(Some spoilers, but not really, for Ted Lasso finale)

The sign of a great television series finale is when you keep thinking about it, long after the final credits roll.

As controversial, and for some, disappointing, the Sopranos was, it still stirs a response 16-years later. Genius!

When Ted Lasso scored it’s very likely final goal a few weeks back, it tied up most loose ends and wrapped a memorable bow on a show that we needed the most during this COVID-19 pandemic.

There were many nights during the summer/fall of 2020 (and seasons 2 and 3) when Ted Lasso brought hope upon some really dark and divisive days. I feel a sense of gratitude and debt to this fictional cast of American and British characters.

Although we see the rise, fall, and rise of the football Richmond Club (no spoilers here), we soon realize what we already knew as the final episode concludes: this was never about soccer.

As a father, as I watch my young children play organized (and not so organized) sports, it is easy to appreciate that it isn’t about results or wins (although some kids/parents keep score). It is about seeing your kid learn to believe in themselves, in their teammates, and their coaches.

For example, in Shea’s (6) soccer team, they improved dramatically in learning to pass the ball to one another since the season started in March. In their final game this weekend, they put on a clinic on passing the ball that impressed this soccer dad (to be fully transparent, watching Shea getting her uniform/cleats on impresses me as we race out the door to make it to the game on time).

The score was probably a lot to a little when the “dust settled,” with Shea and company very much on the short end, but what I saw was a bunch of kids stepping into themselves and learning to trust their own abilities and one another.

Yes, sports (and in the case of Ted Lasso), we are reminded to believe in ourselves as we are always trying to be a better version of ourselves than yesterday. And, we learn to believe in one another- to accompany one another on this football pitch, baseball diamond, or life’s journey.

Yes, Ted Lasso, was so much more than soccer. It was a show of redemption, teamwork, and hope in today and tomorrow. A finale worth remembering.