Ted Lasso's Roy Kent asks, 'Why the f--- is it called Hoosiers?'

In the opening episode of season 3 of "Ted Lasso," now streaming on Apple+, the Indiana-made film "Hoosiers" got a shoutout.

Presumably on the advice of one of his American coaches, AFC Richmond football player Roy Kent says he finally watched the film. His review: He liked it. He thought Gene Hackman and "the drunk geezer" were good, and enjoyed the "stuff with the team." But just like the rest of the world, he doesn't know what a Hoosier is.

"I did have one question," he asks Coach Beard around the 10 minute mark in episode 1. "Why the f--- is it called Hoosiers?"

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The easy answer is that a "Hoosier" is a person from Indiana and the mascot of Indiana University. The word itself is much more complicated.

This year, an Indiana legislator wanted to solidify its meaning by passing a law recognizing its official namesake as Harry Hoosier, a Methodist minister born into slavery in the 1700s. But House Bill 1143 did not receive a hearing in the 2023 session of the Indiana General Assembly.

Here's a look at a display at the Indiana State Museum listing some of the possibilities:

About 'Hoosiers'

The 1986 film starring Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper and Barbara Hershey, was filmed in Indiana. Its writer, Angelo Pizzo, and director, David Anspaugh, both are from Bloomington. It tells the story of a coach with a complicated history leading a basketball team from a small town to the championship.

Others are reading:An Indiana high school basketball story about family, 3-pointers, underdogs and 'Hoosiers'

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 'Why the f is it called Hoosiers?' Ted Lasso's Roy Kent wants to know