I am PSYCHED for a new season of Ted Lasso, but Ted Lasso should not coach a women’s football club. What I want to see in the fourth season does not depend on Ted deciding to leave the USA again. I love Ted, but he isn’t necessary for a transcendent season featuring Rebecca and Keeley leading the creation of an AFC Richmond women’s squad.

According to WECoach, prior to Title IX 90% of coaches for women’s college teams were women. Today it is 41%. And these numbers do not improve when we get to the professional level. In addition, at the youth level 26% of coaches are women. When my daughter played club soccer, she had only one woman coach. She also had one at the AYSO (rec) level. I am not counting myself cause, I truly don’t feel like I did much coaching except allow for one more team to form. That’s a story for another day, but it does go towards the requirements for women to coach at the rec level.

Brandi Chastain, hero of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, has been vocal about her inability to be hired as a head coach despite having decades of experience as a coach. In basketball Lisa Leslie has experienced so many brick walls with trying to be a coach that she said she’s done trying. Both can see who was hired for the teams and know they are better than the person hired. And likely the person hired was a man.

US Soccer still calls its annual pre-NWSL tournament the She Believes Cup. Born from that moment just before women’s sports took off a few years ago, She Believes comes from US Soccer knowing that young girls still needed role models for their belief that they too could grow up to be whatever they want to be. Unless she wants to coach.

When the USWNT failed miserably in the 2023 World Cup, the cry from fans was to fire Vlatko Andonovski, which they did, AND to hire a woman. Most of USWNT’s wins have come under a woman’s leadership. And thankfully we did hire a woman. Cause we rebounded from that disappointing loss by winning the gold at the 2024 Olympics under Emma Hayes.

In “Bend It Like Beckham,” one plot point had Joe, the coach, reveal that he had proven himself so well that he was offered a position to coach the men’s team. He turns it down saying that he is ready to help build a women’s program so they stop losing women players to the Yanks. That played well in 2002. A time just four years since the 99ers. A time when Beckham was the biggest soccer star. Today we have Triple Espresso, Marta (who was playing for the Brazil national team at the time of Jess & Jules), Naomi Girma (Jess would have taken all the busses to see Girma play), Lucy Bronze, and Temwa Chawinga. One could really do a sequel of the movie with Jess & Jules gawking at Marta walking through an airport with her fiancé.

Because the times have changed, women’s sports are super-hot, and men want in on the cash grab. No longer are women’s teams seen as the training ground for men who want to coach in the big men’s leagues. Women’s soccer, especially in the USA, is the big league.

Back to Ted Lasso.

In 2025 we do not need a series about a man who comes in to save the day, elevate a women’s team, or start much of anything in women’s sports. Can he be a Yoda to perhaps a rookie woman coach that Keeley found coaching soccer in the park (maybe she’s Shannon’s mom? Cool aunt?), discovers she was a player on England’s 2011 World Cup squad? Sure. The show can discuss the history of women playing soccer in the UK with grace and humor. From 1921 to 1971 British women were banned from playing organized soccer. Can you imagine what Rebecca could do with this plot line?

Maybe announcing Ted is coaching a woman’s team is a way for fans to tune in and then watch as Rebecca sacks him for an upstart woman coach. Kinda like how we all went to see Scream for Drew Barrymore and stayed through all the other movies for Sydney.

Do we need a comedy about women’s football? Yes.

Do we need Ted Lasso coaching that team? NOPE.

Will I tune in to season four? Fuck yeah, I am.

How I am Persisting - Books

I’m still on a high from Camila Núñez's Year of Disasters by Miriam Zoila Pérez. Is it the big role that tarot cards play in Camila’s year? Maybe it is because I’m equally awkward around crushes? Reading a queer YA book with a Latine family? Yeah, that’s it. Plus roller skating! Camila’s year has it all - falling in love, realizing you are the shitty friend and making amends, trying to live your best life despite being a member of a traditional family, and of course the woes of being in high school. Congrats to Miriam, who some may remember from Feministing and a zillion other things (including being my YNAB coach!), on their first YA novel.

Whew! Then we get to Malinalli by local Veronica Chapa. This is a thrilling reimagination of the story of La Malinche. La Malinche is the enslaved woman who translated for Spanish conquistador Cortés. Many blame her for the conquest. But like most women of history, we don’t know much about her. There were moments when I thought it was getting long, but I also admit that life has been lifing so my focus was not been the best while I was reading. I spent a lot of time yelling at Malinalli, but had to remind myself that she really did go through hell. It is great to have a historical fiction book about this iconic figure.

DALINA SOTO brings it home. The Latina Anti-Diet: A Dietitian's Guide to Authentic Health that Celebrates Culture and Full-Flavor Living is kick ass. I’ve been following Dalina on Insta for years. I really loved her style and determination to reclaim our collective Latin food.

When my paternal grandmother had a heart attack decades ago, I remember visiting her in the hospital and the doctors making a big deal out of tortillas. I figured that our food was bad. Then I read more about NAFTA and noticed when indigenous foods turned into super foods, aka healthy! I brought the same attitude to my work creating a research fellowship for Latinx science students. I complicated their view of science and how science is done on our collective community. Each time a student said they wanted to cure diabetes because their abuelita had it and “We eat poorly!” I would ask them to think about how many grocery stores are in their neighborhood. Do they have fresh veggies? Is there a place for Lita to take walks? Introducing pre-med students to public health perspectives really blew their minds.

I can imagine how much guff Dalina got in school and gets from other medical professionals for pointing out the minuscule differences between white and brown rice. I was cheering when she went off

She also tackles the sensitive topic of Latino families, eating, and weight. I had a fairly athletic build as a kid, but I did have a family member point out that in the winter I gained weight. “Um, I’m not riding my bike 6 hours a day during a Chicago winter?”

Dalina is firm with her science, but gentle with her clients. She embraces sweets and treats. But she contextualizes them. Why are we stress eating? What is at the root of the stress? Let’s address that! Not shame ourselves for the cupcake. As gentle as she is with her Chulas (her name for clients and by reading this book, we are a Chula), she is equally vicious with diet culture.

This is an absolute must read for any Latinx person who has struggled with eating, dieting, or even just the judgement some family members dish out. If you have found peace with your body, but your tia or mom still struggle, this might be a good group read. And even if you aren’t Latinx, I think you’ll find that firm and loving direction you have been seeking for your diet. Diet as in how you eat, not diet as in a way to lose weight.

How I am Persisting - Storytelling

2025 is my year of writing and since I need deadlines, I’m signing up for lots of storytelling events. And for public accountability, my goal is to take most, if not each, story and flesh it out to a full personal essay. I’ve already done 20×2 and Write Club. Those essays are still in story form…so not doing great on that next step. Yet! But I did make a writing agreement with a friend, so watch out.

I’m back at 20×2 this weekend! March 23, 2025 • doors 6:30pm / show at 7pm Gman Tavern, 3740 N. Clark St.

Then I make my debut at OUTSpoken on April 1st. HAHA! The date is killing me. My first queer storytelling outing and it’s on April Fools Day. OUTSpoken is at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St.

Miss Spoken’s April theme is RAIN and show will be on Monday, April 28th at Cole’s Bar, 2338 N Milwaukee Ave. If you haven’t been to Miss Spoken in some time, the show did move DAYS and LOCATION. So put it in your calendar correctly!