Suck It, Ted Lasso: The Denver Broncos Will Outlast Your Show

Hey, Ted Lasso…while it’s true that the Denver Broncos have had a few tough seasons (maybe more than a few over the years), it’s uncool for you to kick a team while they’re down. And you did it so casually, too, in your recent episode that mocked the Broncos as a “garbage-ass” organization as part of a larger plot twist regarding a gay athlete. Keep in mind, Mr. Lasso, that teams sometimes go through dry spells. (Come to think of it, we hear your show is a little off this third season, too.)

But making fun of something is a lot like riding a horse: If you’re comfortable doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.

Still, Broncos faithful — a group of which Ted Lasso creator and star Jason Sudekis is apparently not a part (both he and the fictitious Lasso are from Kansas) — have nothing to fear from occasional mentions and references on TV. It usually goes pretty well for Denver, as a matter of fact.

Want some examples? Well, Mr. AppleTV+, here’s a squad of seven for you to enjoy:

Robin Williams Appears as a Broncos Cheerleader, November 1979
Sure, it was a stunt. It was 1979, and Robin Williams was just becoming known to America as Mork from Ork. Still, chances are pretty good that there were a lot of kids watching the Broncos-Patriots game (which Denver won, by the way) who had to explain to their grandpa exactly what in the hell was going on.
Lyle Alzado on The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Dynamite, May 1981
Defensive end Lyle Alzado — one among the vaunted Orange Crush 3-4 defense of the late 1970s, alongside such greats as Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson — was the first Denver Bronco to make the successful move into acting. The above clip from the 1981 TV movie The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Dynamite was one of his first acting roles — in an odd little fantasy-adventure about a time-stopping watch that was actually a sequel to an earlier TV movie about a time-stopping watch, if you can believe it. Ol' number 77 went on to better performances, though, before he was laid low by brain cancer.

Homer Owns the Denver Broncos on The Simpsons, November 1996
Okay, this joke is pretty much the same one as Ted Lasso's, but because Homer is played as a clueless doofus most of the time, it just doesn't have the same sting. We're with Marge here — and considering the huge win-streak the Broncos were just about to commence, we'd like to offer Homer a Nelson Muntz-style "HA-ha!"


The Denver Broncos Are Revealed as Cartman's Dad on South Park, February 1998
Sure, it's a raunchy sort of joke — but that's the stock in trade of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. And since they're Colorado natives, it's sort of an inside joke that we're all in on. Now, if Jason Sudekis made this joke...whole other matter.

Terrell Davis on Sesame Street, December 1998
It was an excellent time to be a Broncos fan, that halcyon year between the Januarys of 1998 and 1999, nestled smack in the middle of back-to-back Super Bowl wins. And an excellent time for the classic kids' TV show Sesame Street to invite running back Terrell Davis to perform with the Muppety cast. Sort of feels like a concussion test these days, but back then — just charming children's entertainment.

Peyton Manning on TV Commercials, 2000s-present
Peyton might have been a Colt first and longest, but with his win in Super Bowl 50, he'll likely be remembered just as much as a Denver Bronco. His skill in the pocket wasn't his only strength on the field — or off, for that matter. The guy has excellent comedic timing, as he showed not only in his extensive advertising work, but also in his appearances on shows like Saturday Night Live.
Jason Sudekis as Jesus Visiting Tim Tebow and the Broncos on SNL, 2011
And speaking of Saturday Night Live...a dozen years ago Sudekis took another shot at Denver's team, suggesting that Jesus was not only responsible for helping the Broncos on what was then a six-game win streak, but was also getting sort of tired of it. "You gotta meet me halfway out there," says Sudekis's Jesus. "I mean, let's face it: it's not good if...every week, I, the Son of God, have to come in, drop everything, and bail out the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter." He finishes the sketch by adding that he won't be available for the next game — which in real terms was the very next day against the New England Patriots. That was a game Denver lost, snapping their streak.

So thanks, Jason Sudekis. Thanks a lot. Now go pick on another NFL team.