Part of us hopes a lot of Canadian kids have been watching the Copa America and Euro Cup soccer tournaments to witness how the so-called beautiful game can be played.
But another part of hopes our children have not been watching, because so often they’ll have been subjected to the flopping and gesticulating of grown men trying to convince a referee that they have been badly fouled.
As numerous replays showed, these phantom fouls and Oscar-worthy acting performances are nothing more than a ruse to try to gain an advantage.
They are a shameful and sad reflection on what once really was a beautiful game.
That aside, the performance by the Canadian men’s team in its first Copa appearance has been wonderful to watch.
While on Monday night they seemingly played with fewer men than Argentina — as the team of referees repeatedly botched calls that cost Canada at least one goal and numerous missed opportunities — the Canucks refused to give up and nearly scored twice late in the game.
This type of effort is a fine example for our children and grandchildren. So, Canada will play for a bronze medal on Saturday.
Well done. Now, please, let’s find a way to stop all the phony writhing and faking of injuries.
Just play the game.