15 inspirational ‘Ted Lasso’ quotes for youth sports coaches

“Heck, you could fill two Internets with what I don’t know about football,” Ted Lasso tells the faux assembled media – and us, the viewers – at the outset of the now-transcendent Apple TV comedy series.

Whether he’s talking about the sport that captivates our interest during the World Cup, or the one that does so every fall, or another activity, you’ve probably been there as a coach. You are facing parents with questions that range from what equipment to buy to what your coaching philosophy is. You might feel you don’t know the first thing about coaching, or even the game you and your child are undertaking.

But rest assured. Unless you have played a sport professionally at a high level, nobody is really an expert.

When my son first tried Ted’s new sport of soccer, I volunteered to help out with the team and was given the head coaching job. (“The bait and switch” is how one of my colleagues and fellow parents described it.) I hadn’t played soccer since third or fourth grade.

But I soon learned, like Ted (Jason Sudeikis) when he took over AFC Richmond, that I didn’t have to be an expert. I just had to have an open mind.

Think about this series that has captivated us. You might not even be a fan of soccer – or football, as Ted learned to call it. And yet, you couldn’t stop watching it.

Coaching can work the same way.

You’re probably missing “Ted Lasso” since its final episode was posted last spring. Here are some (expletive-free) lines from the show, and insight to go with them, you can share with your young athletes that can also help you as a coach.

(The name of the character is noted if the line wasn’t delivered by Lasso.)

1. “Takin’ on a challenge is a lot like ridin’ a horse. If you’re comfortable while you're doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”

This is a line of inspiration for you to get into coaching. With youth sports, your attitude and how you conduct yourself are more important than your knowledge of the game. And there are plenty of resources that can help you. You can start with the Positive Coaching Alliance and the Reformed Sports project.

2. “You know what the happiest animal on earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.”

Lasso is talking to introspective player Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) in an attempt to help him shake off a misplay. The best pro athletes often have the shortest memories after a mistake, and they quickly go on to do spectacular things. Dealing with failure is also crucial to the development of young players, who take errors especially hard. Make sure you pull them aside after down moments and tell them there are many ways to help the team. In soccer or basketball, for example, running down a loose ball or deflecting an opposing pass out of bounds can be enough to get a player back on track.

3. “Jamie, I think that you might be so sure that you’re one in a million, that sometimes out there you forget that out there you’re just one in 11.”

Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), Ted’s most talented but petulant player, starts off as an egotistical ball hog in the first season. But by the end of the third, his unselfish play helps elevate the team to another level. Don’t be afraid to bench your best player – like Ted did with Jamie - for a quarter or a half if he or she isn’t sharing the ball. Sure, you might lose the game, but you'll show the impressionable offender (and everyone else) how no one is bigger than the team. As they all move along with sports (and life), the importance of playing a strong part for the greater good only gets more significant, and it can go far as the White House.

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4. “We’re gonna try it on. See if it fits. It might not. Then again, it might be a very flattering silhouette. I might wear it right out of the store.”

Ted empowers many people on the show, including the kit man, Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed). Nobody, other than his parents, might have known of Nathan’s cerebral talents if Ted hadn’t asked for his advice about a play. As a youth coach, don’t be afraid mix things up. Use a different lineup every game. Move kids around to as many positions as possible. Empower everyone on the team by making each player feel like an they’re an equal part of the enterprise.

5. “Football is life.” – Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández)

We first meet Rojas as he sprints onto the field with youthful effervescence after he is finally given his shot in Lasso’s lineup. It’s a line that should resonate with us. Not only can sports be a metaphor for life, but how you coach young athletes will directly affect who they become. This point isn’t lost on Lasso, who rarely yells and lives by positive reinforcement, especially after his players make mistakes. “The thing that, I think, a lot of parents forget about the idea of fun and youth athletics is the imprint it makes on those kids for the rest of their lives, both good and bad,” Tom Dolan, a former Olympic gold medal swimmer and now a youth sports coach for his kids’ teams, told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on a recent podcast. “And so the fun thing is not just a catchy idea that we’re throwing around. It literally is the platform to build their view of self and their view of working with others and how they succeed and those aren’t clichés. That’s actually how they’re formed as human beings and that’s why I am a fan of youth athletics. But, man, if they get off on the wrong foot, it’s hard to fix that.”

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6. “Well, I believe you can outscore your opponent and still lose, just like you can score less than them and win.”

