Ted Lasso has been a television show that has captured the attention of plenty and won awards along the way. Season three of the show is set to end on May 31, but it may not be just the end of the season, but the end of the show as a whole. With the possibility of the show ending, here are the best lessons from Ted Lasso throughout all three seasons.
Note: Spoilers Ahead!
Be a Goldfish
In the show’s first season, Ted has some work to do with players who haven’t had much success. Players, specifically Sam Obisanya, had trouble forgetting their mistakes and moving on to the next play. After a missed tackle in practice, Ted pulls him aside and tells him to be a goldfish.
The thought process behind being a goldfish is to have a short memory. Ted mentions that goldfish have a 10-second memory, making them the happiest animal on earth. The lesson is to not worry about the past and continue focusing on the present.
Make the Extra Pass
During season one of the show, Ted has trouble getting through to star Jamie Tartt to make the extra pass and include his teammates. Doing it all himself sometimes worked, but he was a much more successful player and AFC Richmond was a better team when they played together. Ted finally gets through to Jamie, as he makes the extra pass, but it was for Manchester City who ended up sending the Greyhounds down for relegation. Making the extra pass helped Jamie find more personal and team success, which is something that comes back up in season three when Jamie becomes the focal point of the offense and takes pride in setting up his teammates. Ted helped Jamie be the best version of himself and in turn, Jamie made his teammates better.
Stay Loyal to Friends
Ted makes plenty of friends over the three seasons. What is most admirable about Ted, is that he continues to cheer for his friends after they leave or betray him. When Jamie is sent back to Manchester City in season one, he sends him a note that says “way to make the extra pass”. In season three, former kit manager and Richmond assistant Nate Shelley is at West Ham and isn’t afraid to take shots at Ted through the media. Ted still cheers for him privately and publicly. Heading into the last episode there is still no clarity on if Nate will come back to AFC Richmond or not. Coach Beard reveals an inside nugget from his relationship with Ted. Ted took him in when there was no one else after he left prison. After stealing Ted’s car, Ted helped Beard get out of it and stuck with him.
This also has negative effects on Ted, as he continually stays loyal, but has to take some abuse from the people he cares for as things go on. Still, the best practice is to stay loyal and support your friends.
Be Curious, Not Judgemental
In season one, Rebecca and Ted go to Mae’s pub and run into Rebecca’s ex Rupert Mannion. Rupert is still supporting the club and hates that Rebecca hired Ted, thinking that he’d lose. Although Rupert still has a minority stake in the team, he has been bothering Rebecca. Ted steps in and offers to play Rupert in a game of darts. If Ted wins, Rupert stays away, but if Rupert wins, he will get to set the lineup for Richmond over the last two games of the season. This set up one of the best scenes in the show.
When the whole world judges, it can sometimes pay to be curious. Ted telling the story of his playing darts with his father was both heartwarming and rewarding.
Forgiveness
Ted routinely forgives others for their actions toward him throughout the three seasons of the show. The greatest example is when Rebecca comes clean about hiring Ted in hopes that the team would lose. He immediately forgave her, showing great empathy in the process. From that point, he and Rebecca forged a great friendship and have each helped the team grow.
Ideas Come From All Places
While most of the time organizations have ideas that come from the top down, Ted realizes that good ideas can come from all places. This is what helped him see the potential in Nate, who was an equipment manager before Ted arrived. Ted used some of Nate’s ideas, and promoted him to assistant coach and the whole team benefitted. Nate then gave a great speech showing his perception of what each player is doing wrong and really helps the team.
Innovation can come from anywhere when others are allowed to think and share their thoughts freely.
Standing up for What is Right is Never Wrong
The show uses Sam Obisanya as a moral compass at different points. First, he protests Dubai Air after he finds out about their oil practices. The team joins him in his protest. In season 3, Sam sticks up for Nigerian refugees, as they were not allowed in the country. This ends up costing him, as his new restaurant is vandalized, but luckily, his teammates are there to help him get things back up and running.
It’s ok to not be ok
Ted Lasso shows the world that it is ok to not be ok. Ted deals with his own mental health issues, stemming from his father’s death and his divorce with his wife. He starts having panic attacks and starts to see the therapist that was hired for the team. While the panic attacks are still there, Ted shows that it is ok to not be ok and to get help for your problems.
Success is Not About the Wins and Losses. It’s About Helping People Become the Best Versions of Themselves
This quote is something Ted said in season one and in the penultimate episode of season three, Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, reflected that back to Ted. While most people reading this won’t be playing in meaningful sporting events, the theme of this quote rings true. Having a successful life isn’t about material things, but rather becoming the best version of yourself.
Believe
The main theme of the show over the series is belief. Ted hangs the “Believe” sign in the locker room. He continually talks about having belief in yourself and in teammates or those closest to you. One of the more specific things he says to believe in is the belief in hope. The belief has helped Richmond grow and even compete for a championship. That is something that everyone can take and apply to their own lives. He sums up hope in this season three speech.
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