Devan’s (Half) Dozen: Ted Lasso Edition
Since the earliest episodes of Ted Lasso, the iconic Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque has heavily featured. Earlier this year, Arthur Bryant’s started hanging a Lasso-inspired “Believe in BBQ” sign in their front window. PHOTO CREDIT: disKCovery
The Marvelous MoKan Mentions From AFC Richmond’s Munificent Manager
Published June 5, 2023
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE HIT SERIES Ted Lasso. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.
On Wednesday, May 31, the Season Three, and assumed series, finale of Ted Lasso debuted on Apple TV. Millions of AFC Richmond fans gathered in front of their screens when the episode dropped to bid a bittersweet “so long” and “farewell” to the fictitious football club we had welcomed into our homes these past three years. Going into the episode, everyone knew it that it would revolve around a historic tilt between AFC Richmond and West Ham United. But, as has always been the case with Lasso, it was about so much more than an on-pitch result.
“As a player, you know the match starts before the whistle. During the lineup, you need to show your opponent you’re ready for the fight. You’ve got the eye of the tiger. Richmond, appear to be crying Chris.”
Unlike Chris Powell, I was not polite enough to ask for permission to join the AFC Richmond side in weeping prior to their final match of the season. I know, I am not alone. Many around the world were intermittently shedding tears over the course of those 75 minutes. Tears of joy and sorrow were indistinguishable from one another. Even the ever-stoic Roy Kent couldn’t keep himself from bawling.
It was hard not to! After a season that was messy, to say the least, the conclusion of Ted Lasso had so many touching full-circle moments.
Nate apologizes, and returns to his Richmond roots.
Higgins sums up his path, and the show’s.
Trent finishes his book.
Roy shows emotion, then asks to become a Diamond Dog.
Speaking of the Diamond Dogs, we finally see the roster we always dreamed of assembled in its full glory.
And speaking of re-assembly, the “BELIEVE” sign makes a dramatic return. [INSERT TEARS HERE]
We finally hear what “Number Four” is.
We find out Doc kept her army man.
We also learn that Jamie kept his copy of The Beautiful and The Damned. [GASP!]
We see Jamie both shine, and run decoy.
Roy and Jamie’s bromance finally gets over its biggest hurdle - romance. More specifically, Keeley.
Keeley gets her groove back, and reminds us all that she’s a “boss ass bitch”.
Rebecaa stops letting her anger control her and leaves no doubt that she was always the power, no couple needed.
Rupert gets his just desserts.
Sam gets his national call-up.
McAdoo takes his penalty.
Zoreaux finds a fitting mask, and a name.
Dani gets forgiven.
Colin gets his kiss.
Even Zava finds a new home where he can play football, and have his avocados too.
Beard finds his own path.
And in a very How I Met Your Mother turn, we find out that we knew his first name all along.
Ted figures out offside.
He also figures out that he has two homes.
And which one needs him more.
Ultimately, it seems, Ted finds peace.
And that’s all we ever wanted for him.
All of this was wrapped up with one of the most tear-inducing songs of all time (Cat Stevens’ Father and Son) which left many of us as weepy as the Richmond sideline pre-match.
And yet, as hard-hitting as the finale of Ted Lasso was for every viewer, it hit just a little harder here in Kansas City where Ted Lasso holds a special place in the hearts of locals. After all, Ted was one of our own. Throughout the entirety of the show, Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, never forgot his roots. This sentiment is especially evident when it comes to his connection to his home city of Kansas City and his state of Kansas, where he was raised.
Here in Kansas City, we loved Ted because the college football coach turned Premier League gaffer embodied what many in our city would consider to be the absolute best of The Heartland. Ted saw the best in people. For that matter, he just saw people - even the ones who had always felt invisible. He showed us a feel-good version of the world as it should be. He softened the hardest of hearts.
Ted Lasso taught all of us to dream, and to believe in those dreams. He believed that relegated side AFC Richmond could become a force in the Premier League when all they had ever known was “profound mediocrity”. The show even went as far as to imagine a world where there was a non-stop flight from Europe to Kansas City!
And that is yet another reason we will miss Ted just a little more here in KC. While there were pop culture Easter eggs aplenty, particularly nods to rom-coms, Back to the Future, Field of Dreams, and the show Cheers*, the best shouts were always reserved for Kansas City and Kansas. Sudeikis even found ways to incorporate his best friend (Coach Beard’s “KC Sines" hat), his favorite teacher (the inspiration for Ms. Shipley the upstairs neighbor), and his actual elementary school (Brookridge) into the show. There is also the matter of the many Wizard of Oz and sunflower references throughout the show’s run. In true Kansan fashion, he even worked in a dig on Westboro Baptist into one of his press conferences.
