Ted Lasso: What does the 'Believe' sign mean? Details explored

Ted Lasso has aced it when it comes to matters related to heart, humor, and healing. It's also a show that's disguised in the most unassuming of forms. It's about an American football coach trying to lead a British soccer team.

But behind the jokes, the show gets deep into some of the most real and raw aspects of life. It touches upon themes like mental health, masculinity, forgiveness, purpose, and connection.

Ted, with all his dad jokes, doesn't just believe in optimism for optimism’s sake. He believes in doing the hard work of choosing hope. Even when everything around him tells him not to. He’s a man carrying his own share of grief. For him, kindness is his shield, and vulnerability, his strength.

And in the middle of all that is that sign that's handwritten. "Believe", it says. It may look simple, even probably cheesy at first. But it’s one of the most powerful and recurring symbols in Ted Lasso.

The sign makes us realize through the show that it’s never just about believing in winning. It’s about believing in each other and in the process, and sometimes, even in yourself when everything feels broken.

Let’s get into it a bit more.

Ted Lasso: The ‘Believe’ sign was never just a sign

Ted first stepped into Nelson Road Stadium and before anything else, the very first thing he did was hang up that “Believe” sign. It was slightly crooked but that was never the point. It was about purpose.

That sign was a visual manifesto for Ted in Ted Lasso. It was his way of planting a seed of faith in a team that didn’t yet believe in itself, in each other, or in him. And no matter how many setbacks came their way, Ted’s own belief never shook. And he wanted his team to carry that same fire. To believe even when they were losing. In fact, especially then.

The sign started out as a motivational tool for the players. It was a reminder to push harder on the field, to play with heart, and to bring out their best selves. But over time, it became so much more. It wasn’t just for the players anymore. It began to touch the lives of anyone who walked through the AFC Richmond locker room.

That simple yellow piece of paper in Ted Lasso taught us to hold on when things fall apart. It reminded everyone, including the viewers, that the real win is about the mindset.

There were moments when the sign failed to inspire. Ted’s optimism started to feel like too much, like maybe it wasn’t enough to just “believe.” Everyone started questioning his ways. But eventually, they came to see the truth. That belief isn’t just a word taped to a wall. It's a decision you make over and over again. Even when everything feels stacked against you.

Ted’s emotional intelligence and his way of connecting through honesty and heart eventually rubbed off on everyone in Ted Lasso. He once told Jamie Tartt:

"If you just figure out some way to turn that 'me' into 'us,' the sky's the limit for you."

And even the moment in Ted Lasso when Nate rips the Believe sign off the wall, Ted doesn’t point fingers or shame him. He just tapes it back together without saying a word to anyone.

Later, when the team discovers what Nate did, they’re furious. They start playing dirty and lose. That’s when Ted tears the sign himself and reminds them all that it’s just a sign. The belief they needed wasn’t on that wall. It was inside them all along.

That moment is one of the best in Ted Lasso, because later, we find out the players had kept pieces of the original sign with them as good luck, as hope, as something worth holding onto. That’s how powerful the sign was. It was important because of what it stood for.

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