“Elizabeth Lambert apologized for her actions, saying, ‘I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation.’ Now, she'll have plenty of time to explore those emotions, with an indefinite suspension from soccer.”
That was an apology issued by Elizabeth Lambert, a defender on the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team. Lambert has been suspended indefinitely for unsportsmanlike conduct. From punching opponents in the back, to pulling down a player by her ponytail, these actions have earned Lambert the reputation as the meanest player in women’s soccer.
We’re taking a look at different perspectives from ESPN, CNN, NBC and ABC News to see what the media thinks of Lambert’s actions.
ESPN soccer analyst and Olympic gold-medalist Julie Foudy says that Lambert’s actions are too rough, even for such a high contact sport like soccer.
“Sure, there is jostling off the ball. That’s part of the game of soccer, and in the women’s game there even is some hair-pulling, yes. But, oh my goodness, if you’re going to pull someone’s ponytail and about snap their head off with it, that is going over the line.”
But CNN’s Jeanne Moos points out that Lambert may have been antagonized by her opponents. But Lambert may have learned her lesson after the team lost the game.
“In her defense, her Bringham Young University opponent did elbow her in the chest before Lambert wacked her back, and another opponent grabbed onto her shorts before Lambert grabbed her braid. The hair-pull has become the new head butt. Remember Zinedine Zidane, the French captain who head-butted an Italian player at the World Cup? The head-butter’s team lost and so did Elizabeth Lambert’s by one goal. The girl Lambert jabbed in the back got back at her by pointing at the scoreboard.”
Although Lambert has since issued a statement about her misconduct, NBC Today Show anchors say her violence was out of line and an apology is not good enough.
“It is sick. I don’t know how to describe it. Is sick a good way to describe it? It’s sick, it’s vile. How’s that?” (FLASH) “I just think she has shamed her school. She’s shamed herself, her family and her school. And I’m not saying there isn’t hope for redemption for her down the line because there always is. But, I mean, anybody can say, ‘it was the heat of the game.' We’ve all been through those kinds of experiences.”
Finally, an ABC News report looks the broader context of how such violence is becoming more common in women’s sports.
“It’s bad behavior we’re used to seeing from the men. (FLASH) Last season, 11 players were suspended after this WNBA game turned violent. In 2003, this Illinois girl’s football initiation sent five girls to the hospital, and Serena Williams’ tirade at the U.S. Open this summer did not sit well with the fans.”
So what do you think? Does Lambert deserve to be banned from the game? Or has this type of defense become the norm for women’s sports?
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