Ted Lasso take: Rebecca + SPOILER = No! because… feminism?
Look,
I love watching Ted Lasso. I think it is great.
But after finishing the second season, which is great, I walk away feeling weird, maybe against the relationship between Rebecca and Sam. Am I wrong?
Rebecca is the owner of the team.
Sam is a player on the team.
This is business.
Yes, they met anonymously on Bantr. While I respect everyone’s right to privacy, as soon as they met in person, Rebecca should have said that it cannot be romantic and he should have agreed. Even though they developed a connection anonymously, the power dynamic between them makes it IMPOSSIBLE that they can ever have a relationship that is anywhere near “normal” and not scrutinized from every aspect.
Think about it from another player’s perspective or even just the coach. You can try and say that you wouldn’t think about it if/when Sam gets a raise but knowing that he is dating the owner would be there. Or if during one of their biscuit meetings, Rebecca says something to Ted about how she wishes Sam played ‘here’ instead of ‘there’…
Their romantic relationship and their professional relationship cannot be untwined. And frankly, there should be rules to stop this from happening.
Pretend the show is exactly the same except it is a women’s team and a male owner.
He could be the best guy in the world, but if he is 20+ years older than all the players and then starts dating one of the star players, who is 21(!!!!) by the way, I would have some follow-up questions and comments.
This is not saying that people who meet at/through work should not become romantically involved. I am saying that because of the dynamic between the two professionally, team owner and player, that a relationship should never happen.
Not only that but say for whatever reason Sam wants to break up with Rebecca. Heartbreaking, I know. But how is her being the owner going to affect his decision-making?
It sucks because I really love Ted Lasso. As a couple, Rebecca and Sam look great together; their characters seem to make each other happy and better versions of themselves.
I want to root for them.
When they met at the restaurant, I was thinking she would bring up that this is an HR matter and call Leslie to join/inform him. Instead, it took until the funeral for Rebecca to admit who the mystery man was, and even that was under some duress. That was how many weeks (months?) later? I know that telling others about romantic relationships can be difficult, but this should have never even started in the first place.
Lastly the most shocking thing to me is that everyone on the show who finds out about it, reacts positively. No one has voiced any criticism or skepticism towards them about the relationship. I get that this a TV show and is known as a generally positive/optimistic show, but this is taking it too far.
TLDR: The Rebecca and Sam relationship on Ted Lasso is awful, and I am against it. The owner of a professional sports team should not be allowed to date their players (or any players in the league for that matter) no matter how adorable the meet-cute is/was.
