"We forgive Michael Vick, and gasp when Serena Williams screams at a line judge's late call at the U.S. Open," Pappano wrote. "No one likes dirty play. But if Elizabeth Lambert just made people see that women's sports are highly intense, competitive, and exciting, well, good for her."

Who forgave Michael Vick? Maybe we let him play after jail time and fines.

And why is pulling hair, hitting and otherwise cheating deserving of the comment "good for her"..... thats pathetic! In fact so is the whole argument in this article.

"We forgave Michael Vick?"

Are you serious? Who's "we?" The man went to prison and is probably loathed by millions.

What drives women's sports advocates to distraction is that far fewer Americans give a damn about them. It's great that women get the opportunity to compete at the high school, college and "pro" level; just don't expect me to give a rat's behind about their games (or their cat fights).

That chick in the soccer game has some serious anger issues...she needs to be in kick boxing or some sort of duel to the death...

Unsportsmanlike conduct is unsportsmanlike conduct, whether it's done by a man or a woman. There's no place for it in sports and it shouldn't be tolerated, period.

And what's her excuse:

"Soccer?? I thought the game was 'sock her'."

Stupid article-- yes, its sexist-- not. How interesting that these women, so fearful of sexism, forget that when a man cheap shots an opponent or "plays dirty", they are called a thug, Neanderthal, etc... Rough, tough play to win the game is one thing and totally acceptable, whether by men or women, but she was not playing hard, she was a hack.

As for forgiving Michael Vick, is this women quoted in the article an idiot? I think most Americans outside of Philadelphia resent the fact that this guy will get millions of dollars despite the evil acts that he's done. He should have been banned for life.

She is nothing but a female Marty McSurley-- a goon.

The views expressed by this woman are irresponsible. There is not excuse for the behavior I have seen on these videos. My hope is that this athlete is never allowed to play at this level again.

I reffed soccer for over 20 years at all levels up to and including Adult amateurs. I also reffed high school soccer, both boys and girls. Yes the girls games can get as rough as the boys BUT the males tend to be more immediate and more about being "macho". I called them all the same, if they needed a Yellow card they got one, if they needed a RED card as disqualification they got that. The laws of soccer are the same, they don't say "for boys only" or "for girls only"; she should have been sent off and disqualified from further play. If the "rough" play had been managed earlier in the match with more calls or cards to properly manage the match, the hair pulling incident probably wouldn't have happened. The Ref is there to insure fair play and to manage the players without interefering with the match. It's a trick that takes a while to learn and execute properly.

Whats sexist? I don't get it. It's sexist because the females are attrative? The lady from NOW is probably jealous that men find these female college atheletes hot. Fights and rough action make the reels. I saw the video. She looks like one hell of a player. People calling it inexcusable probably missed how dirty the other players were. She got elbowed in the stomach before she punched that girl in the back. The girl whose hair she pulled was tieing her up, she had her hand grabbing her shorts. If she had tried to separate herself her shorts would be off. The other plays she was just getting physical going for the ball, thats what you want in a good defender.

Unsportsmanlike conduct is unsportsmanlike conduct, her excuse is I am female....

"Combative Tactics"?

Lol...

Simple solution, for both men's and women's sports. Behavior that would be considered as assault by a court of law off the field of play, should be prosecuted when it happens in a sporting match. Soccer, football, baseball, and softball fields, and basketball and hockey arenas, should not have some sort of diplomatic immunity from the law of the land, or the norms of human decency.

This is a lousy article. The comparisons in this article make no sense by the interviewer or the people who gave the interviews. It is comparing apples and oranges. Yelling at a ref for a bad call (serena) is not the same as the overt unsportsmanlike conduct displayed. Michael Vick spent time in jail, but his behavior with dogs had nothing to do with football. If you are suggesting the comparison when he flipped off the fans, that was unsportsmanlike but not nearly the gravity as sucker punching or sucker "pulling" someones' hair.

I wonder how she shops on black friday?

Sexism is in the fact that had this been a guy in a sport he would have been expelled from the sport or suspended for a very long time. (See LeGarrette Blount) She had SEVERAL infractions during this game of which this was the most egregious. She has no business playing any organized sport. PERIOD. But since she is a girl she gets special treatment. If you dont want the stereotypes then treat her like any male athlete. The stereotypes persist because she is treated differently than any guy on the field.

NOW is still in business? They've been so quiet on recent high profile issues, such as the character assault on Carrie Prejean, or the gov't suggesting lax medical care of one of the biggest killers of women in history, that the organization has made itself laughably irrelevant.

How about all the NFL players with long hair sticking out of their helmets? You can't say their hair was never pulled, eh?

