Elizabeth Lambert pulled an opponent down by her ponytail, punched an opponent in the back, scythed opponents down repeatedly and savagely, kicked a ball in an opponents face and somehow managed to punch a girl twice while tackling her to the ground.  That was only what was caught by cameras.  The video went viral instantly.  The public reaction was stern.  Lambert was suspended indefinitely.  But, was the response sexist?

Jere Longman raises this question in a New York Times piece.

“The world has changed,” Dorrance said. “Women play with just as much intensity, work ethic and sometimes aggression as guys.” But although men can be celebrated for extreme aggression, like knocking out a quarterback in the N.F.L., “women are held to a different standard,” Dorrance said.

“I hate to call it a higher standard,” he said. “It’s almost like they crossed a gender line they weren’t allowed to cross, like we want to take them out of the athletic arena and put them in the nurturing, caring role as mothers of children.”

Society treats women differently than men, often unfairly.  Here, however, I’m not sure Lambert is a victim.

We probably tolerate more violence in male sports, but it’s hard to argue Lambert’s actions were within acceptable boundaries for either sex.  When there’s an illicit eye gouge in the NFL, it draws the same response.  I’d imagine a similar outrage if an NFL player was caught doing things like that repeatedly throughout a game.

In soccer, Jonny Evans’ studs first tackle to Didier Drogba’s chest was as bad or worse than anything Lambert did, but it was also one incident rather than part of a series in the same match.