World Cup Injury Report

[Zinjanthropos]

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.

[C C]

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.

[Syne]

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

[Yazata]

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.

[Zinjanthropos]

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