Affiliation:
1. ISNI: 0000000404917203 University of Freiburg
Abstract
The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso (2020–23) presents a utopian vision of English football, which embodies both the positive and negative connotations inherent to utopian storytelling in entertainment and sports fiction more specifically. Using the example of a Premier League club, Ted Lasso presents an escapist and feel-good narrative, promoting values such as empathy, kindness and community to overcome personal challenges, something that was particularly valuable for many viewers during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, it neglects structural and institutional shortcomings in English football, such as sportswashing, racism and homophobia, while sharing financial interests with the Premier League and thus running the risk of absolving it of some of its shortcomings.
Reference51 articles.
1. Amnesty International UK (2020), ‘Newcastle United deal was always blatant Saudi “Sportswashing”’, press release, 30 July, https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/newcastle-united-deal-was-always-blatant-saudi-sportswashing. Accessed 8 January 2024.
2. Beare, A. H. and Boucaut, R. (2024), ‘Positive masculinity or toxic positivity?: Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso as a capitalist utopia’, Critical Studies in Television, online first, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17496020241228162.
3. Sports coaching on film;Sports Coaching Review,2016
4. Bend it like FIFA: Corruption on and off the pitch;Managerial Finance,2015