Summary
I recall first watching this episode, and my mind being blown in the locker room scene between Ted and Jaime, when Ted lays into him about the importance of practice and how he's the franchise player and how we can't practice if he's hurt. I recall thinking to myself, I've heard this before...but where?
The Ted Lasso series has so many Easter Eggs it can be difficult to keep up. What I love is these references are to times (Eighties and Nineties) and Places (The Midwest in the US) and Things (Sports) that I hold dear. And this scene is no different. And then it hit me! "PRACTICE!" 'We're talking about PRACTICE," - yes of course it's the infamous Allen Iverson press conference, word for word, where the former star basketball player complained that he was being unfairly criticized, as the franchise player, for not showing up to a practice.
Here's a mashup on YouTube, it's worth a look. So brilliant!
Favorite Moments
Allen Iverson Mashup!!!
Dani and Jaime having a cross-bar competition.
The team sacrifice to rid AFC Richmond's facilities of the ghosts of years past.
Favorite Quotes
"You know what they say about when you 'assume,' you can make an "ass" out of you & me," -- Ted Lasso.
"Football is Life," Danny Rojas, with the smile that won't end, and an exuberance of a 12-year-old.
"Jaime is an ace, but his attitude turns him into a 7 of Clubs," -- Ted Lasso
"He's like a joyous, raven-haired golden retriever," Ted on Dani Rojas.
"We can't change the past, but we can choose to honor it," Ted Lasso
"I feel like we fell out of a lucky tree, hit every branch on the way down, and ended up in a pool of cash and Sour Patch Kids," Ted Lasso on having Two Aces, Jaime and Dani.
Lasso Lessons
We all need a Dani Rojas in our life.
Be surgical and intentional when you want someone's attention. Ted, known as Mr. Positive, decided to be bold and stern with Jaime in the locker room about the whole practice situation. This was a different tone than what everyone is accustomed to - and it did the job - because it was out of character. Too many times "bosses" are always raising their voices and over time it just comes across as noise. When you pick your spots to escalate the severity and seriousness of a topic, the impact will be much greater.
Sometimes the best moments to create bonding in a team are in random situations outside the office or off the field. The ghost-sacrifice ritual is a great example of this. Get teams outside the normal environments where they can connect on a deeper, emotional level, and you learn so much more about each other and you become so much closer than just always meeting in a meeting room at the office or on a virtual call.
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