A bad example for girls' sports
Guest Dad Joe Burris writes about a less-than-shining example for his sports-loving daughter:
When my 12-year-old daughter Nyaniso recently asked permission to play girls ice hockey, she was surprised at how readily I approved. That wasn’t the case among some other parents, she said. Yet while I did have some concerns about the sport’s physical nature, I could see her passion and interest and decided to allow her to give it a try.
“Just remember to protect yourself should you get checked,” I said.
“What does it mean to get checked?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
I’ve thought back to that moment often recently in wake of the controversy surrounding University of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert, who has been suspended for rough play during a recent tournament game between New Mexico and Brigham Young.
Among Lambert’s most violent actions that day was grabbing an opposing player by the pony tail and pulling her to the ground with a force that could have caused a whiplash.
Taped footage of the incident has drawn millions of hits on video-sharing Web sites, featured on ABC’s Good Morning America and ESPN’s SportsCenter. It has been the talk of chat rooms and message boards everywhere.
One of the concerns I have about coverage of the Lambert incident is that it is by far the most attention given to a women’s team sport in a long, long time. In the absence of it, few of us would know -- and even fewer would care -- about Lambert or either team involved.
And that means that for plenty of young girls interested in playing sports, this might have been the first time they’ve seen women’s soccer in the mainstream media.
Imagine trying to get your son interested in playing baseball, and the first game he watches on television is Game 3 of the 2003 American League Championship Series, where the two teams staged one of Major League Baseball’s ugliest brawls ever.
What Lambert did on the field that day was despicable (she has since apologized) regardless of gender. The same could be said for the recent actions of University of Florida football player Brandon Spikes, who was caught trying to gouge the eyes of an opposing player during Florida’s contest against the University of Georgia.
The difference is that the Spikes incident barely stands out amid the plethora to time devoted to college football. The same goes for the 2003 ALCS with baseball coverage. Lambert’s incident stands alone.
I hope that there are enough girls playing sports -- particularly soccer -- to know that most have a physical side, and that the Lambert incident was an aberration.
They also should know that unless another player allows her emotions to get the best of her, women’s soccer probably won’t garner more national attention any time soon.
Categories: Father's Day Tuesday, Sports
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