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+--- Thread: World Cup Injury Report (/thread-20718.html)
World Cup Injury Report - Zinjanthropos - Jun 25, 2026
Watching the WC has me worried. Not about who wins but I’m starting to think that physiologically there something wrong with me. Every game has these 22 athletes, most in their prime, physically well conditioned and generally just about the fittest guys on Earth. Then there are injuries, some serious, yet I’m beginning to think that my own health is in danger because basically, I don’t feel pain and agony the way these very fit individuals do.
So shouldn’t I be worried if:
I stub my toe at home and not roll around in a utter agony, mouth agape and screaming at top of my lungs
Or
When in line I feel a person nudge me from behind and I don’t drop to the floor
Or
If someone brushes against my face or head then why am I not feeling like I’ve just been punched by Mike Tyson
I’m no where near the fittest guy on Earth yet I don’t feel pain of injury like these athletes do. I’m just guessing but being fit must lessen pain threshold. Since it appears an unfit person can withstand pain better then how am I going to know if I’m not deserving of being stretchered away?
WC should raise the eyebrow of a few sports medicine people because, unbelievably as it sounds, the referee in some cases or the game dictates that despite suffering serious harm the players are forced to play on. You wouldn’t do that for a dog. It’s crazy, cruelest game on Earth.
RE: World Cup Injury Report - C C - Jun 25, 2026
Since they're not protected with all the uniform accessories like in North American football, it might at least seem more plausible in the former. Players in the latter, of course, will roll around and agonize and feign something worse than it is to get a pause in the game (equivalent of a faux time-out). But apparently I'm missing a lot of histrionics and on-field theater in soccer. Not that the "game den" is oblivious to WC action, but I have my fill of checking in on whatever's transpiring in that grotto during the fall.
RE: World Cup Injury Report - Syne - Jun 25, 2026
There seems to be a lot of playing injuries up to get foul calls in soccer.
Soccer players frequently exaggerate contact or "play up" injuries—a tactic often termed simulation or diving—to influence referee decisions and gain competitive advantages. This behavior is a recognized, albeit criticized, strategy to draw fouls, penalty kicks, or to get opponents carded.
- gemini
RE: World Cup Injury Report - Yazata - Jun 26, 2026
Yeah, the slightest bump, or even just brushing past an opponent without even touching him, and the player will be on his back, holding his knee, and rolling around in (seeming) agony!
Then when the opposing player isn't carded (penalized) the hideously injured player pops right back to his feet instead of being carted off, and trots away like nothing happened (because nothing did happen!)
It's a soccer thing, Americans and Canadians wouldn't understand. Part of what makes the 'Beautiful Game' beautiful, I guess.
We are used to American/Canadian football, where if a player is injured, he's really injured and might require surgery. And hockey, where players spit out teeth like chicklets, and just keep playing.
RE: World Cup Injury Report - Zinjanthropos - Jun 26, 2026
(Jun 26, 2026 04:27 AM)Yazata Wrote: Yeah, the slightest bump, or even just brushing past an opponent without even touching him, and the player will be on his back, holding his knee, and rolling around in (seeming) agony!
Then when the opposing player isn't carded (penalized) the hideously injured player pops right back to his feet instead of being carted off, and trots away like nothing happened (because nothing did happen!)
It's a soccer thing, Americans and Canadians wouldn't understand. Part of what makes the 'Beautiful Game' beautiful, I guess.
We are used to American/Canadian football, where if a player is injured, he's really injured and might require surgery. And hockey, where players spit out teeth like chicklets, and just keep playing.
Pro wrestlers do it everyday, seemingly making a miraculous recovery from all sorts of physical violence perpetrated on their bodies. That’s accepted as entertainment. 100% acceptable
RE: World Cup Injury Report - geordief - Jun 27, 2026
It is worse than being a ridiculous spectacle.It is obviously ingrained cheating that is actually coached into the players.
Before VAR it was easier to fool the referrees but the practice still carries on since it has become part of the game (I don't fully understand why it does, but some decisions are 50/50 and to be included in the toss up you have to match your opponent's inevitable histrionics
A terrible example to spectators and young players it seems to me and it will possibly hasten the demise of the game ,already full of corruption and big money as it is.
RE: World Cup Injury Report - Zinjanthropos - Jun 27, 2026
(Jun 27, 2026 04:18 AM)geordief Wrote: It is worse than being a ridiculous spectacle.It is obviously ingrained cheating that is actually coached into the players.
Before VAR it was easier to fool the referrees but the practice still carries on since it has become part of the game (I don't fully understand why it does, but some decisions are 50/50 and to be included in the toss up you have to match your opponent's inevitable histrionics
A terrible example to spectators and young players it seems to me and it will possibly hasten the demise of the game ,already full of corruption and big money as it is.
Hey geo, good to hear from you again.
Absolutely corrupt from the top, filtering down to playing field and everyone else involved. I watched a vid where even the ball boys refused to give the ball to visiting team.
My daughter went to a WC game (Germany vs Ivory Coast) in Toronto, said she was glad she went because the spectators were bonkers and the noise level incredible but not eager to repeat the experience. Bucket list item she can scratch off.
Soccer is like pro hockey and football in that there are many rules that disallow goals/points even though soccer in particular is a game that lacks offence most times. Fans clamour for goals but rarely get them. VAR makes goal scoring even more difficult. Offside calls are sometimes so ridiculous that there must be times when people think the fix is in. The new hydration break rule is the TV Ads rule in reality…. Why lie? At least basketball and I think both hockey and football call it a tv time out or official’s time out.
Lost track of how many games I’ve switched off before half time. Still see lots of faked injuries in those few minutes I observe. Even the broadcasters try to make a crappy game sound like it’s great and spend too much time discussing injury causes and severity. Is it boring or are they trying to justify the (beautiful) game?