http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/sports/soccer/11iht-SOCCER.html?_r=1&hpw
Not sure if many people read the New York Times piece on a young women named Elizabeth Lambert who's ridiculous fouls committed in one recent game have caused somewhat of a national buzz. Not sure why really. Apparently Good Morning America commented on it as well as Julie Foudy. Firstly, it is sad to see yet again women's football in the US receive media attention in this way. Secondly, not sure why this even received attention. At first I thought the article would perhaps detail a long season full of "deadly" fouls and irrational behavior by this one player, perhaps meriting an article or a discussion. However, this was ONE game. Growing up playing football, I've seen girls do things just as bad or even worse in one game and they were 16. I'm not by any means condoning what she did. The fouls are pretty bad and there is nothing worse than those types of players but again, I don't understand the media attention. She should have been given a red card, sent off the field and no one should know who she is. Rather than articles on the newly created professional women's football league or interesting players, team achievements and defeats (always like a good defeat story), we are seeing the women's game either ignored and brought to light by one game in which one player lost her temper. I also dislike the way the article, again, uses the same stereotypical approach to this top comparing the "rough" men game to what they imply should be a calmer women's game. Again, if anyone has ever played women's football, they know very well that is not true and the New York Times should know well to avoid these stereotypes and cliches.
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