Good article in today's New York Times by Jere Longman, one of the country's best soccer writers in my opinion, about the infamous Liz Lambert of the University of Mexico in a play-off game against BYU. (See, post below.) To refresh your recollection, Lambert punched several opponents, tripped others and yanked one to the ground by her ponytail. Despite this uncontrolled mayhem, she received only a yellow card late in the game.
I was glad to see the comment by Tony DiCicco, who coached the U.S. women when they won the World Cup in '99 and now coaches the Boston Breakers of WPS, wondering where the referees were and what Lambert's coach was thinking. I raised the same questions. “I’m put off by what she did, I’m put off that the refereeing didn’t seem to recognize this, and I’m put off a little by the coaching,” said DiCicco in the article.
Longman's thoughtful piece explores deeper issues than the competence of the game officials or the New Mexico coach. It raises questions about women's soccer and women's sports in general and states that the Lambert incident and its Internet aftermath "has spurred a national debate about sportsmanship, gender roles, double standards regarding aggressiveness and news media coverage and the sexualized portrayal of female athletes."
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I'm glad to see this article, because while the dirty playing was regrettable, when you get past the sensationalism of the video clips posted on the web, you realize there are many issues beyond, "How could this woman play like this?" and "Why did the refs allow such dirty and dangerous plays?" I agree with the comment at the end of the article by the PhD candidate who said, "We're clearly following a male model of the sport. We're missing a chance to say what's acceptable in the men's game and ask why we are taking this model." Why should cheap shots and roughhousing be the model? Whether you're playing in the Women's Professional Soccer league or on a coed adult rec team, why stoop to that level? It's frustrating that women's sports teams can't get the attention they deserve if there's not enough "action" (aka violent play) in the game, but I'd rather play fairly and receive no attention at all than the attention the Elizabeth Lambert issue has brought to women's soccer.
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