If Luis Suarez wasn't a name you were familiar with before, it sure is now! While playing Italy in the World Cup, Uruguay team player Suarez bit an opponent on the field for the third time. First was in 2010 when he bit Otman Bakal on the shoulder, then there was Branislov Ivanovic in 2013 who as bit on the arm, and finally Giorgio Chiellini who was bit on the shoulder last week during the match against Italy. Biting seems to be nothing new for this soccer player, but the evolution of his apology of his most recent biting is something to look at.
Originally after the incident with Chiellini, Suarez defended himself with non-apology claiming that he lost his balance, making his body unstable. He said "At that moment I hit my face against the player, leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth." Poor him, right? After receiving no sympathy, no one buying his story, and being banned from playing for four months, he tried to repair his image and save face by officially apologizing and promising to never bite another player again. Kruse (1981) would probably agree that this is a situation where an apology is need, and categorize this apology as the athlete stressing a strong desire to be a team player. Hey, at least his team won the match 1-0. The following video shows all three biting incidents. Ouch!
Originally after the incident with Chiellini, Suarez defended himself with non-apology claiming that he lost his balance, making his body unstable. He said "At that moment I hit my face against the player, leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth." Poor him, right? After receiving no sympathy, no one buying his story, and being banned from playing for four months, he tried to repair his image and save face by officially apologizing and promising to never bite another player again. Kruse (1981) would probably agree that this is a situation where an apology is need, and categorize this apology as the athlete stressing a strong desire to be a team player. Hey, at least his team won the match 1-0. The following video shows all three biting incidents. Ouch!
Suarez's world famous bite has made him alienate
some fans, while gaining others. Time will tell if his apology and promise to
never bite another player will earn him back the fans he lost. Rumors are
circling about him possibly being traded to Barcelona after the World Cup is
over, and if he is, will his new fans follow him?
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