How ‘Ted Lasso’ Honored Journalist Who Died at World Cup

“This episode means so much to me and my family,” the late journalist’s widow wrote on Twitter after the episode aired.

Leave it to Ted Lasso to offer viewers yet another casually tear-jerking moment.

This week’s episode titled “Big Week,” concluded with a title card dedicated to sports journalist Grant Wahl, who died at age 49 from an aortic aneurysm in December. Wahl’s book The Beckham Experiment, about David Beckham’s move from European leagues to playing for the L.A. Galaxy, also appears in a scene. Although, the Easter egg was filmed before his passing.

Ted Lasso’s co-creator Hunt, who also plays Coach Beard on the show, told The Hollywood Reporter that Wahl was a fan of the series and worked as a consultant on the show. Specifically, he helped with a storyline, in which Trent Crimm (James Lance) writes a book about the show’s fictional football team AFC Richmond and the addition of superstar athlete Zava (Maximilian Osinski).

“When we knew we were going to have the storyline of Trent embedded with the team, we thought about reporters who’ve done that,” Hunt told the publication. “John Feinstein came to mind [for his book A Season on the Brink, about Indiana University’s basketball program], and Grant as well, specifically, because Grant’s book is about football but also about the arrival of a superstar and the change of a culture with David Beckham. We went to him right away.”

Wahl’s widow, Dr. Céline Gounder, also confirmed her late husband’s connection to the season in a Twitter thread, applauding the emotional episode. “This episode means so much to me and my family,” she wrote. “I can’t think of a better way to honor Grant…. with an episode about love and love of the beautiful game.”

Hunt said he and Wahl spent more time together this past October when the journalist covered a match between England and the U.S’s women’s soccer teams. Wahl was also close friends with Ted Lasso’s star and other co-creator Jason Sudeikis. Both Hunt and Sudekis were guests on Wahl’s podcast Fútbol with Grant Wahl in 2020.

Hunt added about Wahl’s contributions to the show, “In what I now know to be his typical generosity with his time, he wrote very long, very detailed, very valuable answers to all our questions. He was hugely helpful.”

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Kyndall Cunningham

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