Dallas Mavericks owner and Internet tycoon Mark Cuban’s“Stop The Flop” campaign has reached new levels. Some of the high-profile flopping incidents in these playoffs has undoubtedly pushed him over the edge.
NBA commissioner David Stern says the league needs to expand its anti-flopping rules with heftier fines and possible suspensions. In the meantime, Cuban is blessing Southern Methodist University with $100,000 for an 18-month investigation of the forces involved in basketball collisions to figure out if video can identify legitimate collisions and instances of “flopping.”
"The research findings could conceivably contribute to video reviews of flopping and the subsequent assignment of fines," SMU biomechanics expert Peter G. Weyand , who leads the research team, said in a statement.
Cuban tweeted: "Is it a flop? Let the scientists figure it out. I’m paying for the research to find out."
What’s next, brainwave studies and lie detector tests for referees, to determine if they play favorites?
