Why a simple bandage has become a powerful symbol of toughness in the NWSL

During the Men's World Cup, flopping and taking a dive was a part of the conversation. So much that yellow cards and ejections became a part of the story. It is something that commentators during the tournament commented on.

In the NWSL and women's soccer this sort of thing is not as prevelant and an issue in the sport. One player for the Utah Royals FC demonstrated that this past week.

In a match against the Houston Dash, defender Kate Del Fava took a header and instantly how a goose egg on her forehead. She soon had trainers take a look to see if she could clear concussion protocol.

She then was bandaged up and went back on the pitch. She won all of her duels and only commited a foul. It led to a 1-0 victory for the Royals. Her play and toughness is an indication of how tough those in women soccer are.

There have been many examples of players in the NWSL and abroad who play with injuries despite evidence they should come out of the game.

in 2022, defender Gemma Bonner was playing for Racing Louisville FC when she suffered a head injury and like Del Fava continued to play the remainder of the game.

Flopping is considered less in women's soccer around the world

It may be more about the difference in style of play and the competitive nature of the women's game as oppose to the old style gamesmanship of the men's game.

While the men's game is more popular around the world, in the United States the NWSL is thriving. It may be due to the style of play and toughness exhibited on a daily basis.

Kate Del Fava playing with the bandage and minor head injury compared to Switzerland's men's player Breel Embelo being ejected for taking a dive, is a great comparison and example as why the women's game is thriving in the United States.

True, that embellishing injuries is a part of soccer and the women on occasion due it too. But forcing the contact to come as oppose to faking it is a major difference between the two sports.

As the Women's World Cup is less than a year away it will be interesting to see if this plagued the tournament as much as on the men's side. Del Fava's play should indicate how it might turn out at large.

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