What do you make of this observation by Megan Garber of The Atlantic: “Soccer, in Ted Lasso, doubles as a moral and a metaphor …” with the understanding that “moral” as it is used here refers to a lesson taken from a story? [A metaphor refers to an object that is a symbol of something else, often something abstract.]
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While the use of soccer is important in the show, the soccer team and that dynamic is more important and vital in conveying the moral and metaphors of the show.
Trent’s article shows the moral in both soccer and the team. Ted is a beacon of positivity and optimism and while Trent highlights many concerns within the fan base, he concludes his article with hope and optimism. The moral on the field is the hope within the city and fan base their beloved team will win again. But it is also in the locker room in the player response to Lasso and his attempts to teach them as individuals and lead them as a team.
Soccer is a metaphor in Ted Lasso for growth. Ted Lasso takes time and effort to coach his players to be better people, without a better, more successful team. The concept of soccer is like Lasso and his coaching because winning a soccer game does not simply happen, it is the result of work which Lasso is putting in to create a better team. Lasso puts time into his team, like the team will eventually put into winning games.
There are other metaphors in Ted Lasso. The biscuit from Ted to Rebecca represents time and effort Lasso is willing to put in for the benefit of others, showing his character. Similarly, the green army men, symbolize perseverance, and relationship; especially Lasso’s giving and receiving encouragement. Lasso cultivates a metaphor through the books he gifts to the players. These books serve as guides and lessons for the players which also reinforce how Lasso wants to not only help build a winning team but develop his players to be good people as well.
Megan Garber correctly identifies that there is much more to “Ted Lasso” than the sport of soccer itself. In fact, in the two episodes we watched, there were very few scenes that took place on the soccer field.
“Ted Lasso” exploded in popularity when it was released, and most of the dedicated viewers probably weren’t super knowledgeable about the sport of soccer, instead the appeal most likely came from the inspiring and uplifting morals of Coach Ted and his efforts to better those around him. Released amidst a pandemic that caused fear, “Ted Lasso” provided heartwarming comedic relief that was about much more than the sport of soccer.
Ted Lasso tries to build a culture of trust and unison, and he seeks out the best in others. Ted, as a coach, indirectly has many morals that seem to overshadow his intent to win. This is evident in episode 3 when he tells reporter Trent Crimm “For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.”
The sport of soccer, as represented in “Ted Lasso,” is a metaphor for what sports should actually be all about. It is a metaphor for growth because, although the field is where athletic learning and improvement takes place for soccer, it is also where Ted’s players will experience growth as people and leaders.
Shash Comandur said ...
Although I was critical of the show upon our viewing of the two episodes in class, upon further inspection, I found that the message that Ted Lasso delivers is deeper than what meets the eye. The author of the article is correct in her assessment that the show delivers both a moral and a set of metaphors through the various motifs of each episode.
The motifs throughout the episodes we watched are fairly straightforward: the reporter from the third episode represents a conduit from the team to the public, acting as a voice of reason to question and condemn Ted’s failed strategies. Ted constantly barrages Rebecca with biscuits to establish friendship with her, and he throws a player a birthday party (in spite of a loss), which both represent his determination to be respected by his peers and players.
The most obvious moral of the story is that kindness prevails. Ted’s insistence on being the most empathetic man he can be shows the importance of building positive momentum in team environments. It’s worth noting that this kindness often borders on naivete, but that deals with the show’s delivery of another message altogether: balance.
Jamie, one of the players in the club, is an egotistical “hotshot”, which completely complements Ted’s relentless acts of generosity. The two players represent wildly different ends of the spectrum in terms of attitudes toward team play, with each having their own benefits and drawbacks. Jamie’s confidence is what enables him to perform at a high level individually but makes him difficult as a team player. Ted’s attitude is what drives team spirit and chemistry but makes him susceptible to being taken advantage of.
The episodes suggest that a middle ground between these approaches is the fair, and maybe even the best, way to be a team player.
Despite what the promotional material for "Ted Lasso" would have you believe, soccer is actually not that much of a focus throughout the duration of the show. From a purely material standpoint, the sport of soccer actually really only acts as an object for the purpose of producing a story. From a metaphorical standpoint, however, the sport of soccer provides a moral for the show in its entirety.
The basic goal for any soccer team (as with any sports team) is to win. Unfortunately for Coach Ted Lasso's team, they are not very good at winning in the beginning of the show. This inability to win represents Lasso's inability to fit in with the culture of his new area. As he struggles to make headway in his professional life, he also struggles to make headway in his personal life.
However, just like the soccer teams that do not give up on their desire to win, Coach Lasso does not give up on his desire to make a positive impact. Like he said, he does not really care whether his team wins or loses, he just wants to make sure these young men get to be the best young men they can be.
Coach Ted Lasso's unwavering positivity serves as a foil to all those around him, and his attitude towards sports subverts every expectation of what a coach should be.
Megan Garber's observation about “Ted Lasso” stands true from the episodes we watched in class. While “Ted Lasso” is centered around soccer, we rarely see actual soccer played. Instead, “Ted Lasso” portrays the moral of perseverance and kind human interactions through the metaphor of a down on their luck soccer team.
