MARYBETH BAGGETT is Professor of English at Houston Christian University. She is co-author of Telling Tales: Intimations of the Sacred in Popular Culture and The Morals of the Story: Good News about a Good God, which won Christianity Today's 2019 Award of Merit for Apologetics and Evangelism.
 
DAVID BAGGETT is Professor of Philosophy at Houston Christian University and Director of the Center for the Foundations of Ethics. He's the author or editor of fifteen books, including a tetralogy on the moral argument for God's existence.

A Taste of Athens ix
 
Part I Do the Right-est Thing 1
 
1 On the Pitch with Saint Augustine 3
Sean Strehlow
 
2 Isaac Finds His Flow 13
Elizabeth Schiltz
 
3 Ted Talk, Precursive Faith, and the Ethics of Belief 24
David Baggett
 
4 Is Ted an Egoist? 35
Robert Begley and Carrie-Ann Biondi
 
Part II The Best Versions of Ourselves 45
 
5 Fear's a Lot Like Underwear 47
Corey Latta
 
6 Lassoing Aristotle 56
Joseph Forte
 
7 Ted Lasso's Personal Dilemma Squad 66
R. Keith Loftin
 
8 The Affable Gaffer 76
Andy Wible
 
Part III Man City 85
 
9 Poop in the Punchbowl 87
Caleb McGee Husmann and Elizabeth Kusko
 
10 Doing Masculinity Better 96
Marcus Arvan
 
11 Inverting the Gender Pyramid 105
Willie Young
 
12 Who Is Right, Ted or Beard? 116
Michael W. Austin
 
Part IV Mostly Football Is Life 125
 
13 Amplifying Emotion and Warmth at Richmond 127
Lance Belluomini
 
14 Is This Indeed All a Simulation? 140
Andrew Zimmerman Jones
 
15 Kansas City Candide Meets Compassionate Camus 150
Kimberly Blessing
 
16 Ted's Chestertonian Optimism 162
Austin M. Freeman
 
Part V Smells Like Potential 171
 
17 What To Do with Tough Cookies 173
David Baggett and Marybeth Baggett
 
18 Stoic Bossgirl 182
Elizabeth Quinn
 
19 Why a Headbutt Might Have Hurt Nate Less 192
Georgina Mills
 
20 Is Rupert Beyond Redemption? 201
Marybeth Baggett
 
Beard's Bookshelf 212
Marybeth Baggett
 
Starting Lineup 217
 
Index 222

An accessible and engaging journey through the philosophical themes and concepts of Ted Lasso
 
Ted Lasso and Philosophy explores the hidden depths beneath the vibrant veneer of AppleTV's breakout, award-winning sitcom. Blending philosophical sophistication with winsome appreciation of this feel-good comedy, the collection features 20 original essays canvassing the breadth of the series and carefully considering the ideas it presents, including the goal of competition, the role of mental health, sportsmanship, revenge versus justice, the importance of friendship, the imperative of respect for persons, humility, leadership, identity, character growth, courage, journalistic ethics, belief, forgiveness, what love looks like, and just how evil tea is. In a nod to the show's many literary allusions, the compilation concludes with a whimsical appendix that catalogs the books most significant to Ted Lasso's themes and characters. If football is life, as Dani Rojas fondly repeats, then this book's a fitting primer.
* Covers the full breadth of the original Ted Lasso series, including the third season
* Explores every major character and all of the show's significant subplots and elements
* Written in the spirit of the show, with in-jokes that will appeal to Ted Lasso fans
* Features an introduction that guides readers through the book's materials
* Includes Beard's Bookshelf, a bibliography of the most significant books shown or alluded to in the series
 
Ted Lasso and Philosophy is for the curious, not judgmental. Sport is quite the metaphor, and we can't wait to unpack it with you.