Killer Instinct?!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/33750267#33750267

So, I'm sure you've seen the latest video of the crazy soccer player gone too far, if not, the link is provided above.... University of New Mexico's Elizabeth Lambert was caught on video physically attacking an opponent from BYU during a game. Overall, soccer can be a brutal sport. I coach little kids and it starts pretty early. They push, pull on jerseys, and talk trash. And this happens as early as 4 years old. Now, the majority of pushing and pulling of jerseys occurs because they are so little they are using these things to balance themselves. They're still so uncoordinated and then you ask them to dribble a soccer ball at their feet with 7 other kids clustered around each other. It looks more like rugby than soccer at this age. But Lambert is a Junior in college and her tactics were deliberate and inexcusable. One thing that is interesting to me is that no one seems to be looking at the BYU player who also intentionally elbowed Lambert in the chest earlier in the game. This doesn't excuse Lambert's behavior in any way. Her tactics were far more brutal. However, those individuals who have never played contact sports like Basketball or Soccer may not realize how prevalent intentional pushes and elbows are. One of the dads on my 7 year old son's soccer team recently told me that he was disappointed that his child didn't have the killer instinct that he had when he played. He added that he was prepared to deal with anger issues and that wouldn't bother him as much as the fact that his son plays calmly without the need to attack the other team. Now this dad is one of the sweetest guys and shouldn't be surprised that his kid is well adjusted without much killer instinct. I have to wonder about the parents, coaches and the referees that Lambert has experienced in her many years of soccer - that she could attack not just one player but several throughout the game and feel as if this was acceptable behavior. Killer instinct?! I'm not so sure that's what I want to teach my players....