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By now many of us have seen the Nov. 5 footage of Elizabeth Lambert, defender for the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team, beating the hell out of multiple players of the opposing team, Brigham Young University. If you haven’t seen the video, rest assured that it was, simply put, brutal. Lambert’s behavior is one issue, but the way it has been received, processed, and dealt with is an entirely different issue altogether.
There is no question that violent behavior like this is unacceptable. Some have argued that it’s to be expected in competitive sports, but frankly, a lot of behavior that has become acceptable in sports would lead to jail time (or at least getting kicked out of the bar) if it were enacted off of the field or court.
Serena Williams comes to mind. So does University of Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes, who was recently suspended for merely half a game for gouging the eyes of University of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey (it should be mentioned, in the interest of full disclosure, that UF head coach Urban Meyer so nobly decided to suspend him for an entire game after intense criticism). There are thousands of examples, of course, but since when does mere frequency of occurrence make something acceptable?
This is just speculation, but probably since athletes have become tools used to generate revenue and therefore treated as celebrities rather than actual human beings. There is a very fine line between being healthily competitive and being a poor sport, and it seems the rule of thumb has become to reward poor sportsmanship more than appreciating admirable spirit and exceptional athletic ability.
Which is exactly the point. How often have you seen SportsCenter give a similar time slot to other women’s collegiate soccer games and players that did not involve violence? Of course, it’s naïve to think that this is anything other than sensationalism and that it has nothing to do with anything but creating audiences and profit. Nonetheless, what drives the media’s reactions to Lambert’s aggression is worth considering.
“Lambert’s aggressive, dirty play was displayed on ESPN’s national stage during her team’s 1-0 loss Thursday night to Brigham Young University, and the results -- unlike her -- weren’t pretty. Lambert, an attractive 20-year-old blond, displays some of the most violent behavior we’ve ever seen on any level of sports,” says Radar Online.
First of all, I’m pretty sure biting someone’s ear off is more violent than snapping someone to the ground by her ponytail, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But this behavior is inherently more newsworthy simply because Lambert is a woman, and she’s not acting as women “should.” (As if anyone should act like that.)
Secondly, why exactly is it necessary to comment on Lambert’s physical appearance? Oh, that’s right – she may be a bitch, but at least she’s pretty. And we all know that beauty is valued above all, even above soundness of character and judgment.
Besides the subtle nuances of Lambert making headlines more easily and more quickly than many other athletes who actually deserve to be recognized, there are some other problems that are more immediate and obvious.
Most important is the fact that the referees either did not see this behavior or simply chose to ignore it. Either way, the referees need to be held to some degree of responsibility. The only repercussion Lambert suffered during the game was a yellow card (that she challenged, by the way). If the referees were merely not paying attention, it raises the question of what else they might have missed and, if they chose to ignore it, well, that just borders on cheating, not to mention insensitivity. Violent behavior of this caliber, left unchecked, could lead to serious injury.
That said, UNM lost, 1-0, and Lambert has been given an indefinite suspension from all practices, games, and tournaments.
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