Written by The past two weeks have not been as I expected. Two events I have waited for with anticipation, along with some trepidation, happened on July 23rd, the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and the beginning of the second season of Ted Lasso. Surprisingly, the storyline for both has involved dealing with our insecurities.
Last year’s isolation allowed many of us to go through a reckoning of our past we never before had time to do. This year we seem to be rumbling through the issues we have identified. Never before have I heard so much discussion about headspace and vulnerability in public conversation, especially in sports.
Going into the Olympics, I expected the storyline would be around COVID-19 and the new Delta variant. Other than the pronounced absence of fans, this hasn’t materialized. The protocols seem to be working, and the games have gone on.
Instead, the main story has been Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the team and all-around gymnastics competitions and the reaction it has caused.
Novak Djokovic was having a great year, winning the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon tournaments before going to Tokyo to represent his native Serbia. Winning the Olympic gold medal and then going on to win the U.S. Open in September would have given him the “golden slam.”
Djokovic was not a fan favorite until recently. Competing against the cool and calm Roger Federer and the charming Rafael Nadal was not easy, on and off the court. Djokovic’s demeanor, exemplified with his smashing a linesman with a ball in the throat, causing his disqualification at last year’s U.S. Open, has not helped. However, his successes this year gave him exposure to allow him to mend his public perception.
He threw that opportunity away last week. First, he went out of his way to criticize Biles for her withdrawal. “If you are aiming to be at the top of the game, you better start learning how to deal with pressure and how to cope with those moments, on the court and off the court,” Djokovic said last Wednesday. His comments came across as an evident lack of empathy, another word you didn’t hear much in the sports world until recently.
Then on Saturday, after losing both the men’s singles and mixed doubles semi-finals, he completely melted down in the men’s bronze medal match. Djokovic threw one racquet in the stands and smashed another on the court. “We’re all human beings,” he said afterward. “Sometimes it’s difficult to control your emotions.”
Topping it off, Djokovic withdrew from the mixed doubles bronze medal match due to a shoulder injury. It denied his partner an opportunity to win a medal, making him look like a hypocrite for his earlier remarks about Biles. Now, his availability for the U.S. Open and his shot at the regular grand slam is in jeopardy.
Hopefully, he will use the time off to work on his headspace. Like many of the rest of us are doing these days. And the fictional characters in Ted Lasso, too.
Last year, the first season of Ted Lasso was a very welcome breath of fresh air. It spewed much-needed positivity upon us as we processed the pandemic and the social unrest that had overwhelmed us. It was good, too. It won two golden globe awards and earned 20 Emmy nominations.
Season 1 revolved around American college football coach Ted Lasso moving to England to coach a Premier League team without any experience. Using positive thinking, Ted gradually won over the team, management, and its fans. Ted taught young superstar Jamie Tartt how to be a teammate, encouraged an aging Roy Kent to become a leader, and everyone on the team to believe in themselves.
I rewatched the entire season ahead of the Season 2 premiere. It was even better the second time. I worried that the new season would be a disappointment. Two episodes in, I’m no longer worried. The writing is just as good, with an impressive slew of pop culture references. And, once again, they are covering a timely topic, dealing with our insecurities.
Jamie is dealing with having to appear tough for his hard-to-please father. Roy is seeking a new identity now that he is no longer able to be a footballer. Ted himself may have to come to grips with the pain of losing his father that he uses friendliness to mask.
When asked about the use of sentimentality in the series, Jason Sudeikis responded, “One of the themes is that evil exists — bullies, toxic masculinity, malignant narcissists — and we can’t just destroy them. It’s about how you deal with those things. That’s where the positivity and some of the lessons come in — it’s about what we have control over.”
Again, the show is engaging in the proper conversation at just the right time. Toxic masculinity has always been a glamorized part of sports, highlighted by Novak Djokovic’s behavior last week. Bullies like Bela and Martha Karolyi and malignant narcissists like Larry Nassar nearly ruined USA Gymnastics. Simone Biles’ pain has come to the forefront, and her courage as she deals with it publicly is providing us an example of dealing with the evils we face.
All stories have three parts, a beginning, a middle, and an end. The middle is always the most challenging to write. You have to identify and clean up the messes from your first act, reset your priorities, and develop a plan for what to do next.
It will be interesting to see if these characters can deal with their insecurities and make the transition to their next act. Can Jamie learn to connect with his teammates? Will Roy become a leader? Can Ted balance culture and winning? Will Novak emerge from the shadow of Federer and Nadal?
When Jamie Tartt learned George Harrison had passed, he decided he needed to start taking some chances. The reckoning is over, and we have to take some risks and get to work if we want to see a happy ending.
The second season can be better than the first.