A new study on the authenticity of soccer injuries by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center reveals that female players fake injuries on the soccer field half as often as their male counterparts. Daryl Rosenbaum, who conducted the study, said that "'questionable' injuries are more likely to be associated with contact and referee sanctions than 'definite' injuries, which may indicate that players may use these situations to try to deceive referees." Still, she noted "there was no evidence that teams that did this frequently won more often, nor was there any evidence that players used injury simulation as a way to try and rest or kill time." The International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA, has been trying to curb the trend of fake injuries that has become ubiquitous with professional soccer. "In the end, I think this study shows that women are less likely than men to fake soccer injuries," Rosenbaum said, according to the study. "What isn't clear is if injury simulation is used to gain a tactical advantage. Only the players themselves know the answer to that question."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at cdickson at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Caitlin Dickson