Few television shows have shaped how Americans see a sport the way "Ted Lasso" did for soccer. The relentlessly optimistic former D2 football coach (football, not soccer) from Kansas City, hired to sabotage an English club by its owner's socialite ex-wife, somehow turned football (soccer) into a cultural phenomenon during the pandemic, introducing millions of viewers who had never watched a soccer game to rivalries, fandom and rituals.
It made them BELIEVE futbol is life.
When the series ended two years ago with AFC Richmond earning promotion to the Premier League, it felt like a fitting conclusion, not only for Ted but also for the audience. Three seasons had delivered a reminder of why people fall in love with the beautiful game.
Now the series returns with an even more ambitious challenge. Rather than taking audiences back to men's football, it turns its attention to the women's game. But unlike in 2020, when it helped introduce millions to soccer, the women's game no longer needs a television show to explain why it matters. The question is whether the series can capture women's soccer's evolution.
2020 was a strange year. As I was sending cancellation notes for my own wedding during the pandemic, I found myself becoming increasingly invested in Ted (played by Jason Sudeikis), Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) and AFC Richmond. By the final episode, I had become a pseudo-supporter of the imaginary club, embracing their underdog story. As a sports journalist, that's a rare feeling. I spend my career covering real clubs, not fictional ones. Yet "Ted Lasso" managed to make soccer feel personal again. If it could do that to someone who already covered the sport, it's easy to understand why millions of newcomers found themselves watching the Premier League after the credits rolled three years later.
#richmond
It made them BELIEVE futbol is life.
When the series ended two years ago with AFC Richmond earning promotion to the Premier League, it felt like a fitting conclusion, not only for Ted but also for the audience. Three seasons had delivered a reminder of why people fall in love with the beautiful game.
Now the series returns with an even more ambitious challenge. Rather than taking audiences back to men's football, it turns its attention to the women's game. But unlike in 2020, when it helped introduce millions to soccer, the women's game no longer needs a television show to explain why it matters. The question is whether the series can capture women's soccer's evolution.
2020 was a strange year. As I was sending cancellation notes for my own wedding during the pandemic, I found myself becoming increasingly invested in Ted (played by Jason Sudeikis), Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) and AFC Richmond. By the final episode, I had become a pseudo-supporter of the imaginary club, embracing their underdog story. As a sports journalist, that's a rare feeling. I spend my career covering real clubs, not fictional ones. Yet "Ted Lasso" managed to make soccer feel personal again. If it could do that to someone who already covered the sport, it's easy to understand why millions of newcomers found themselves watching the Premier League after the credits rolled three years later.
#richmond
2 months ago