We’ve all gotten caught up in winning as coaches. But don’t let that thrill get the best of you. There were a couple of tactics that especially bothered me when I coached my sons’ baseball teams. One was when opposing coaches intentionally stalled to let the “clock” run out on our game. One guy made especially long mound visits; another intentionally threw balls (as opposed to strikes) during coach pitch. C’mon, guys, we all know baseball is decided by outs and innings. And then there are the coaches who take advantage of the shorter distance between bases in Little League by having players steal as the catcher throws back to the pitcher. You’re only embarrassing yourself, and teaching your players a poor lesson, by placing winning before development. If this last move was attempted on a regulation sized diamond, the runner would be thrown out by 30 feet.

7. “Grow up and get over it.” – Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt)

The line comes as part of "Diamond Dogs" group relationship advice for captain Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) with soon-to-be girlfriend Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), but it can apply to you, too. Don’t push your kids too hard because you didn’t make it yourself as an athlete. If you do so, you only risk burning them out.

8. “Be curious, not judgmental.”

It’s a disputed Walt Whitman quote Lasso invokes during a high-stakes game of darts with Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head), the antagonistic ex-husband of Richmond’s owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). Before his winning throw, Ted speaks about how people have overlooked him in life, just as Mannion was doing with him. As a coach, don’t judge a kid based on how he or she plays at a young age. Instead, keep an open mind. Kids won’t fully differentiate themselves in athletics wise until high school. The player who might be one of your weakest at 8 or 9 might possess better work ethic than teammates and/or eventually get a big growth spurt and become one of the best.

9. “I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you. … See, I believe in hope. I believe in belief.”

I coached an 11-year-old in Little League who didn’t get a hit during the entire regular season. But the other coaches on the team and myself consistently encouraged him, telling him he was having good at-bats and to stay positive. He got his first hit in a playoff game that helped us advance to the semifinals. It wasn’t a miracle. It was a matter of him believing he could do it.

10. “What do you say we do what the man says and make today our masterpiece?”

It’s a privilege to coach. Parents are trusting you with their kids. Do right by them and, more importantly, by yourself. Be a good role model for them. And stand up to the parents and opposing coaches who aren’t.

11. “Most adults think kids need to be constantly entertained. … Truth is, they just want to feel like they’re part of our lives.” – Roy Kent

After Kent, now retired and watching his niece, Phoebe, says these words, he turns to her and asks, “Do you want to come to my podiatrist appointment later?” “Yes, please!” she responds. If you’re considering coaching your son or daughter (or both), and you have the time, go for it. It is sure to bring you closer to them.

12. “You don’t need to be loud. You just need to be commanding.” - Rebecca Welton to Nathan Shelley

Welton is coaching Shelley on how to ask for the best table at his parent’s favorite restaurant. It’s also a good mantra for a coach. Be confident in your decisions and deliver them with a firm but not overbearing message. Don’t give in to parents you know who want you to play their kids more than others or to those who challenge your authority. Instead, refer the latter ones to your league’s commissioner.

13. “I hope that either all of us, or none of us, are judged by the actions of our weakest moments. But rather, by the strength we show when, and if, we’re ever given a second chance.”

Lasso is referring to Shelley, who betrays him on his way up the coaching ladder. As a youth coach, look at this line in terms of the player who talks back to you or storms off the court in frustration in the middle of a game. Let he or she come back to practice the next day after processing what happened and have a chance to apologize to you. If that happens, let your team know everyone makes mistakes and that player is forgiven.

14. “That is the thing about being a parent. Sometimes you lose and sometimes you win, but most of the time you just tie. All we can do is keep playing.” – Dottie Lasso (Becky Ann Baker) to her son, Ted

Every team and experience won’t be perfect, but, in the big picture, being a parent (and a sports parent) is a time you cherish.

15. “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.”

It’s a line Ted uses early in the first season and is paraphrased to him by a rival coach whom he has just defeated in the second to last episode. I go back to that kid on my Little League team who got his first (and biggest) hit in the playoffs. After we were eliminated in the next round, I found myself apologizing to his mother that we didn't get farther. She told me that didn’t matter because the older kids on the team, including my son, were good role models to her son, which made the experience fulfilling for him. I had the same feeling when I chatted with a nearby umpire after his big hit. "This is what it's all about," I thought.

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now loving life as sports parents for a high schooler and middle schooler. For his past columns, click here.

Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a future column? Email him at sborelli@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inspirational ‘Ted Lasso’ quotes for youth sports coaches