Ted Lasso Season Four Drops the Ball

There are still four more episodes in season four of Ted Lasso, but I am not sure if those four episodes could truly fix the damage that has already been done. This season's focus on the new Richmond women's soccer team has made my family's Wednesday night streaming of Ted Lasso miserable. We were anticipating a season filled with feminism, powerful female characters, and a way to escape from our hectic lives – we were met with the opposite. The appalling jokes, scenes, and characters got so uncomfortable that my mother had to get up and leave. This is not the Ted Lasso we know and love. The season was supposed to have the same light-hearted, upbeat, comedic relief as previous seasons; instead, it became a misogynistic interpretation of female athletes. The dynamic between the characters on the show has tarnished my opinion of the entire series. 

The constant bickering between the twins, Siobhan Harrigan and Niamh Harrigan, takes away from their skill as female athletes. While there were definitely fights between male players in the previous seasons, they were never depicted as crazy, hormonal, and most importantly, unprofessional. The twins are often yelling at each other, pulling each other's hair, and even wrestling on the ground over seemingly small issues. The goal of this season should have been to try to make the world respect women's sports; however, their relationship reinforces the sexist opinions on female athletes. 

We were anticipating a season filled with feminism, powerful female characters, and a way to escape from our hectic lives – we were met with the opposite.

The relationship between the Harrigan twins is not the only incorrect portrayal of women in the sports industry. The entirety of episode four, “Greyhounds’ Day Off,” is an offensive representation of female athletes. The premise revolves around the defenders, midfielders, and strikers who are all unable to work together due to their cliques. This episode mirrors dramas like Mean Girls or Glee, rather than one about professional athletes. If the purpose of this season was to show the world a professional women's team, then they should never depict the players as immature high school girls, like some of us at SAS. This is a sexist false narrative created by the producers of Ted Lasso, and ultimately validates sexism in the sports industry. 

This season is an utter disgrace to what it means to be a female athlete, a person who loves female sports, and even a Ted Lasso fan. It reinforces the already sexist opinions on female athletes and creates environments where they continue to be disrespected. This new season needs to take a serious turn for the better and quickly; otherwise, it will be losing the views from me and my family.