Latest Ep of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Sends a Terrible Message To Young Girls

When I learned that “Whose Line is it Anyway?” was returning to TV after a 6 1/2-year hiatus with Aisha Tyler replacing Drew Carey as host, I was elated, especially since hilarious U.S. mainstays (the show originated in the U.K.), Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles would all be back, and I wasn’t disappointed. Brady, Mochrie and Stiles remain as hysterical as always and Tyler is a definite upgrade over Carey who during his run would place himself in each show’s final game; Carey was never great at improv. I do I have one tiny problem, though – each new episode has featured a special guest(s) such as Lauren Cohan from “The Walking Dead” and Kevin McHale from “Glee.” Normally it doesn’t bother me that much (though I would have preferred the show stick with audience participation instead), but last night’s episode’s special guest “stars” were two scantily clad women from something called the “Legends Football League.”

Neither Elaine nor I had any clue such a thing as the Legends Football League (LFL) existed, so we looked it up online. Apparently, it’s exactly as it seems – football played by hot women in lingerie (in fact, according to their website, it was formerly called the “Lingerie Football League”); there’s even a team called the L.A. Temptation! Curious, Elaine and I watched a short clip about one of the league’s elite quarterbacks in which she proclaimed that the LFL is a step forward for female athletics. Seriously? I’d call it a huge leap back. And this was a step back for “Whose Line.”

Whose Line is it Anyway — “Legends Football League” – Image WL103B_0071 — Pictured (L-R): Chloe Butler, Monique Gaxiola, Wayne Brady and Jonathan Mangum — Photo: Patrick Wymore /The CW — © 2013 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

As you’d expect, the two improv games in which the women appeared were highly sexualized because really, what else could they be about? These are half naked female football players which is probably a fantasy for about a zillion guys.

Now, I’m no prude, but if “Whose Line” is going to showcase female athletes, I’d rather them be guests such as former WNBA star, Lisa Leslie, and boxer, Laila Ali, both of whom appeared in previous episodes this season. Unlike these LFL players, Leslie and Ali are real steps forward for female athletics, the types of women I’d want my daughter to one day emulate. I hope Sienna loves sports, both to watch and play. I hope she loves to watch baseball and football with me. I’d love for her to play soccer or Little League or go out for track or gymnastics or whatever. But I do not want her to think that she needs to look a certain way or dress revealingly to be an athlete.

The producers of “Whose Line” (which airs at 8 pm on the CW network) should know better. They should know how many young, impressionable girls must tune in for some often gut-busting improv comedy, and they should know what type of awful message they’re sending to such viewers by having guests like these Legends Football League players appear on their show. Girls already are forced to deal with tremendous body image issues thanks to advertising and, well, basically most media. Why screw up their thoughts on what it takes to be an athlete?

This dad’s advice, “Whose Line”: is if you really want to promote female athletics, just stick with the Lisa Leslies and Laila Alis of the world, admirable sports stars anyone, but particularly girls and young women can look up to.