The 2024 Olympics in Paris may have hit some early highs in the always-popular gymnastics (including Team USA's viral pommel horse hero) and swimming, but a group of American women made history on the rugby field in a way that makes me wish for a Ted Lasso-esque show about them instead of more football/soccer... and also wish that I knew more about rugby. Congratulations are due to the women's rugby sevens team, whose medal was the first in the event in U.S. history!
How Team USA's Women's Rugby Team Made History
The women of the rugby sevens team took the bronze medal with their win, but a bronze is no less historic for the United States than a silver or gold would have been, and the final minutes of the match are as exciting as anything I've seen from the Olympics. With the clock ticking down and the Australian team ahead 12-6, it came down to an unlikely breakaway by Alex Sedrick to streak down the field and score to tie, followed by a game-winning conversion kick to give Team USA a 14-12 victory.
And I would not have known what any of that meant when I woke up the morning before the decisive bronze medal match, but what's the fun of watching the Olympics if you can't become immediately invested in a sport you're not too familiar with? I'm not the only one who was caught up in the excitement either, as I discovered plenty of others who felt the same on X (formerly known as Twitter). Take a look:
- @beckywtheokhair: "Never have I ever felt more patriotic than watching the US women’s rugby 7s team win their first Olympic medal in HISTORY"
- @MMMMBandit: "I dont know nothin about no Rugby but THIS was the most electric thing ive in the Olympics thus far[.] Shout out to the Women’s US Rugby team on winning their first metal in walk off fashion"
- @OnHerTurf: "TEAM USA WOMEN'S RUGBY SEVENS MEDALS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEAM HISTORY!"
- @yscrugby: "The moment USA Rugby women won the Bronze Medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics! This will be remembered as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history."
- @zachparker_sff: "Women's rugby would take off in America with some initial funding behind it. I'm loving watching this. Could be the best investment in women's sports. Feeds on our football addiction while being different enough to be something new. Someone take a chance!"
Whether you were a rugby expert, rugby newbie, or just a television fan waiting for the usual 2024 TV schedule to start back up again after the Olympics end, it was easy to tell from the uproar of the crowd alone that something game-changing was happening as soon as one of the U.S. women was able to get her hands on ball and make a run for it! In case you missed it – or just want to rewatch it a time or three – check it out below:
THE TRUCK STICK THAT MADE HISTORY. 💥🏉USA women's rugby sevens win their first-ever Olympic medal in a STUNNING FINISH.@USARugby | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/AdJW6inqI9July 30, 2024
Can you even watch that and tell me that your heart isn't at least a little bit warmed? The ending was certainly epic, but I wouldn't say that rugby is similar enough to soccer that just seeing the sport would make me think of Ted Lasso. If anything, to me as somebody without much of any background on rugby, the sport seems much more similar to American football. Here's why I did in fact start thinking about one of the best Apple TV+ TV shows and why I want to see a version of it with women's rugby.
Why A Rugby TV Show Could Be Great A La Ted Lasso
Look, if Ted Lasso proved anything, it's that American audiences are perfectly willing to watch a show nominally about a sport that just isn't that big of a deal in the U.S. I never did learn what qualifies as "offsides" in football/soccer despite Ted coming full circle on that confusing detail by the end of the show, but dang it, it was a heartwarming show of victory and defeat. When they celebrated, I celebrated.
And that's exactly how I felt when I watched the Team USA women's rugby team react first to Alex Sedrick's miraculous final run and then to the conversion. I don't need to know the rulebook front to back to know that I was watching something truly special, and seeing a lesser known sport in the U.S. showcased in a Ted Lasso-esque show would be a joy.
It wouldn't exactly be the A.F.C. Richmond women's team spinoff that felt like was being set up toward the end of Ted Lasso's series finale, but showcasing female athletes in an intense sport? I'd watch that for sure! Plus, why not feature some celebrity cameos like Flavor Flav and Jason Kelce?
If those picks seem weirdly specific, there's a reason! Flavor Flav officially declared himself a fan of rugby in a fun video on X rooting for the women to win the bronze, and Jason Kelce somehow ended up playing catch with a rugby ball while hanging out with the team:
Hey, if Travis Kelce can become an actor while still in an active NFL contract, why not Jason Kelce in his NFL retirement?! To be perfectly sincere, I truly would love to see a TV show akin to Ted Lasso telling the story of a women's rugby team. It wouldn't just be Ted Lasso 2.0 with a setting within the same sport, and enough time has passed since my binge-watch of Jason Sudeikis' series that I'm ready for another emotional ride of a TV show set in the world of sport. I might even learn the rules of rugby for it... with the exception of the rugby version of offsides. I'm too self-aware to commit to that!
In all seriousness, if you want to watch the full women's rugby sevens game between Team USA and Australia, you can find the historic match streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription. As for Ted Lasso, all three seasons are streaming with a subscription to Apple TV+. Olympics coverage will continue on NBC and steam on Peacock until the games come to an end on August 11. Whether the closing ceremony will be anywhere near as controversial as the opening ceremony remains to be seen!
