"Bella and the Bulldogs" was released earlier this year. It's about a girl who is a cheerleader, who decides to try out for the football team and makes it in as the quarterback.
1. It’s hilarious.
What can I say? I enjoy watching shows that demonstrate friendly humor. Then again, I’m easily amused.
2. I’m such a kid when it comes to Nickelodeon.
I’m currently 19 years old and still watch shows such as this that are intended for younger audiences.
3. Bella was originally a cheerleader, who decided to try out for the football team.
Way to fight for your passion, Bella Dawson!
4. Bella is a very feminine character that enjoys a nice spritz of glitter while simultaneously being a quarterback.
Way to beat the gender norms, Bella Dawson! Usually, when there's a girl who plays male-dominated sports, they're always presented as very masculine, which is not always the case. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a girl being masculine or a boy being feminine; I just liked the change is all.
5. Feminist issues are brought up quite frequently.
*spoiler alert*
There was an episode about an event called Rally Week, where the cheerleaders give the football team a gift. One of Bella's best friends, Sophie, was fed up with the whole "rally girl" event and thought of it as sexist since the cheerleaders work hard to please the football team and get nothing in return. In rebellion, she didn't participate in it, which resulted in the football player, Troy, making his own gift and sign (in secrecy) to not be left out in all the joy of his team receiving gifts from their rally girl. In the end, the school changed its policy and came up with a rally boy event, where the football players give a gift to the cheerleaders for their hard work, and Troy, who made all of his gifts, understood where Sophie was coming from, with all the blisters and soreness of going through the trouble with Rally Week.
Also, the season finale of season one was about the playoffs. Bella, who got the team to the playoffs, found out she couldn't even play, due to the sexist rules. They got the rules turned around; however, it would've taken a month for them to go into effect, so Bella couldn't play in the playoffs. In the end, her team forfeited in support of her, because they felt a part of the team was missing and it wasn't right.
6. Newt. Who doesn’t love him?
Newt is a squeamish guy that enforces that guys too, can have this quality. I like how his character isn't the typical hypermasculine fellow, that he is also the bench warmer of the football team (and is totally fine with it).
7. A character said he had two dads in season one after being told he knew nothing about women.
Yes, you heard it. A minor character introduced was told, "You know nothing about women," and responded, "I know. I have two dads."
8. Disabled representation.
All representation matters! After watching the "Who Killed Tex Fest" episode, I couldn't help but post about it on my Snapchat with a clip of Miracle Pelayo's scene and later posted it on my Instagram page. Soon enough, the actress commented on my post, thanking me for the support. I hope this bolt of inspiration continues going for her dreams of acting. Hopefully, she'll get more leading roles in the future!
9. Diversity of cast in race, body shapes, and culture.
There are characters who are not thin; there are Latino/a characters; there are Asian characters. I like the fact that not all characters are white, thin, and able-bodied.
10. Recognition of the attention span on certain sports – soccer vs. football.
This is a very relevant topic of discussion when it comes to sports. Often we only see the ones that people only care about -- basketball and football -- which is unfair to soccer, golf, track and field, swimming, and others. There was an episode where the Bulldogs supported their high school soccer team, despite the school only caring for the football team.
11. Lessons within each episode
I’m a sucker for life lessons within TV shows.