This is a REALLY stupid article. Anyone who has watched any girls competitive contact sport knows this is a bunch of rubbish. Girls, I think, can be more vicious than guys on the field. Have you ever seen field hockey? The difference, if she was a guy, the opposing team would have taken care of her on the field. She is mad because she got caught. Plain and simple.

The only thing that is sexist here is this article. Men are punished all the time for bad behavior in sports with assault charges becoming common in hockey and other sports. Michale Vick did jail time, and most sane people have not forgiven him. According to these women, we would be sexist if we did not watch women's sports, and we are sexist because we are interested in what happened. Totally rididculous.

typical skank logic

Saw the same thing with the elbow to the ribs from #7 & the grabbing of her shorts by #21. The ref should have doled out penalties to all of them. Too often the instigators get away with their actions and only the player who retaliates gets caught. Good to see the girls playing physical...my daughters played boys hockey for many years and loved the faster and more aggressive pace.

I find this article offensive to all sports lovers, I am a soccer player and was offended that she is called a player even when she was doing some Jijutsi. She forgot that she was playing soccer and confused it with maybe ice-hockey.

To the writer of this article, let me give you an appropriate example, world cup finals between France and Italy and France were the defending champions with Henry and Zidhani at their best. In the second half Zidhani, head-butts an Italian defender and got a red card meaning he got kicked out of the game. Up to that point he was arguably the most honored player coming from retirement to inspire the French to their first world cup since the first decade of the cup. He was also the team captain, with that the French kissed goodbye to the world cup.

There was much talk about good sportsmanship. Apologies were made at country levels and public apologies followed. After spending over twenty years of honorable play it was all gone in a second and no-one defended him and his gender was never discussed. The video went viral and thats what happens when you play the villain role, you get the villain respond.

I feel like I need to explain to the writer of the article why most are offended by this, or at least why I am offended. Worse things happen in other sports mostly male dominated like hockey and to a non-sporting person seems acceptable. The difference between that and what we are talking about is the Hockey players when they put on their uniforms, they know what to expect and most know how to react and respond. The case we are talking of is a case of punching your opponent in a chess game. The other player did not sign up for that treatment. Now for someone to come and say man get away with such, is offensive to any sport.

One more example of this, Mike Tyson bitting Hollyfield's ear is exactly what we are talking of since Hollyfield was not aware that teeth were part of the fight. It cost Tyson the title and we are still talking about it years later. Last month Tyson apologized for that on some TV- Show face to face with Hollyfield. He is still paying the price.

The real soccer players in that game did not know that it was soccer/fight. It was the most cowardly act I have seen in a while. She should have waited until after the game to ask for a fight instead of mixing it with soccer. I am sure the player she attacked could deck her in a fair fight.

When you put on a uniform, you play by the rules of such. She can be a bad girl off the field just like most of the bad boys in your article, they do so OFF THE FIELD. Vick's bad behavior was OFF THE FIELD.

You can be what ever OFF THE FIELD.

OH when they do that OFF THE FIELD, that has nothing to do with the sport, just like what you do off work. It is criminal and you get arrested and go to jail, just ask Vick.

So please do not demean women by this article suggesting reaction to bad behavior should consider the gender of the perpetrator. I tell my son that bad behavior is bad no matter who is behind it. I also say the say to the girls in my life.

In your article, no one got away with bad behavior during the sport and what they do after the game should not be associated with the sport. If this video was OFF THE FIELD, some of us would not care. The uniform and on the field should be respect by those who step on it, IT IS A STAGE.

I agree with the article. Let us end the sexism and arrest this stupid barbarian for assault and battery, and send her to jail, in the same manner we arrested Vick and sent him to prison for harming dogs.

Subject the girl to the same "no tolerance" code by which Vick was judged. Only this will bring about true equality.

My father was an Olympian soccer player. My father-in-law was a basketball player. I played soccer and American football. My wife played basketball. Our three daughters excelled in athletics, with scholarships in basketball. The youngest is well on her way in soccer, racquetball and basketball.

Had any of us, male or female, engaged in such behavior, we would have been removed from the sport. There is no sexism. There is only what is right and what is wrong. The author of this complaint has her head up her...., well, if she had a head, it is nowhere to be seen.

The author obviously has no knowledge of sports injuries. Pulling a person down by the hair or anything else attached to the head will cause spinal injury. This is the reason behind the face-mask rule in American football. Take your worthless PC politics out of sports. There are only dangerous.

This soccer players actions are nothing short of cheap shots at the person intended and not defensive moves.

The facts of the article may or may not be true, but this soccer player has some real issues.