That's because for better or worse Neymar's antics are big news around the globe and thus visible enough to get the attention of people who normally may not care too much about football. Obviously for those who dismiss the sport because it's "full of flopping" - as many still do in North America and other areas where other sports are more popular - Neymar seems to confirm their prejudices.
It's tempting for some fans to defend Neymar just to be contrarian against that and to indicate how they're 'real fans', but that would be a mistake as well. Personally, in 30+ years of watching this sport, I've never seen a guy quite like Neymar, and I don't mean in terms of talent. As talented as he is, he's not in the top 10 of footballers I've seen. And while he can be amusing, I don't like the direction that's taking the sport in and the role model he is for kids out there. As such I am glad that there is blowback, and it will be less cool for kids to be 'like Neymar' going forward.
