Once upon a time a man named Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”

He was writing to a community preoccupied with intellectual superiority, technical correctness, and asserting their “right to be litigatory and supercilious.”

So what does that have to do with Ted Lasso?

Perhaps nothing, but let’s think about it for a moment…

When Ted arrives at AFC Richmond, he lacks the basic tactical knowledge of English football. He doesn’t know what offside means, he doesn’t understand the league standings, and he lacks the technical “knowledge” that soccer professionals and pundits demand.

And yet, Ted understands that coaching isn’t primarily about tactical mastery, but rather it is about building people up. Where intellectual pride divides and inflates the ego, love creates genuine community. Ted’s focus isn’t on proving how smart he is; it’s on loving his players, supporting his staff, and investing in their growth as human beings.

Moreover, both Paul and Ted were keen on navigating a culture rife with idolatry and toxic practices. Today, our modern arena of “idolatry” is MEDIA (social, mainstream, etc.). And just like the ancient system of idolatry, the media matrix thrives on fear, partial truths, toxicity, dysfunction, offense, outrage, and cynical drama to bait clicks and sell headlines.

Instead of attacking or retreating from these toxic environments, Paul and Ted engage it with sensitivity and appropriate accommodation…

• Accommodation without Compromise: When skeptical journalist Trent Crimm (The Independent) set out to write a hit piece, Ted didn’t respond with defensive anger or intellectual posturing. He met Trent on his own turf, spent a day with him, and took him out to dinner.
• Loving the Cynic: Ted understood Trent’s idolatrous world without adopting its cynicism. He treated Trent not as an adversary in a media machine, but as a person worthy of respect and grace.

Knowledge can win an argument, but only love can transform someone’s heart. Ted’s efusal to get “puffed up” eventually broke through Trent’s intellectual defenses. By experiencing Ted’s authentic care, Trent was moved closer to true maturity. He ultimately walked away from the toxic, sensationalist media world to pursue a deeper, more honest kind of storytelling …”writing a book about AFC Richmond’s transformation rather than feeding the offense and outrage cycle.”

True impact happens when we drop the need to be “puffed up” with knowledge and choose the better (but admittedly more difficult) work of building others up in love.