Ted Lasso Season 2 Doubles Down on its Latin Motto.
Honestly. I feel like Ted Lasso (the show) is mocking me. Last year, I wrote a moderately successful (as Latin-focused pop culture articles go) piece about the Latin motto of Ted Lasso’s fictional AFC Richmond. At close to 10,000 views (again, Latin-focused pop culture), it seemed onto something about the relative ubiquity of the then unexplained dubious Latin of the motto.
(The Ted Lasso Twitter feed, one month after my piece appeared on Medium, published an amusing thread that explains the origin of both the motto and its non-sensical Latin. I’m not saying they wrote and published the thread because of my piece. But I’m not saying they didn’t either. Ted? Rebecca? Higgins? Want to weigh in here?)
This past Friday, the first episode of season 2 was released. And the marketing and facilities crew at AFC Richmond have been spreading the Latin. Richmond’s motto, Gradarius Firmus Victoria, not only shows up in more places in season 2 but, arguably, more random, or perhaps randomly deliberate, places than in season 1 (such that, if I’m being honest, I feel like the show is planting Latin Easter Eggs just for me; really; I’m pretty sure they are).
The motto remains where it was: the press room and the locker room, among others. (And I did confirm that the motto appeared in both places in season 1. The locker room especially , above the window into Ted’s office, was the one I wasn’t sure about.)
But, apparently, the facilities crew of AFC Richmond got a memo to add the motto to Ted’s office above the doorway, where it is now prominently displayed. Compare the two images below, the first from season 1, episode 8 no less (no motto above the door), the second from season 2 (motto above the door).
Marketing has been hard at work as well. In the monument to Earl (I’ll leave it at that; no spoilers), the motto appears in its perhaps most Easter Egg-ish, at least in terms of being obvious. Can you find it? We’ll play a little Where’s Waldo with the motto below (it’s not all that hard to find). But I’d love to be at the production meeting where the monument below was laid out and someone said that an AFC Richmond pennant, with the Latin motto above the crest no less, should be included.
It is worth pointing out too that such pennants, those that are exchanged between teams before kickoff as a sign of mutual respect, do not traditionally include a motto, Latin or otherwise, that does not appear on the crest itself.
But I have saved the best for last. Honestly, when I saw this one, I couldn’t believe it. So non-sensical. So illogical. So in your face. Have you ever Googled Latin motto on trash can just to make sure you’re not crazy? Well, I did. Because why would it occur to anyone to put their organization’s Latin motto on their trash (or maybe recycling) bins? Apparently, at least according to Google, it’s occurred to no one. (Note that I searched for both ‘Latin phrase’ and ‘Latin motto’.)
It’s occurred to no one, at least, except AFC Richmond. That’s right. Richmond’s nonsensical Latin motto appears even on its trash bins, which are on full display in one of the opening scenes of the season premier.
So, AFC Richmond and your increasingly visible Latin motto. I’m in. Game on. Do your worst / best. Hide your Latin motto. Don’t hide your Latin motto. Put it wherever you want. I’ll find it. And I’ll publicize it.
(And the offer from the first piece still applies: happy to sport an AFC Richmond kit, XL top, L bottom, in exchange for some Latin consultation. Or just some Latin publicity.)
You can mock me all you want, Ted Lasso (the show), but, in the end, Gradarius Firmus Victoria.
