Lauren James doesn’t need your targeted message. She doesn’t need your snide Instagram comment, Twitter bullying or below-the-line condemnation. No one will be able to beat up James more than she will be doing to herself, so why pile on? Maybe this article shouldn’t exist either; perhaps picking over the bones of the incident feels unnecessary. Punishment will be dealt – shouldn’t we just move on? Maybe. Except there are broader points to be made about what level of criticism is appropriate in the women’s game, and the men’s game for that matter, and where the line lies between analysis, abuse and bullying.
When James, a 21-year-old England international, chose to step on to the backside of the prone Nigeria player Michelle Alozie she inexplicably allowed her frustration to boil over. It was a conscious act. She was standing, she had her balance and she chose to tread on the body of Alozie as she moved away.
As much as comparisons between men’s and women’s football draw groans from many – because they often ignore the context around the development of the two games – it was impossible not to see shades in James’s action of the incidents involving David Beckham at the 1998 men’s World Cup and Wayne Rooney in the 2006 edition.
James possesses phenomenal talent that has exposed her to attention from an early age and made those around her protective of her. When Casey Stoney recruited a 16-year-old James for Manchester United, she shielded her from the spotlight despite the forward’s burgeoning reputation, ruling that no player under 18 would do interviews with the press.
We who have written or spoken about her are responsible for building her up, for projecting her star status and for perhaps making her feel as if nothing could go wrong. She is a product of the hyped environment we have built. James, who on Tuesday apologised to Alozie and promised England fans and teammates to learn from the experience, has spent much of her career with an asterisk next to her name adding the context of her tender years.
That label was present again on Monday, with many defending her, describing her as a young player who will learn from the momentary loss of composure. Her Chelsea and England teammate Jess Carter slipped into that theme.
“She’s a young player and we’ve seen throughout the tournament the talent that she has,” Carter said. “Along with us all she’s got things to learn. To be honest, I didn’t see the challenge, so I can’t speak much on that but she’s got good people around her, she’s got a strong character, she’ll be kicking herself enough. She’ll come back from this. It’s lessons learned and she’ll do better next time.”
Sarina Wiegman defended her player. “It was later in the game, so players also get a little tired,” said England’s manager, who was perhaps ever so slightly at fault for not perceiving the bubbling frustrations in struggling James and substituting her before the incident. “She’s an inexperienced player on this stage and she’s done really well [so far in the tournament]. In a split second, she lost her emotions. Of course, she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She’s the sweetest person I know. Things happen like that; you can’t change it any more. It’s a huge lesson to learn but it’s not something she’s done on purpose.”
Being tired is not an excuse. Age is not an excuse either and we should be careful of using it as such. If it is a reasonable line of thought, at what age do you switch to being old enough to not retaliate and step on someone as they lie on the floor? Is it 22? 23? 30?
Many of those condemning James are drawing false equivalences between what she has done and what is acceptable in other workplaces. Few can understand what it’s like to be in such a high-pressure, high-stakes situation with the world watching. However, it would be wrong to suggest that others don’t operate in environments where the pressure is far higher and where far more is at stake, where we expect a certain standard of conduct.
We don’t need to make excuses for James and shouldn’t try to. Her step out of turn was a stupid mistake that will become a footnote in a glittering career, and she will be punished appropriately, with a one-game ban to be reviewed and likely increased to end any prospect she could play again at this World Cup. We all make mistakes of varying degrees; few have the spotlight so keenly on them as they make them.
The social media pile-on has been so heavy that James, or her people, have had to disable comments on her Instagram. “Social media is, I think, the devil,” said Carter when asked whether it made dealing with the situation more difficult. “It’s horrible to go on, but she’s got enough experience around her, enough people around her, to help her and be there for her through everything. That’s what we are – we stick together as a team.”
Alozie felt the need to come to James’s defence again, having said after the match that there were “no hard feelings, it’s just a game”. She tweeted: “Abeg, rest. We are playing on the world’s stage. This game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments. All respect for Lauren James.”
Yes, James’s error was inexcusable but it is also completely forgivable. What is terrifying is that had England lost, the level of vitriol aimed at James, who has previously spoken of the impact of suffering racist abuse, would likely have been significantly increased.
Hopefully the game and society have moved on from needing to vilify in the way Beckham was in 1998. Very recently, Dele Alli shared his story of a lifetime of trauma and the impact of scrutiny on top of that. It prompted many to rethink how they look at players and consider the humans behind the football veneer. James has not lived Dele’s life, far from it, but those abusing James would do well to remember what the impact of his story did to their understanding of the mental state of players.
There needs to be more compassion in the game. The mental health implications of abuse can be severe. James does need to be targeted, not for abuse but for support, for help developing the social and emotional learning skills that teach young people how to manage their emotions; for assistance in how to talk about a blot on her career that could, in a weird way, end up being the making of it. She did wrong but leave the girl alone.
