Ted Lasso has become one of the more celebrated sports shows in recent memory. So much so that it's not a surprise in the least that FIFA 23 would use the show's popularity by adding characters from the Apple TV Plus as in-game content.
The Ted Lasso official social media account tweeted out a video of multiple people praising Lasso for what he's done for the game of professional soccer despite his lack of knowledge. The FIFA 23 teaser also features multiple characters from the Apple TV Plus show as playable characters in the video game.
The promo itself is for in-game content for FIFA 23, which includes being able to select Ted Lasso as a manager of AFC Richmond in Career Mode. Fans will also be able to play as AFC Richmond as part of the "Rest of the World" League in Kick Off, Online Friendlies and Online Seasons. Roy Kent, Jamie Tartt, Sam Obisanya, and Dani Roja will all be included as part of the Greyhounds’ squad. "In a short time and with limited prior experience, Ted Lasso has become a cultural phenomenon, bringing the passion of football and the power of belief to life for millions of fans across the globe,” said David Jackson, VP of Brand for EA SPORTS FIFA. "We're thrilled to welcome both Ted and AFC Richmond to FIFA 23.
Even with Ted Lasso's popularity as a show, one reason why EA Sports did this is how many viewers have gotten to know the game of soccer better thanks to Ted Lasso. While plenty knew about the basics of soccer beforehand, not many knew how the rules worked in the pros between what offsides are or what relegation is. FIFA's use of the show also comes off as a thank you for getting audiences more interested in soccer as a sport, much like how The Karate Kid franchise got kids more interested in learning karate back when it came out in the 1980s.
Previews like these make it sadder that Ted Lasso is reportedly coming to an end after its third season. The show has been appealing primarily because it's been the TV version of Chicken Soup for the Soul with all the positivity that it has brought in its first two seasons. What's also made it such an appealing show is not just how it approaches mental health but also that it brought something new to the sports genre. It took a different angle that wasn't necessarily about whether the team wins or not. It was about how people deal with their pain and what makes a sports team have a healthy environment.
There have been excellent sports shows in the past that took similar approaches like that, such as Friday Night Lights. While the sport itself is a huge deal, they focus on what the characters are going through instead of whether their team comes up victorious in the end. They do that because that formula more or less gets predictable. Ted Lasso added another layer by having someone who didn't have the slightest clue about soccer focus on creating a good locker room nonetheless to make a winning product. In an era of television where we're filled with antiheroes, Ted Lasso brings a freshness with its main character being someone you can genuinely root for without the burden of knowing he's not really a good person. And it looks like the show is being rewarded for doing so.
Ted Lasso can currently be streamed on Apple TV Plus.
Source: Ted Lasso/Twitter