Ted comes into this team as a complete outsider and does not appear to be respected by his players, administration, or community. Still, despite the name-calling and apparent disdain for his personality, he maintains a positive attitude and works to understand the community he has been thrown into. Some examples of this can be seen when Ted spends his own time and resources to bake biscuits for Rebecca, even when it's apparent that she has no desire to get to know Ted and only wants his downfall. Another example is how Ted gets to know his players and throws Sam a birthday party with a present from back home or when he buys each player a book specific to them. Not only does he focus on relations inside the soccer facility, but he also approaches the community in the same way, which can be seen when he went to the school and played with the students or plays with the fantastic girl in the street.
Just as the show doesn't focus on soccer itself, Ted Lasso as a coach, doesn’t focus on the win column; instead, he focuses on the growth of his team as people instead of soccer players, which puts him in an interesting position. Ted could have come in and been a dictator. producing a winning team, but instead, he chose to make better people and a better community through the interactions and morals he shows to those around him, making both the team and the show a huge hit.
In the show "Ted Lasso", it is shown that coach Lasso does not have a firm understanding about the intricacies of the sport of soccer, thus causing his team to perform poorly during games. However, the sport provides valuable information to the team about how Ted Lasso views the world around him.
The metaphor that soccer provides to the show is about the necessity of teamwork. Throughout the club and community, we see examples of how egotistical and self-centered many people are; including Jamie's toxic egotism, Rebecca's motives to take down the club, and the reporter's desire to highlight the negative aspects of Ted's team and coaching style. All of these are aspects of a single person that leads to bad things happening to the club; however, Ted combats these by working with others to come up with the best possible solution to various problems. Examples include the comment box, which fixes the water pressure in the showers; Nate's play idea, which leads to a play that scores goals for the team in practice; and Ted asking for advice on how to deal with the reporter, which leads to the two of them having positive interactions and writing a positive article on Ted and his team's unconventionality.
The moral, therefore, that soccer provides is one of positivity in the face of adversity. Soccer is a game where positive outcomes occur in small moments of the game as a whole, rather than a constant back and forth through the whole game. Similar to this, Ted uses his positive outlook and demeanor to make impacts in moments when the team needs it most.
A great example of the combination of both the metaphor and moral is in Sam's birthday party. By combining funds from all players of the team, teamwork is used to provide Sam with a party after one of the matches. The positivity comes through by providing Sam, who's been having a tough time away from his home country, with a moment that greatly impacts him, while also lifting the team's spirits after a loss.
By combining teamwork and bursts of positivity, Ted Lasso seeks to create an environment for his team that shows how, despite their individual flaws, they are much more than a team at heart, but a family.
In the TV series "Ted Lasso," soccer is used as more than just a sport: it is also a moral as well as a metaphor. Megan Garber's observation in The Atlantic raises an important question about the role of sports in storytelling and the significance of soccer in the show's themes.
As a moral, soccer represents an opportunity for the characters to learn lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and overcoming adversity. In the show, Ted Lasso is tasked with coaching a struggling soccer team in England. Through his unorthodox coaching methods and genuine care for his players, he attempts to instill values such as kindness, empathy, and respect in the players. These lessons extend beyond the soccer pitch and into the characters' personal lives, leading to meaningful character development and overall growth.
Soccer also serves as a metaphor for larger societal issues, such as the challenges of adapting to new cultures and the importance of community. In the show, the soccer team represents society in a way, with players from many different backgrounds coming together to try and achieve a common goal. Through their experiences on and off the field, they confront issues such as racism, sexism, and bullying/harassment. The soccer field thus becomes a symbol for the broader challenges faced by society as a whole.
Overall, Garber's observation highlights the importance of sports as a means for storytelling and exploring complex themes and issues. Through its use of soccer as both a moral and a metaphor, "Ted Lasso" offers a thought-provoking commentary on contemporary society and the human experience.
Megan Garber makes an accurate observation about the use of Soccer in Ted Lasso. Even through just the first few episodes, the audience can glean that Ted needs to grow and improve as a coach tactically and personally, which reflects the moral and metaphorical aspects of the narrative.
Ted’s unfamiliarity with Soccer drives much of the disrespect and distrust from Richmond’s fan base and players. However, again and again, the producers show how Ted brings positive changes to the team even if it is not showing on the fields yet. By clueing in the audience on the behind-the-scenes changes that Ted is making, contrasted to the fans' reactions to Ted at games, the producers create a message describing how the path to success is as important the result. The producer's suggest that Ted’s efforts to fix the atmosphere and culture of the club are pivotal to the team being able to win games on the field. Which taken as a larger moral, can speak to valuing the journey in life instead of the destination.
