Why a university professor turned the TV show Ted Lasso into a course

The Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso tells the story of an American football coach who moves to England to work with a Premier League soccer team. 

Lori Dithurbide, an associate professor of kinesiology at Dalhousie University's school of health and human performance, is an admirer of the show who is taking her love of it a step further.

She is using the show as the basis for a new course she is offering at Dalhousie next year.

She told CBC Radio's Information Morning Nova Scotia host Portia Clark the course draws on the show's themes to offer a unique spin on coaching and leadership.

Their conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: You're a fan of Ted Lasso. What inspired you to turn it into a course?

I am definitely a fan. I think like most of us who've watched the show, we started during the pandemic and I just had a conversation with a good friend and colleague of mine when we were discussing the show and how much we loved it. She suggested I should design a course about it. And that idea percolated for a little bit, but eventually led to actually taking it seriously and moving it forward.

Q: What is it about the show and Ted Lasso's character that lends itself to a course that focuses on coaching and leadership?

One of the things I enjoy most about the show is that it just brings about a lot of conversations on different topics, not just leadership, but some social justice topics as well and areas in sport psychology, which is kind of where my expertise lies, and sociology. I think using that as an example or platform to discuss and learn more of the theory and philosophies behind these topics can make it kind of attractive to students.

Q: How do you turn that into a course? Can you describe what it will look like or how you'll teach through the course?

Essentially we'll be asking students to follow along with the series, and just using the examples in the show and not real life because it's not real life, it's a TV show. But using that as an example to really dive deeper into topics like leadership styles, coaching philosophies, the impact of mental health. The mental health is also a theme that's in the show. So really diving deep into those topics and the academic literature behind it and the theories. But also encouraging critical thinking skills and self-awareness.

Q: Are you at all worried that some might see this as gimmicky?

Once the requirements and assessments and everything are laid out, I think maybe that thought might subside a little bit. It is kind of an innovative way to have students engage in these types of topics. So I'm really hoping that that encourages students to want to participate and think a little bit outside the box.

It is meant for senior-level students. So in addition to following along and watching, there'll be some reading of some research studies and some chapters and in learning about the theories and the philosophy and a lot of critical thinking and some essays.

Q: The show also explores mental health issues. Coach Lasso, for example, has anxiety. How is the approach of kindness that we see Coach Lasso bring to his players different from what might be the norm in sports?

The show really portrays a perspective that you don't necessarily have to be tough and too direct. And Coach Lasso really takes this approach of human first and kindness. And forgiveness is also a really big theme in the show. So I think he demonstrates through the show that you can still hold people accountable and have high expectations of people around you doing it in a kind way.

And what that results in can still be really good performance, but also a very good team culture. So I think some of those themes would be pretty relevant to anybody who has participated in sports or has followed any kind of sport in the news lately.

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