Kansas Citians are notorious for the extreme degree to which we love to rep our city. Up until the very end, Ted Lasso showed himself to be a true Heartlander in that regard as well.
When you start realizing all the ways that Kansas City and Kansas inspired the show it’s easy to wonder if those not from here picked up on Ted’s many local references, such as the “Way to Notice, Amos Otis” callout in the Season Three opener. Or if Colin’s lady-crush on Raquel Welch, the star of Kansas City Bomber, is not so random after all.
So as we say goodbye to our city’s favorite fictitious son, Ted Lasso, and celebrate one of our favorite actual sons in Sudeikis, I re-visited the best references to Kansas City, and Kansas, in the series. The traditional Devan’s Dozen seemed unnecessary when a half-dozen can cover the truly elite Fountain City nods.
6. Our Store
Episode(s) Mentioned: La Locker Room Aux Folles (Season 3, Episode 9)
Everyone in Kansas City knows what it is to be a Chopper Shopper, but practically nobody else does. While there are over 50 Price Chopper locations within the Kansas City metro, the chain of grocery stores does not exist anywhere else. So when Ted Lasso recounted the tale of a time that he felt he didn’t care enough, many Kansas Citians were excited to hear the name of their favorite grocer, while it phased nobody else. Not only did he mention Price Chopper by name, but talked about their amazing deli counter!
“When I was growing up back in Kansas City, I had a buddy named Stevey Juhl. ... First [Super Bowl] he ate an entire seven-layer dip from Price Chopper all by himself. Big ol’ thing. And it just wrecked his stomach. Apparently, he destroyed the toilet in his parents’ basement. (stammers) I remember the rumor at the time being that he caused $9,000 worth of damage. Could you imagine? To a toilet. 9,000 bucks. The next year, he did the exact same thing. All by himself. He must have thought it was good luck or something. I don’t know. ‘Cause I wasn’t there. ‘Cause I ‘didn’t care.’ But I should’ve cared. You know? I should’ve supported him.”
In recent years, Super Bowl Sunday has been extra special in Kansas City, but it has always been a holiday that we love. For many, it combines those three things which Midwesterners hold most dear: friends and family, football, and a potluck! Nothing is more Heartland than showing up to a Super Bowl party with a dip, or just housing one during a big game. This entire episode featured some of the most in-your-face Kansas City mentions, which made it a favorite for locals.
5. Our Colleges
Episode(s) Mentioned: Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1) and Sunflowers (Season 3, Episode 6)
Jason Sudeikis was raised on the Kansas side of Stateline and is a Kansas Jayhawks superfan. That explains the role that the University of Kansas played in the development of the series. The claret and blue of AFC Richmond, with yellow accents, is very much a nod to the crimson and blue of KU. Taking even more inspiration from his beloved Jayhawks, Ted Lasso’s accent and drawl was based upon that of men’s basketball head coach Bill Self. We also see KU pop up in a few clothing choices, but more on that later. While Sudeikis loves to stan for his Jayhawks, each of the other Division I schools in the Sunflower State get their moment in the spotlight during the series.
In fact, the very first time that we get introduced to Ted Lasso, he is rocking a Wichita State sweater and visor after leading the Shockers to a Division II National Championship in football. It is important to note that Wichita State has not played football since 1986 and if they did, they would likely be a Division I (FCS) team. However, Lasso’s success with the show’s verion of the school may make Ted Lasso the most iconic football coach to ever be associated with the Shockers. That’s saying something considering that Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells both played and coached at Wichita State!
Speaking of coaches, legendary Kansas State head basketball coach Tex Winter is central to the plot of Season 3’s Sunflowers. Following an overdose of Americana, Ted hallucinates Tex Winter and the famed Triangle Offense which he invented while at K-State. The Triangle Offense later rose to prominence when Tex Winter was an assistant coach for Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. While Ted was watching an old Bulls’ game when inspiration hit, a close look at his sunflower notebook clearly shows the letters “KSU” next to Tex Winter’s name. Taking inspiration from Winter, Ted Lasso (re)invents Total Football - a tactic famously employed by the Dutch national team and Dutch club Ajax in the 1970s.