Soccer is also used as a metaphor to describe the cultural differences between Ted and the new world he inhabits. Just as Ted knows very little about the tactics and strategies in Soccer, he’s unfamiliar with the personalities, perspectives, and habits of the Englishmen he lives and works with. In the episode where Ted learns about using decoys on the pitch, the audience watches as Ted employs a similar strategy on Roy. Feigning indifference towards Nate’s bullies, Ted challenges Roy to take a leadership role within the team and rally the other players behind him. Through their use of Nate’s play and Ted’s subsequent team-building strategies, the producers reveal their intent to use Ted’s growth in soccer knowledge to reflect the improvement in his ability to relate to his players and understand their culture.
Megan Garber made an accurate point by describing that soccer was used both as a means for moral and metaphor in the series.
Instead of using the sport in the traditional sense (such as by showing an athlete or coach succeed, fail, train, etc.), the show uses it as a way to further character development; making each person grow as a human being more so than an athlete or a coach. The series is guided by the moral that wins and losses are not the end-all and be-all in life. Instead, the series shows, through Lasso’s character, that developing into an all-around good person and building relationships with others is what is most important. For instance, Lasso encourages everyone to bond and eat birthday cake together, despite losing the previous game. Along with that, his high-value on relationship-building is clearly shown as he tries to make a connection with not just his players but also Nate, Rebecca, Trent Crimm, and even people in the local community.
With that being said, soccer is not just a sport in the series, but instead a metaphor for how sports -and any path in life – should be handled. Despite being in an environment that is unknown to him and away from his home and family, Lasso maintains a positive attitude about every aspect of his job. Even though he is set up for failure, his positive and caring attitude in a highly competitive sports environment helps illustrate the importance of being an all-around “good person.” This series has been very popular among audiences, but not because it features one of the world’s most popular sport, but instead because of its warm-hearted story.
While the Apple TV show “Ted Lasso” focuses on an American football coach who is hired to coach an English soccer team, the show utilizes soccer as a metaphor instead of a plot driving point. The show is filled with characters that contrast each other. Coach Ted Lasso is optimistic to a fault, while his boss, Rebecca, is scheming all the while to take the team down. Furthermore, the character Jamie, one of the soccer players on the team, is the “pretty boy” who plays selfishly and thinks that he is the best thing to step foot on earth.
Megan Garber’s remark about “Ted Lasso” being a moral and a metaphor is evident in the episodes we watched during class. Soccer serves as a platform to teach the players teamwork, perseverance, trust, and overcoming adversity. Soccer as a sport is typically a low-scoring game which makes the small victories throughout the game more impactful. Lasso takes a similar approach while coaching his players. Even though they lost a game, it was one of the players birthdays, so the entire team celebrated it in the locker room after the game ended.
Another prime example of the small victories is when the players are messing with Nate, and Roy asks the coach if he will do something about it. Ted then tells Roy that he is not going to stop the harassment. Lasso then gives each of the players a book that is assumed is based on the morals that Lasso wants that player to represent while on the team. Ted gives Roy a book about leadership, asking him to be a leader on the team. It can then be assumed that he wanted Roy to do something about the harassment of Nate by some of the other teammates to start holding each other accountable.
Ted teaching his team life lessons throughout the season is what sports were meant to do. While they are also focused around winning and having fun, the life lessons a player can learn from playing a sport is a unique opportunity and learning point that not everyone has. The morals Ted instills in these players combined with the metaphor from the game of soccer is what makes this series appealing to many people.
Megan Garber of The Atlantic makes a great observation that soccer in Ted Lasso doubles both as a moral and a metaphor, yet I believe soccer is only one part of the show and that the moral and metaphors of the show are present within both Rebecca's hatred towards her ex-husband and Ted's persistence to help his team.
One of the moral aspects of Ted Lasso is that hatred—especially directed wrongfully—not only has the chance to ruin innocent lives but also affects the individual directing the hate to an unhealthy state. Rebecca Welton, the owner of AFC Richmond, wants to sabotage the entire club as a way to get back at her ex-husband, Rupert. In order to do this, she first hires Ted hoping that he leads the team to fall apart, yet Ted, to Rebecca's surprise, is an extremely caring coach and a thoughtful person. This pushes Rebecca to hire a photographer to capture a photo of Ted and Keeley together to produce an artificial scandal involving Ted and negatively impact the club as a whole. When this doesn’t work, Rebecca is then thrilled at the idea of Trent, from The Independent, reporting negatively on Ted as Trent is known as a tough journalist. Yet when the article about Ted is released, Trent is actually rooting for Ted’s success, which drives Rebecca to scream in anger with her original hatred at a level that is not only unhealthy and dangerous for her, but for the individuals around her as well.
One of the metaphors of Ted Lasso is that Ted's character represents a symbol of persistence. When Ted first gets introduced to Rebecca, he brings biscuits and tries to spark a conversation, yet even though Rebecca cuts that conversation short, he continues to bring biscuits to her every day since he believes it's best for the club if they get acquainted. On the coaching side, Ted listens to the team's suggestions and looks after individuals such as Sam and Nate while simultaneously avoiding any hurtful comments by his team or fans of the club from affecting his coaching abilities. Ted manages to continuously help others even amid hate from fans and his club, thus resembling a symbol of persistence.
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