomy) is what wins games. Any game that is influenced by the theatrics of the players is not what the public came to see. Ballet does not appeal to the masses of football fans that pay to watch their teams every week. So why should they have to endure it on the field during a game?
You won’t see any players on a rugby union or rugby league field trying to gain an unfair advantage by throwing themselves to the ground in apparent agony. The Irish and Australians playing Gaelic football or Australian Rules football, haven’t got enough time to be bothered with diving or other theatrics.
It’s time the football associations of the world allowed trial by camera. A lot of the action is too close and too fast for the referees to catch. Some players are better at others at disguising their actions, but a quick check of the slow-motion replay is very revealing. A few post match charges of bringing the game into disrepute would do a lot to clean up some of the worst of the acting. Whether it is launching oneself into the air because a defender touched you while somewhere near the ball in the penalty box, or writhing on the ground in apparent agony for minutes, then getting up and running off as if nothing had happened. Both are disgusting attempts to pervert the course of the game.
This entry was posted on June 19, 2008 at 7:57 am and is filed under Social Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Ballet with Boots but no Balls
By goodtalkingWell we are finally into the last stages of the Euro 2008 summer ballet season, thank goodness. Surprisingly, there has not been as much as expected on offer. But the two main ‘troupes’ delivered as usual last Tuesday.
First an Italian managed to trip up on a particularly thick piece of fresh air to secure a penalty after being bumped slightly. Then the French replied with a few swan dives of their own. It’s a pity that one of the teams actually won, as they both prefer theatrical performances instead of kicking a ball once they get onto the field. We would have been better off with Romania in the quarter finals, who would at least have put more effort into a sporting performance instead of an artistic one.
The game is called ‘Football’. And that combination of the ball being impelled by the foot (or other legal parts of the anatomy) is what wins games. Any game that is influenced by the theatrics of the players is not what the public came to see. Ballet does not appeal to the masses of football fans that pay to watch their teams every week. So why should they have to endure it on the field during a game?
You won’t see any players on a rugby union or rugby league field trying to gain an unfair advantage by throwing themselves to the ground in apparent agony. The Irish and Australians playing Gaelic football or Australian Rules football, haven’t got enough time to be bothered with diving or other theatrics.
It’s time the football associations of the world allowed trial by camera. A lot of the action is too close and too fast for the referees to catch. Some players are better at others at disguising their actions, but a quick check of the slow-motion replay is very revealing. A few post match charges of bringing the game into disrepute would do a lot to clean up some of the worst of the acting. Whether it is launching oneself into the air because a defender touched you while somewhere near the ball in the penalty box, or writhing on the ground in apparent agony for minutes, then getting up and running off as if nothing had happened. Both are disgusting attempts to pervert the course of the game.
Tags: acting, AFL, ballet, diving, Euro 2008, Football, France, Italy, league, penalty, referee, replay, rugby
This entry was posted on June 19, 2008 at 7:57 am and is filed under Social Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.