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.
