I ve been playing soccer all my life and you have to do that. It s the most dangerous sport I know. You can easily broke your leg just because you play without any kind of protection (except shin pad).
Playing other contact sport (except rugby), there is so many protection that you just can focus on your move.
In football, you have to trust the others to play by the rules...Otherwise, that can happen :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_BMRyp4QYM
So when you think someone is doing something dangerous, you "dive" to show to the ref that the guy is playing dirty, and that it s dangerous.
A french player broke twice a leg (2 or 3 years inbetwen). He is playing the worl cup (sub) : Cisse is his name.
It can be boring, like Hockey if the game is not a great one.
And I think you have to play to get it. At the begining, I didn t like hockey at all (seemed a stupid game with bulls kikcing each others). Since a couple of years, I actually play with friends and it s a great game. I love it and I like to wattch game.
As aothers said : my 2 cents...(but at least, I know what I am talking about)