On a pair of occasions in Season Three, Coach Lasso is seen rocking a Kansas City Current t-shirt. PHOTO CREDIT: Ted Lasso, Apple TV+
4. Our Clubs
Episode(s) Mentioned: 4-5-1 (Season 3, Episode 3), International Break (Season 3, Episode 10), and So Long, Farewell (Season 3, Episode 12)
Ted Lasso reminds us again and again that when he came to London he “didn’t know one thing about soccer.” While it fits the American stereotype, Lasso’s cluelessness is even funnier when you consider that Kansas City is The Soccer Capital of America. As home to an original Major League Soccer team, a National Women’s Soccer League team, and the largest youth soccer organization in the country, as well as some of the sport’s best facilities in North America, Kansas City is a hotbed for The Beautiful Game. That fervor and those facilities helped Kansas City become the smallest market to be selected as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While Ted was generally unaware of the game before he crossed the pond, the actor behind him clearly wasn’t. Ted Lasso manages to sneak in shout-outs to both professional clubs in Kansas City.
In Season Three, we see Ted rocking a Kansas City Current t-shirt in a pair of episodes. In International Break, we also get a VERY brief cameo from Kansas City Wizards defender, and Sporting Kansas City Legend, Jimmy Conrad. Conrad’s fleeting moment of screen time shows him as part of the AFC Richmond training staff.
The well-known American soccer chant of “I Believe That We Will Win!” is a staple at Sporting Kansas City home matches. While not soccer, the “Believe!” shirts from the early 2000s Royals are still locally iconic. Could one or both have played a role in Ted Lasso’s signature slogan?
And speaking of sneaking in some references to our teams, he made sure to bring up this city’s favorite, and least favorite, (American) football team as well.
3. Our Rivalry
Episode Mentioned: La Locker Room Aux Folles (Season 3, Episode 9)
The Ted Lasso halftime speech from La Locker Room Aux Folles gets extra love because it was a double-dose of Kansas City goodness. Lasso recounts that the reason his friend Stevey had to eat the Price Chopper dip by himself is because he was a fan of the Denver Broncos in the middle of “Chiefs Country”. While the Kansas City Chiefs have been the best team in the NFL over the past five years, for a long time that was far from true. Seeing the much-hated Denver Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 90s was a twist of the dagger for any Chiefs’ fan frustrated with their playoff futility. In recounting the story of Stevey Juhl, Ted made it clear how much the Kansas City Chiefs mean to this city and even snuck in a dig at Denver referring to them as a “garbage-ass team”. This all prompted Jamie Tartt to ask, “What the fuck are Denver Broncos?!” A question which Kansas City’s hated rivals were eager to answer in hilarious fashion.
Three KC has surged in popularity thanks to the appearance of multiple shirts in Ted Lasso. In the second to last episode of the series, he actually sported actual shirts from the brand including this one, which celebrates the KU Jayhawks. PHOTO CREDIT: Ted Lasso, Apple TV+
2. Our Fashion
Episode(s) Mentioned: Recurring
Kansas City has a bit of a reputation when it comes to our fashion. For lack of a better term, we’re largely known for dressing like tourists. There seems to be an unwritten rule that when you board a flight to or from Kansas City, you must wear some kind of Kansas City gear. I know I’m guilty! In the city itself, you can constantly find people rocking t-shirts, caps, and jackets that rep our sports teams, and just the city and local establishments in general. Anything with a KC on it is guaranteed to sell. Ted Lasso captures this element of being a Kansas Citian to a T!
When it comes to Kansas City merch, Charlie Hustle is likely the most well-known brand. However, thanks to Ted Lasso, Three KC is now a very close second. Near the end of the very first episode, we see Ted rocking a “Joe Arthur Gatestack” shirt that celebrates some of the most iconic brands in Kansas City barbeque. He also routinely shows up in a Three KC design that celebrates Lawrence, Kansas and Sudeikis’s beloved Jayhawks. In the second to last episode, Mom City, he actually wears both! As you can imagine, since the very first cameo, Three KC’s T-shirt sales have surged!
1. Our Barbeque
Episode(s) Mentioned: Recurring
Kansas City is the World Capital of Barbeque. And while it is home to over 120 barbeque restaurants, it is no secret which one is Jason Sudeikis’s favorite! Arthur Bryant’s is one of the most iconic and important restaurants in a city steeped in barbeque tradition.
Our first glimpse of Bryant’s comes with the restaurant’s original location being the wallpaper on Coach Lasso’s laptop. This stays consistent throughout the series’ entire run anytime we see Ted on the computer. In the second episode of the show, Biscuits, Ted receives a very special care package that includes a bottle of Bryant’s favorite sauce.
“This right here is some of the best barbeque sauce in Kansas City which makes it some of the best barbeque sauce in the world.”
