Why The Anti-Flopping System In The NBA Needs To Be Adjusted

Many fans love to watch professional basketball. Basketball fans love to see guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Paul George, Dirk Nowitzki, or Tony Parker, leaving it all on the floor, putting on a show for an arena of roughly fifteen or twenty thousand fans. On the other hand, they dislike when physical fouls occur, when fights break out, and tantrums take place. But basketball fans dislike flopping the most. Just like the prevalence of concussions in the National Football League, flopping is becoming increasingly evident in the NBA game today. It is something that needs to be decreased substantially. How? The offenders of the flopping rule need be disciplined differently, and there needs to be change to the fact that many of these flops are often called as fouls.

A foul is one thing, where a player may be too forceful, or not well-positioned. Fouls will always be part of the game. Again, it is the flopping that needs to be less prevalent in today's NBA. In my own words, flopping is an act of drawing a foul without actually being fouled. I personally do find flops and acting jobs to be funny and worth laughing at, but this is professional basketball. This is the players' job, and the players need to play like they are on the job. Flopping shows a lack of professionalism that comes with being a professional basketball player, one who is expected to show that both on and off the court. I do believe that these players do handle themselves well, but such is not the case when they flop on the court. With that said, again, how can this system be adjusted, for the better of the game?

First, an instant replay system should be installed, to review these 'flop-fouls'. When a foul is supposedly under question, it should be called that way, and that is fine. While using instant replay does take away from the timeliness of the professional game, it's important that flopping is lessened, and by calling upon replay, the officials can look at the play of which a foul is called and see whether it is actually a foul or a flop. I understand that the players sell it to the official, and do it very well to get the call in their favor, but whether that works or not, this replay system would help eliminate some of the bogus foul calls that are being called in favor of flops. Play would be continued with the offensive team maintaining possession.

Secondly, but more importantly, the discipline that the players receive, especially on earlier offenses, provides incentive to continue flopping, even though they know that they will be fined more for each progressive offense. To at least put an effort to lessen flopping in the NBA, the league should impose stiffer penalties on earlier offenses. For example, the first offense should be a five-game suspension without pay, and each progressive offense results in double the length of discipline retroactive to the previous offense, such that the fifth offense results in a season-long ban, including playoffs. This sends the message that, "If you flop, you are going to lose your salary and right to play professional basketball for a specific period of time, hurting not just yourself, but your team, your coaches, and executive office". I am all for finding ways to win games for NBA players, but if flopping is the way, I do not stand for it. 

It is just as strong of a combination if both the harsher discipline and the replay system are used, whether it's used simultaneously or not. An alternative to the second suggestion would be to assess a technical foul for a flop, which would carry over to the next game. Then, if that same player flops again in the same game or the next game, he should be ejected for the rest of that game, of which the purpose is to send the same message as above.

Basketball is a great sport, and that cannot be disputed, with all the elite players, and incoming stars for future generations that currently shine on the floor. But flopping is taking away from that, not just for current players, but it teaches a bad lesson for future NBA athletes and affiliates. To help prevent this from happening, an instant replay system can be implemented so officials can review fouls that may or may not be flops, and to impose stiffer penalties earlier so the players are sent the message that they will lose their salary and playing time if they continue to flop while playing professional basketball.