Hey, so this section is really the key point of why I started this site.
The hatred and vitriol that has been directed at Elizabeth Lambert is so insane, and so disproportionate -- it's wrong. It's wrong when you put it in your heart to hate this girl. She is just a twenty year old college girl who was involved in a rough game of soccer. Maybe she was the worst player in that game, but you know what? That does nothing to justify the hate and vitriol that has been directed at her in the media and all over the Internet.
When I saw the famous video, sure I noticed the fouls, but I also noticed a lot of positive things. Positive things about the girl who was supposed to be a villain. I noticed how athletic she was, how sharp and beautiful her tackles were, how passionately she played the game -- with all of her heart. I noticed that even in her fouls, she was an honest player, not hiding anything, not trying to con the ref.
Sometimes there is a phenomenon in soccer where the cleanest, nicest, sweetest player you know is the one that will fight back absolutely viciously when they feel that they've been wronged. Sometimes they go over the line, because they're not used to dishing out fouls, because they're not used to knowing where the line is. I don't know whether Elizabeth Lambert is that type of player or not, but when I first watched the video that is the way it seemed to me. Because she didn't disguise her fouls or try to conceal anything, which is what a dirty player would have done.
The fact is, fouls worse than anything Elizabeth Lambert did happen every weekend in every major city in the world. And they're not committed by evil people, just soccer players who get too caught up in the game.
Stop and think what it would feel like to be a 20 year old girl who is suddenly, out of the blue, attacked by tv and media all over the world. One day you're just a nice, sweet, college girl thinking about how excited you are to go home and see your family for Thanksgiving, and the next day people all over the world are are comparing you to Hitler and saying that they hope you die.
I can imagine what it would feel like, and this girl did nothing to deserve that, and it's not alright with me.
Don't you all know what a witch hunt is? Think about that great old human tradition, the one where the community singles out one young woman and "concludes" that she is evil, and everyone circles around gathering stones to throw, or stoking up a big fire to burn her on. Destroying the 'witch' is supposed to exorcise the community's collective demons. And it's so intoxicating for the burners and the stone throwers to feel the power of the hate in their hearts, to feel righteous about scorning someone, about hurting someone, about destroying a woman. It's such a relief for them to pour out their negative emotions onto that one girl.
I liked to believe that America was a country where witch hunts don't happen anymore, where it is no longer necessary for the group to single out one young woman out of the blue and hold her up for hatred and scorn. The soccer player in this video, the young college girl, the one named Elizabeth Lambert... In every town and every city in the United States there are female athletes that have done worse than anything she did. That's reality.
Ok, she looked ferocious, but she didn't even hurt ANYONE. She didn't injure anyone, she didn't end any player's career! Lots of other women have. Lots of male athletes have. This girl didn't. Lots of other athletes have left their opponents in the hospital. This girl didn't. Her opponents were just fine after the game, they weren't injured. She didn't crack her opponents' heads open or break their legs, but lots of other athletes have done that, so why is this girl being singled out for infamy and scorn?
She's a college player who should have been sent off in a soccer game, that's all. Does it make her horrible? Does it make her "the biggest bitch in the world?" Should her life be destroyed because she didn't get sent off? Should people from all over the country be calling her parents to harass them by proxy, should she have to go into hiding now?
I bet she's a fucking great person. I really bet this girl is a beautiful person, and that is who you all are directing your hate at. But even if she's not, so what? She still didn't do anything to deserve this witch hunt. Over at ESPN and all through the media they were so quick to single this girl out, they were so excited at the opportunity to pick out one girl and shout, "there's the witch!"
And millions of people all over the world couldn't wait to circle around and gather up their collective stones to throw.
Well I'm not about that, and I'm not about my society being that way to somebody, and that's why I decided to make this website, to direct some love at this girl whom so many thousands (millions?) have been showering with hate. When I saw the video of Lambert's fouls, I didn't only see the negative things, I saw a lot of positive things too. I saw what an impressive athlete she was, I thought her tackles were the most athletic I have ever seen from a female player, I thought she displayed a rare physical dynamism and I think it's one of the reasons people were so upset by her. When Lambert hit back at her opponent she looked strong, and physically dangerous. Yet, still feminine I think. That last bit is what got people upset most of all. It wasn't what a woman is supposed to look like: strong, and formidable, and feminine all at the same time. That's sad.
What I noticed more than anything else, was the passion with which this girl played the game, the honest passion which can easily take an athlete over the line, but which is all too rare!
I don't hate this girl, are you crazy? I don't have any scorn or ridicule to pile onto her. I'm not joining the hate party, I'm not picking up a rock and throwing it at the 'witch'. I don't play that, and I'm not going to sit around and quietly watch it, either. Forget the hate party, I'm starting the love party instead and saying, "You know what, Elizabeth Lambert? I think you're great. No kidding. I think you're cool as hell. Keep your chin up high, and don't let the haters get you down."
That's the way it is. And I'm sort of hoping that other people who feel the same way will send me some photos showing their support for Elizabeth Lambert, showing how they are not going to join in the big witch hunt either. But if I'm the only one, what can I say. Send me your photos and I will post them here. There are a thousand sites where people have joined in the big hate party against this girl, but this site is for the love party. Let's start the love-in, because she never deserved to be stomped on the way she was -- it wasn't right, it isn't right, but we can all do a little bit now to set it right.
I'll get it started with my own pic:
(click for full size)
There has been a lifetime's worth of hate and scorn directed at Elizabeth Lambert in the past few weeks, let's get back on the love train for this American girl and this passionate soccer player. PLEASE E-MAIL ME YOUR PHOTOS WITH MESSAGES OF SUPPORT FOR ELIZABETH AND I WILL POST THEM HERE!
