Diving in football, a social performance

Abstract

Abstract The focal point of this study is to investigate diving in football and draw upon Goffman’s (1959, 1982) symbolic interactionism. Moreover, the study illuminates how football players dive and explore what are the motivations. It is clear that the literature in this topic area is incomplete however, using Goffman’s theories and the existing literature regarding diving, the study is able to piece together the puzzle of diving. The study is motivated by three research questions: (1) How to football players complete an ‘authentic’ dive? (2) What are the motivations to dive? (3) What are the consequences of a dive? In this dissertation, I propose a model of Goffman’s theories including Game theory, Civil inattention, Glance theory, Face-to-Face behaviours, impression management and performance to expose the process of a dive. In addition, stigma and referees will be carefully examined to gain an insight to the repercussions of diving. Finally, masculinity will be explored to identify the relationship with diving. An interpretive method approach was used to obtain the information needed.The results revealed that diving is a complex series of process and there is substantial evidence to report that the diving process is not fully individual; it incorporates referees, who play a vital role in the social interaction. This study advances our understanding of the diving process and offers a unique insight in how it is conducted.