A young kid asked Dwyane Wade why he flops at his own basketball camp (Video)
The NBA instituted penalties for flopping for the 2012-13 season, but acts of embellished or fabricated contact persist in the league to this day. While the regulations have at least created a climate in which flopping carries some punishment, players have mostly decided that a warning or unlikely fine is worth the risk when the benefit of drawing a foul can be so great. It's here to stay.
In theory, the pervasive presence of flopping would mean that the younger generation would accept it as perfectly normal, as we saw in the case of this kid. Yet, as Miami Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade recently learned, that's not the case. In his hometown of Chicago for the sports and cheerleading camp he co-hosts with Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall, Wade related a question from a young camper when speaking to the press. Simply put, the camper wanted to know why he flops so much (via The Big Lead):
Whether the camper was put up to the question by his dad is unclear, but chances are he was influenced by the general outcry about flopping on TV and on the internet. Young fans are nothing if not impressionable, and continued criticism from commentators like ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy is going to affect their opinions in some way.
Of course, Wade and Marshall hold this camp in part to serve as good influences on kids, so maybe he should consider if flopping does that trick. Even if it's not, he can take solace in knowing he has inspired one child to question his elders. Never settle!
- - - - - - -
Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!