I love football (both kinds). I think Jason Sudeikis is comedy gold (I will argue with you if you disparage We’re the Millers). I like and use Apple products. Given all of this, you would think I would not have arrived late to the Ted Lasso party. We have Apple TV because we received a free year when we upgraded a phone. We still didn’t activate it until this February and that is when we started watching Ted Lasso. In addition to being fun to watch and having the AFC Richmond football club as constant backdrop on the show, Ted Lasso preaches. There is Gospel gold in every episode (at least though season 2, episode 3). If you have not watched and are planning on it, know that there are some spoilers contained in this post…or at least hints at what is happening

Biscuits with the Boss

Each day Ted Lasso brings his boss, AFC Richmond Owner Rebecca Welton, homemade buttery shortbread biscuits. In the beginning, you think Ted is just trying to get in her good graces. We soon realize that Ted just enjoys doing something for another person. He has no ulterior motive. Ted gives and receives joy through the simple act of beginning the day with a gift for another person. We can get real into some theology by noting that Ted gives a gift of daily bread (give us this day, our daily bread) and that this great of bread is at the center of the relationship between Ted and Rebecca. 

Be a Goldfish

A favorite early line of Ted Lasso:

“What is the happiest animal in the world?”

“Goldfish. You know why the goldfish is the happiest animal in the world?”

“Got a 10 second memory”

“Be a Goldfish”

It’s true in the game of soccer and it’s true in life. Dwelling on mistakes is not worth our time. It is not how we are created to live. We should learn from our mistakes; however, our mistakes do not define us. Ted reminds us that the goldfish just keeps swimming forward. Each of us would do well to do the same. 

Ted Lasso Believes in You

Ted Lasso sees the good in everyone. However, that is not what makes him a special character. Ted Lasso actively works to help you see the good in yourself. Ted not only believes in you, but he also wants you to believe in yourself. He shows no partiality. He doesn’t care whether you own the team or clean the locker room, he knows you have a story and a dream…even when you can’t see if for yourself. A lot of people talk about seeing others this way, but Ted Lasso really sees everyone like this. At one point, a character asks another character about Ted “Is he always like this? Yes, yes he is.” Ted’s gift is that even when you don’t believe in yourself, Ted still does. 

The Right Thing is Never the Wrong Thing

Sam Obisanya is one of the star players for AFC Richmond. He is the face of the club’s new ad campaign for Dubai Air, the club’s main sponsor. After learning of the atrocities committed by Dubai’s parent company in Nigeria, Sam’s home country, Sam decides he cannot be in the ad campaign. Before the next match, Sam decides to cover with tape the Dubai Air name on his kit. This is a big deal. This is a powerful act that is multiplied when two other Nigerian teammates do the same. It’s multiplied even further when the entire AFC Richmond team covers Dubai Air on their jerseys, with Jamie being the first one. The entire club supports Sam’s actions. Everyone is in it together. At the post-match press conference, Ted Lasso delivers this powerful line, “”When bad things happen to people like me, y’all tend to write about it without even being asked.” Sam then steps up to talk about the atrocities being committed against Nigerian citizens and the environment. 

This is part one… yes, there is so much good stuff in Ted Lasso (or Led Tasso) that it deserves not one, but two posts.