You may have grown up bickering with your sisters and brothers over who got to play the next FIFA match on the PlayStation. Maybe you spent your Saturday mornings kicking around a soccer ball at youth soccer games (without really knowing what you were doing, of course). Admit it, you tried watching the World Cup… before switching the channel after a few minutes of sheer indifference. Let’s face it: soccer reigns supreme in Europe and South America, but in the U.S., we prefer our tried-and-true football, baseball, and basketball.
Then came Ted Lasso. Originated from NBC advertisements, SNL alum Jason Sudeikis plays an American football coach who is hired as a European soccer coach for the English Premier League. To say the least, he’s clueless but fearlessly optimistic. While the soccer match scenes have us on the edge of our seat, the show is less about soccer and more about the human experience and real life. You’ll laugh at Ted’s southern slang and unrestrained enthusiasm but the next second you’ll find yourself tearing up (admit it) as each character’s vulnerabilities slip through the cracks of a hard exterior. Through raw emotion, genius storytelling, and the drive to connect with the audience…Ted Lasso has sparked Americans’ curiosity about soccer once again.