I agree---the villification is over the top. I liked her competitive spirit and really, I don't think you can judge her by just by the video clips. You'd have to see the entire game in its context and what the BYU players were doing. It takes two to tango.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what was interesting was that nobody stood up for Shumway. Not one of her team mates in the video clips came to her aid. If somebody did, then maybe it would have led to the refs taking action to calm both teams down rather than let it escalate.
I'm not saying Liz is without blame here. I only saw two incidents that were out of line. The video clip makes it seem as if she were rampaging all over the field, play after play, committing fouls.
The hair pulling was just after Kassidy Shumway tackled the UNM goalie. The clips "seen round the world" were shown out of sequence. The plays did not escolate into the pony tail tug. It was give and take the whole game, as was the case from the game the week prior. In over 2,500 hours of field time, Ms. Lambert had only been yellow carded twice. I agree that the media needs a new person to make the posterchild for evilness.
ReplyDeleteThe hate ushered onto Ms. Lambert is unjustified, especially when the clips clearly show provokation from the BYU players. I am ashamed that society has already burned Ms. Lambert at the stake. Her only crime was getting what happens in almost every game to be video taped. The coaches should have benched the two players after the mutual tugging - pony tail versus shorts. He didn't; the refs didn't. So who are we as a society to judge? Live and let live.
Ms. Lambert is a victim of getting too involved in the sport.
No doubt that Elizabeth was out of line, and I think a, say, 2 game suspension would be appropriate. Indefinate suspension seems way out of line, and seems something of a panic decision.
ReplyDeleteApparently she's only had two bookings in 2500 minutes of play, and thats pretty impressive for a defender.
She's absolutely right in the assesment, that her being a woman has a great part in the facination/interest in the youtube video. The assortment of hateful/sexist/disturbing remarks on the net against her, shows how far we still have to come in women being treated/juged equally to men in life/sports/work etc. I have been a referee in plenty of girl soccer games. Any hard (even clean) tackle, always gets a reaction from the crowd, and very often also the opposing team. I ones was approaced by a parent of a girlsmatch (players aged 12-13) at halftime, being told I allowed way to hard play. I answered, that I reffed the game as I would have a boys game, and the parent answered "yeah, but this is girls". That attitude seems to have hit Lambert as well, even though, she plays at a much higher level.
I support Lambert, because she is comitted, strong and compettetive. And because no 20 year old should have her athletic career destroyed because of one infraction.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteGood of you to put up this blog in support of Elizabeth Lambert.
It was unreal to see all the hate and vicious cheapshot comments she was getting. It was way overblown.
Men, she is playing soccer, and you have body contacts, bumps, elbows, arm jabs in soccer all the time.
I played soccer in college and at amateur level. So I know about what's like playing the game.
From what I have seen, Elizabeth played with fiery intensity, and a strong competitive spirit. I admire her for that, and she showed her athleticism and her passion for the game.
She fought tooth and nails for her team. She played tough, she tackled hard, and she took no sh*t from her opponents (you can see that they were trying to provoke her). That is exactly what you need as a no-none-sense defender in soccer.
(You can not be nice and polite as a defender, when you have the opposition players charging at you all game long trying to get past you to score against your team.)
I agree with this blog's starting points - Stop the Witch Hunt against Elizabeth Lambert.
She does not deserve all the abuse that has heaped on her by the many total strangers who only saw the edited videos, and have no understanding of playing the game of soccer.
True sports fans should admire her. She plays like professional soccer defenders - tough, intense, and aggressive, with robust athleticism. She has what it takes to play at international level.
Elizabeth, keep your head up, and be proud of yourself. Ignore all the abuses. Take pride in your tough, competitive style of play.
If I can make the selection, you are on my list of All-American Women Sports Team of the Year.
- from Jonathan P.
What is the latest situ on her and being banned.
ReplyDeleteHi, a recent article from Albuquerque tv station KOAT says that her susepnsion is ongoing. I don't think there has been any real news in the past few weeks, other than Elizabeth being named to Time Magazine's "Top 10 Pariahs" list along with the likes of Bernie Madoff (man behind the largest swindle in human history), Roman Polanski (child rapist), and the Pan Am Flight 103 bomber (mass murderer)....
ReplyDeleteI support Elizabeth and I totally agree that what has happened in the media is a whitch hunt. It has taken ridiculous proportions just like it always does with women. Who cares about Pete Doherty and Mick Jagger taking drugs and sleeping with proatitues and how their children feels but when Britney Spears walks out of the house in an old t-shirt it's the end of the world...
ReplyDeleteElizabeth seems like a talented athlete and i want to see her back in business soon!!
The next game against BYU is coming up in less than a week. I have often wondered what her coach will do. Will she put Elizabeth out there and let her face her demons or hide her on the bench. I'm hoping it's the former. She's a great athlete that has been seriously misunderstood. Go Elizabeth! Good luck at the upcoming rematch......
ReplyDeleteI agree. It doesn't look like she has been getting much playing time this season, but she was a late sub in their recent game against Utah, so maybe she will get some time late in the game against BYU. I hope she does get to play and that she scores a goal(!), that would be so awesome and sweet justice after what must have been an extremely difficult year for her.
ReplyDeleteI also really hope it is a clean game. Even though it was vicious and ridiculous the way Elizabeth was singled out and demonized, the match between these teams last year was an all-around travesty unworthy of 'the beautiful game'.
Btw, I just looked over at the UNM website and there is a great video up featuring the senior girls of the soccer team, including quite a bit of camera time for Elizabeth. It really seems like a sweet group of girls and is definitely worth a view: http://www.golobos.com/allaccess/index.html?media=200995