Last updated on September 9, 2026
By: Megan Lawrence
Copy Editor
Warning: contains spoilers for seasons three and four of Ted Lasso.
Tennessee is home to only a few professional sports teams, leaving limited options for its residents. Because of this, the state, along with many across the U.S., have to turned to collegiate teams, namely football, to express their passion and loyalty.
While Nashville has its own Major League Soccer team—Nashville SC—Tennessee is yet to give a home to a National Women’s Soccer League team. This has left local fans to settle for the nearby Racing Louisville in Kentucky, the North Carolina Courage, or Missouri’s Kansas City Current, a recent topic of conversation in season four of Ted Lasso.
The concept initially came from two short sketches that Jason Sudeikis, who has reprised his role for the show, starred in to promote the NBC Sports network, but the show quickly expanded it into a heartfelt, in-depth story about the character becoming the glue of his team. Throughout the show, Ted focuses on positivity, uplifting those around him, and becoming a mentor to the team. Along with this, he pushes his players to strive for friendship, community, and vulnerability over simply being the best in the league.
The series initially began by following Ted, a collegiate American football coach, and his adjustment to coaching a professional men’s soccer team in England. However, the fourth season covers the topic of women’s soccer, and the lack of amenities that come with women’s sports compared to their male counterparts.
Lasso, once the coach of the fictional AFC Richmond men’s team, has come back to England to coach their brand-new women’s team. Starting out he is navigating the new faces, dynamics, and the unfortunate challenges that come with underserved and overlooked female teams. The Current’s appearance comes during the very first episode of season four, in which fictional characters Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins travel to Kansas City to convince Ted to accept the women’s team coaching job, later catching a game with him.
To anyone, this may seem like a small deal, but there was once a time when most people had never heard of the National Women’s Soccer League. A feature in a beloved show, now making a comeback after over two years between seasons, is more than enough to get those invested in the story curious about the world of women’s sports they’re now being exposed to.
The NWSL is still making a name for itself after its establishment in 2012, but its popularity has risen immensely in recent years. This is namely due to the presence of the legendary Brazilian player Marta, who set the record of 17 goals across five of her six World Cup appearances. Along with Marta, the league has also been the home of several United States Women’s National Team World Cup winners. The most famous of these names include Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Alex Morgan, all of whom took the team to back-to-back World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019.
Today, because of its underrepresentation, despite the many names that have been attached to it over the years, the league continues to find new heights. Notably, in March of this year, the league’s Denver Summit FC recorded an outstanding 63,004 people in attendance, setting a league record and a new standard for how the country sees this side of professional soccer.
Similarly to Ted Lasso, Vol State has introduced its own women’s soccer team this semester, one of the latest to don the school’s name and colors. One might assume there’s a men’s team equivalent, but the new soccer team is the first of Vol State’s, making it a bold new venture into women’s sports.
After their first game, which occurred on August 22, the team recorded a shutout in a massive 8-0 win against Chattanooga State Community College. Though the goals were split across the roster among eight scorers, Caitlin Skipper and Madison Kirkham stood out with two assists each, along with the goal by Skipper that broke the scoring open 23 minutes in. Amid Skipper’s efforts were four shots and three shots on goal, the third-most of all players. The team itself managed to get 24 shots on the opposing goalkeepers, whereas the visitors did not get any by the final whistle.
The team’s most recent outing was their face-off against Dyersburg State Community College on Sunday, August 30, in which they won 4-0. Notably, forward Jordyn Tucker completed a hat trick, with her goals coming at 1 minute and 12 seconds, 7 minutes and 51 seconds, and 81 minutes and 4 seconds into the game. This feat puts her at four goals this season so far, meaning she leads the team in scoring, along with her assist against Chattanooga. Along with Tucker’s efforts, Karson Long scored a penalty shot 34 minutes and 46 seconds in after a handball call against Chattanooga, putting the team up 3-0. In the end, the Pioneers compiled 58 shots against the opposing team.
Despite playing two games, the team has not allowed a single goal and has faced two shots on goal total, both of which came from Dyersburg. The team’s next game will be played on Saturday, September 5 at 5:00 at Liberty Creek High School, where they will host Roane State Community College.
Soccer may be a topic currently on many minds after the events of the men’s World Cup this summer. Vol State has also made the choice to implement a women’s volleyball team this year, allowing even more options for female athletes—or potential female athletes—at the school.
The volleyball team has recently excelled by opening up their season with a shutout, winning 3-0 in their inaugural game against Georgia Highlands College. Even more incredible was their shutout streak through their first three games, meaning the team won 3-0 each game in the standard best-of-five format. After their match on Tuesday, the team continued their undefeated streak in an exhibition game by winning 3-1 against Lindsey Wilson Junior Varsity. Their next match will be held in the Pickel Fieldhouse at our Gallatin campus on Saturday, September 5 at 2:00; there, they will face Pellissippi State Community College.
For those unable to make it to games, all past and future games for the college are available in the live stream section on the Vol State Sports Network YouTube channel.
Because the basketball, baseball, and softball seasons have yet to start, our soccer and volleyball teams are where the school will be represented at the athletic level. These teams’ records so far have surmounted the snide image of poor performance and ability unfairly tacked onto female athletes and teams.
Since Tennessee still lacks a professional women’s sports club in any major league, collegiate level sports are the base level of supporting the state’s female athletes, especially as women’s sports continue to grow.
So, in the words of Ted Lasso, “be curious, not judgmental,” and come support the school’s newest sports teams.
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