Jason Sudeikis Brought Ted Lasso Energy To The 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament

March Madness is turning into a Ted Lasso crossover event. The late rounds of the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament have featured multiple appearances by Jason Sudeikis, the actor famous for playing TV’s favorite football coach-turned-football coach. He’s been supporting the Iowa Hawkeyes with an enthusiasm that would do Ted and AFC Richmond proud.

(Wo)Man City

The women’s tournament is drawing record numbers of eyeballs, and celebrities like Sudeikis haven’t been able to resist the fun. He showed up to support Iowa as they battled against the LSU Tigers in the Elite Eight on April 1 in Albany, New York. It was a rematch of last year’s championship game, and this time, Iowa emerged the victor. Sudeikis not only cheered for the Hawkeyes throughout the game, but he also got to join their on-court celebration after the final buzzer.

Four days later, Sudeikis was at it again for the Final Four. He traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to see Iowa take on the UConn Huskies on April 5. Once again, his chosen team earned a spot in the finals; they edged out UConn 71-69, led by star Caitlin Clark’s 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

Sudeikis raved about Clark on TV mid-game. Appearing on The Bird & Taurasi Show, hosted by former and current WNBA players Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, he said, “If people drove the way Caitlin Clark played basketball, there would be no traffic.”

Joining The Hype

Clark and the Hawkeyes have had a buzzy season, so Sudeikis didn’t wait until March Madness to catch one of their games. He and Bird sat courtside when Iowa played the Bowling Green Falcons on Dec. 2 in Iowa City, Iowa. Later, in Cleveland, he told her and Taurasi it was his first time watching the women’s Final Four.

“Along with, what, millions of other people, you know? But in a gorgeous way,” he added, alluding to college women’s basketball’s popularity boom in recent years.

Sudeikis generally enjoys sports, and he noted to Bird and Taurasi that he’s “a person that loves watching people be great at stuff.” Unfortunately, his work schedule doesn’t lend itself to regularly keeping up with teams like a true diehard would. “If I’m being honest, I think I would fall under a fair weather sports fan, just because of work … and just having a hectic, you know, wonky schedule,” he told The Rush in December 2021.

Basketball X Ted Lasso

The sight of Sudeikis at the Final Four — either in the stands, on TV, or at Cleveland hotspots like the The Metropolitan at The 9 hotel — inspired some fans to imagine Ted Lasso spinoff or reboot possibilities. “How about Ted Lasso as a women’s basketball coach? I’d watch it,” one person tweeted. Meanwhile, another joked that he was “watching [Iowa guard] Kate Martin like he’s gathering content for a new women’s basketball hit comedy series.”

Look for Sudeikis during the women’s national championship game on April 7 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.