Shocker (Not): Athletes are aggressive
She's cute. I'd let her smack me around a little.
_
Have you seen these chicks getting into dirty fights at women’s soccer games? What happened to sportsmanship? Or is that sportswomanship?
During the Mountain West Conference Tournament Semifinal contest between the BYU Cougars and the New Mexico Lobos, junior defender Elizabeth Lambert was caught on video grabbing another player by her pony tail and yanking her to the grass violently. Here’s the video if you missed it. She also kicked the ball into a player’s face, punched another player in the jaw and tripped up a couple of opponents. Playing dirty, basically. In her defense, one of the other players is also seen on camera elbowing her in the stomach before Lambert pounds her in the back in retaliation.
Lambert has been suspended indefinitely from the team. Some people cried unfair since Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes was only suspended (by himself) for one game after being caught on camera trying to gouge an opponent’s eye stuck at the bottom of a pile. Was Lambert given the shaft, so to speak, because she’s a woman playing a sport as ferociously as the guys do? Which offense was worse? Or is this a bunch of nonsense to criticize any of these players since sports are by nature competitive and kids will be kids? How come the college football refs are hypersensitive this year, yet those soccer players had free reign to commit so many fouls without penalty?
“I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful of my actions,” Lambert said in a statement. “My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration.”
CNN showed footage this morning of a bench-clearing scuffle from the Rhode Island state championship game for soccer where Tolman defender Maria Lopera allegedly grabbed Woonsocket’s Kristin Cahill by the hair and dragged her. Not cool. If I did that, I’m pretty sure I’d be sitting in jail right now. Rather than ejecting either player, officials ended the game with four seconds remaining. Woonsocket won 5-0 in case you were wondering. It probably didn’t help that Tolman midfielder Estefania Duran ran down the sideline in front of the grandstand making a hand gesture in front of the Woonsocket fans. During the awards ceremony, more pushing and shoving between supporters of the two schools threatened to break into a fight. Lopera and Cahill face suspension for five games or more, according to the league rules. These are high school kids. You can sort of excuse their lack of self-control.
Both Lambert and Spikes, who are adults, deserved to be criticized for what they did on the playing field — to a degree. I mean, there’s no honor in winning by virtue of being the bigger A-hole, but college athletics are physical games where the kids frequently collide in violent ways and doing whatever it takes to win the game in front of you seems like the most important thing in the world. If Georgia’s Washaun Ealey did have an eye permanently gouged out or Lambert broke that girl’s neck while yanking her down, we’d probably see criminal charges filed, no? There’s a reason why grabbing someone by their face-mask gets a 15-yard penalty!
And how about that brawl Sunday on the sideline between Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall and Atlanta Falcons Coach Mike Smith? It started when Redskins safety LaRon Landry was whistled for a late sideline hit on quarterback Matt Ryan. Landry and Ryan walked back on the field like nothing happened, but Hall found himself quickly surrounded by Atlanta players and Coach Smith. The replay shows the coach getting in some licks, yet he insists he was merely playing peacemaker. Sure, coach. Sure…
Elizabeth Lambert is a junior at the University of New Mexico, and plays for their soccer team the Lobos originally from California (too bad for California). So, this loser knows they are going in to a game that they will most likely lose and since they do not have the talent to score they resort to this kind of play, it has very minor thought to it than let’s say passisng the ball through your opponents defense and scoring a goal.
The other issue is the where were the referees, were they all older white men with their tongues out, enamored and unable to call the game objectively (this game had so many penalties that did not get called), I mean what are they getting paid to do. Who has paid these guys off? Do we have to change the game where only women referees can call women games. After watching the video someone was paid off, that is my conclusion.
And Lizzy, watch you back and please stay out of soccer (you real should be banned, the game does not need people like you in it), so many will be gunning for you now. Who knows maybe you were just drumming up business for your “Occupational Therapy practice”, yah good luck with that, I doubt your bed side manner is any different from your sportsmanship.