Coaching isn't a matter of life and death. It's a lot more serious than that. But, as Brad Stevens says, "we get more than we give."
Coaching movies come in many flavors, triumphant as Herman Boone in Remember the Titans, redemptive in Hoosiers, biographical as in Glory Road. Ted Lasso shares few soccer lessons, but a wealth of messages about coaching and humanity.
Great stories share the Heath Brothers' elements of SUCCESs - simple, unexpected, credible, concrete, emotional, stories. And Apple+ TV blends freshness, humor, and pathos with its series about Ted Lasso, American football coach imported to coach the Richmond Greyhounds soccer club. Jason Sudeikis, as Lasso, knows nothing about soccer, but a lot about people and psychology.
Lasso understands. "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."
Lasso accepts his limitations, "I think I literally have a better understanding of who killed Kennedy than what is offside. (Long pause) It was the mob."
He has no delusions about the task being easy, "Hey, takin' on a challenge is a lot like ridin' a horse. If you're comfortable while you're doin' it, you're probably doin' it wrong."
The coach's worldview reflect his homespun experience, but isn't wrong. "Roy, I learned two pretty big lessons on the rough and tumble playgrounds of Bookridge Elementary School. One, if little Ronnie Fouch offers you a candy bar, you immediately say no and get the hell out of there cause there's a good chance that little son of a gun has pooped inside of a Butterfinger wrapper. No one ever saw him do it, but a couple people ate it. Number two, teacher tells a bully not to pick on someone, it's just gonna make it worse."
Lasso's perspective is distinctly American:
Coach: "Manchester United. Super rich. Everyone either loves them or hates them."
Lasso: "Dallas Cowboys."
Liverpool: "Used to be great. Haven't won a title in a long time."
Lasso: "Also the Dallas Cowboys."
The Richmond owner, Rebecca Welton on decades of mediocrity. "Coach Lasso may not have the CV that you all find acceptable, but he does have one thing this club doesn’t: a trophy from this millennium."
Players wrestle with his persistent positivity, "I have a real tricky time hearing folks that don’t believe in themselves."
Lasso understands that reaching the team passes through club leadership, "First domino that needs to fall, right inside that mans heart."
Management isn't easily convinced. But gradually, the Lasso Way begins to take root. "If the Lasso way is wrong, it’s hard to imagine being right."
Lasso isn't a fan of excuses or negativity. "You beating yourself up is like Woody Allen playing the clarinet. I don’t want to hear it."
"Every disadvantage brings an advantage." Think out of the box. Find edges out of necessity. Collaboration between coaches and players makes both better.
His wisdom about teamwork isn't all unconventional, "I promise you, there is something worse out there than being sad. And that is being alone and being sad. Ain’t no one in this room alone."
Yes, there's more entertainment than 'football' in Ted Lasso, but the first season shares the wins. losses, and (ugh) draws that sport brings.
Lagniappe: "Alley Drill"
1) Every day is player development day.
2) If we can't contain the ball, we can't play defense.
3) Fouling kills us as self-destruction.
Lagniappe 2: 100 Lessons Learned from Coaching College Basketball
"If you stat it, chart it, or emphasize it, it will be important to your team (deflections, charges, turnovers)"
