The Gospel According to Ted Lasso
We all have different TV shows that we find ourselves glued to or binge watching. One show that has captivated people in a big way over the last couple of years has been Ted Lasso, featured on Apple TV+. It’s already one of my all-time favorite shows.
Ted Lasso tells the story of an American football coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, who is hired to come over to England and coach the AFC Richmond soccer team, despite knowing almost nothing about soccer when he first arrives. When I first started watching at the recommendation of a few college buddies, I figured it would be a comedic exploration of how a dumb American would fare coaching in the English Premier League. While it started out that way, the story became a lot more compelling pretty quickly.
With this being said, I’ve always wondered what draws people to certain shows. I’m not talking about just any shows, but the ones that EVERYONE watches. I mean the ones that are so popular that you can practically watch the show by scrolling through your social media feed—shows like The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Friends, and Breaking Bad. I like to explore why people get sucked into these kinds of shows.
A lot of the bigger ones are easy. I think people liked The Office because we all know and work with at least one person who is basically a character on that show. We all know and hang out with at least one person who is pretty much a character on Friends, and in seasons of life where we felt alone, Friends was a TV show that helped get us through. We all watched Tiger King in April 2020 because that show depicted how crazy we all felt on the inside during the craziest parts of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders.
Ted Lasso is unique. If you grew up playing any sport at all, then you likely find yourself wishing that you had a coach like Lasso, or you’re grateful that you actually did have a coach like him. Sports and coaches can be wonderful and life-giving, but they can also unfortunately be cruel and life-taking. When I think back on my coaches I had growing up, the most successful and qualified coach that I had was not my favorite—not even close. My favorite coach was the coach who cared about me and showed it. When I think about other mentors in my life, I notice the same thing.
I think that this is why Ted Lasso is so compelling. While Ted is trying to lead his team to victory each time out on the pitch, that’s not ultimately what he is pursuing with his players. Ted wants them to become the best versions of themselves, regardless of what the scoreboard, media, or fans tell them. He pretty much always keeps his cool when tempers around him are flaring, and he commands the attention and respect of his players, not because he’s hard on them or yells at them, but because they know that he always wants the best for them.
I’m honestly finding a gospel message hidden within the show, and I don’t know if the writers meant to sneak it in there or not. Given the language and several of the characters’ lifestyles, I kind of doubt it. Much of Ted Lasso takes me back to Luke 24, where Jesus comes across a couple of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. These disciples were having trouble making sense of everything that had happened that day and the three days before that. Without recognizing Jesus, they journey on the road together. While Jesus shared the truth with them, He never forced belief on them. He simply walked alongside them and allowed them to process through what was taking place so that they would arrive at the truth on their own terms.
Many of us played on teams, learned in classrooms, or heard from other leaders in various capacities where we were told what, when, why, where, and how to think—and that there was only one option or else we would be cast out. We weren’t empowered outside of our option to either conform or leave. Jesus never really “made” anyone do or think anything (demons don’t count). He simply laid out the options before people, even while he knew that not all would make the right choice.
Jesus loved the rich young ruler as He told him about what it would truly take to inherit eternal life, knowing that he would not make the choice that He wanted him to make— and he loved him anyway, knowing that he would walk away (Mark 10). Jesus shared truth with Nicodemus in the middle of the night, knowing that he would not come to full belief that very night but would be listening as time went on (John 3). Jesus loved Peter, knowing that he would deny Him three times (Luke 22), and He loved Judas when He called him out on betraying Him (Matthew 26).
Jesus was also present with people in their teaching or “light-bulb” moments, too. He personally appeared to Thomas so that he would fully believe (John 20). He taught Peter in that awkward moment where Peter saw someone whom he had denied three times (John 21). Jesus was present with people as they processed the miracle that He performed on them by healing them in only ways that He could.
As a coach/teacher/mentor/leader, Jesus simply did what most preachers/pastors do on Sunday mornings: he offered invitations. Invitations are great because they empower their recipients to respond while still sharing truth. As Ruth Haley Barton says,
But what a delight to keep experiencing God’s invitations amidst all the challenges! And what a joy to notice that more and more the delight is overpowering the demons. For what a wonderful thing it is to be invited. Not coerced or manipulated, but truly invited to the home of someone you have looked forward to getting to know, to a party with fun people, on a date with someone who is intriguing. There is something about being invited that makes the heart glad. Someone is seeking me out, desiring my presence enough to initiate an encounter. 1
I think this is how Ted Lasso has become so lovable. He invited his players to become the players that they should be, need to be, and ultimately want to be. It’s fascinating that, in addition to this, the number-one message that Ted wants his players to buy into is the same thing that John wants his readers to do at the end of his gospel: Believe.
May we always offer invitations. May we always believe.
1 Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2010), 16.
