Jason Sudeikis Responds After ‘Ted Lasso’ Teases Charles Barkley’s Golfing Abilities

The Season 2 premiere of Ted Lasso was released on Apple TV+ this week, and one of the things that stood out was the title character making fun of Charles Barkley‘s golf swing. Entertainment reporter Tara Hitchcock recently spoke to Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso in the series, and he revealed why he took a shot at the NBA legend.

“We did a piece on that when he hosted SNL, which we’re fortunate to have him do it a couple of times in my tenure there, Sudeikis said. “I think part of his charm is accountability. He does not know yet. I’m now realizing maybe I should let people know, or just let him delight and surprise of wondering why people are texting him. I don’t know if he’s watched the show yet, but what a good way to get him to watch the show. It’s not him; it’s his golf swing.”

Barkley recently talked about his golf swing to PopCulture.com, and he said he’s looking to improve his golf game overall. “I don’t know if I can give an exact grade because I am always wanting to improve both my golf swing and my golf game,” Barkley told PopCulture.com. “I have done this throughout my career – basketball, commentating — if you aren’t always looking to get better and improve, then what’s the point?”

Golf pro Max Homa also talked to PopCulture.com about Barkley’s swing and said it’s not as terrible as people make it out to be. “It’s not that bad,” Homa said. “We see a lot of different golf swings during the Wednesday Pro-Ams that we play every week and it’s not the worst I’ve seen. He just gets a lot of grief for it, but I give him credit for putting himself out there.”

The first episode of Ted Lasso not only makes fun of Barkle,y but the episode features the death of AFC Richmond’s mascot Earl. Additionally, viewers were introduced to new character Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, played by Sarah Niles. Sharon is a sports psychologist who comes in to help the players and staff members deal with emotional issues.