It’s very clear that Lasso loves the most well-known staple of Kansas City barbeque. His usage of the phrase “Barbeque Sauce!” in lieu of bullseye is particularly endearing. We see this in Season One when Ted defeats Rupert Mannion in darts and then again in the Season Three Finale when AFC Richmond scores the game-winning goal against Mannion’s West Ham United. At one point, after Trent Crimm congratulates Lasso on Richmond’s winning streak, he replies, “The truth is, only way I could be happier is if my arm-feet were covered in barbecue sauce.” The man’s Wi-Fi password is even “BBQs@uce”!
Bryant’s sauce particularly features when it changes AFC Richmond’s fortures. It is Arthur Bryant’s Original “President’s Choice” that fuels the hallucination that causes the Greyhounds to start playing “Total Football”. That change ends up allowing the Richmond to surge to the top of the table.
Early in the series, Ted Lasso makes his love for Kansas City barbeque, particularly Arthur Bryant’s, known. But in Season 3’s Sunflowers, Lasso’s favorite sauce was central to the plot. PHOTO CREDIT: Ted Lasso, Apple TV+
Jason Sudeikis once joked in a Saturday Night Live monologue that he was truly shocked by the popularity of Ted Lasso “because it’s built around two things Americans hate: soccer and kindness.” Lasso and AFC Richmond gave us a sorely needed dose of both at a time when we needed it most.
Early on in the final season, it felt like Ted Lasso had lost its way. At times the show felt both unnecessarily drawn out and incredibly rushed all at once. There were parts that were messy and moments where some of our favorite characters abandoned what made us fall in love with them. About halfway through the season, Ted Lasso re-discovered its roots and returned to what made the show so beloved.
Yes, it would have been amazing to get four seasons instead of three. Yes, Nate’s time as the villain should have lasted longer and yes, they rushed his redemption arc. Yes, we all wanted to see Richmond win a trophy. I had hoped to see a flashforward Nate or Roy leading the Hounds to Premier League, or Champions League, glory. And yes, I think there were many Kansas Citians, like me, who were hoping to see Ted Lasso step into the box at Children’s Mercy Park for one of our professional teams. But seeing him on the youth field was still pretty great! I hoped that when Ted flew home, we would at least see him take a walk through our new airport or catch a glimpse of the city’s skyline. I think many of us expected Trent Crimm to name his book “Believe”.
No, it wasn’t absolutely perfect. But then again, “perfect is boring.” Given everything the show needed to tie together in a short amount of time, as Roy Kent would say, they “fucking smashed it.”
After reading the rough draft of Trent Crimm’s book, Ted requests that he changes the title because, “It’s not about me. It never was.” And that is what made everyone, Kansas Citian or not, fall in love with this show. It was never just about Ted.
It’s the story of a jaded and heartbroken owner who so badly wants to submarine the team she’s acquired that, ironically, she hires the only person who could have ever saved it. In saving the club, her new gaffer shows her a path that helps her save herself as well.
Perhaps Higgins summed up what Ted Lasso had always been about when he said, “The best we can do is keep asking for help and accepting it when you can. And if you keep on doing that, you’ll always be moving towards better.” Ted Lasso was so much bigger than football/soccer.
It was a show about interpersonal relationships.
It was a show about the need for a tribe.
It was a show about the importance of letting others know how you feel about them.
It was a show about the importance of mental health.
It was a show about the importance of self-care.
It was a show about embracing change.
It was a show about fatherhood, and family.
It was a show about the need for home.
It was a show about the need for inner peace.
It was a show about women’s empowerment.
It was also a show about equality in general.
It was a show about British culture, and supporters’ culture.
It was a show about football (soccer).
And yes, it was a little bit a show about Kansas City.
Ted’s unwavering connection to his hometown and his home state are an integral part of the character. Even when he is thousands of miles away in London, Kansas City is on his mind. Ultimately, it’s the need to be home and to be there for his son, like his father wasn’t, that drives the show’s conclusion.
And just like Ted’s roots influence the kind of man and coach he was, Jason Sudeikis’s roots influenced his art. Ted was so over-the-top in his kindness, gregariousness, his wonderfully bad puns, and his need to make all feel welcome. As a result, his character was the quintessential Cowtowner.
For that reason, the past three years of watching this show has been especially fun for those in Kansas City. It was amazing to see Ted Lasso treat this city like the destination that it is. It was incredible to see such a popular series make it known that the notion of “Flyover Country” is nothing but a myth.
Those Pesky Endnotes That I Often Insist Upon
*After all, Jason Sudeikis is the nephew of Cheers star and Rockhurst University graduate George Wendt who famously portrayed Norm in the series.
Apologies for the “fruity language”! What was your favorite Kansas City shout-out in Ted Lasso? As always, share it in the comments!
