WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 2, Episode 3, "Do the Right-est Thing," now available on Apple TV+.
Ted Lasso Season 2, Episode 3, "Do the Right-est Thing," sees the AFC Richmond team come together as a unit stronger than ever before. However, the thing that bonds them surprisingly doesn't have anything to do with football. Instead, the team comes together to protest their largest sponsor, Dubai Air. Leading this protest is Sam Obisanya, who has taken a larger role in Ted Lasso's second season.
Early in the episode, Keeley shares with Sam the photos from his ad campaign for Dubai Air as she arranged for him to do some special sponsorship work with them. At first, Sam is really proud of the accomplishment and enjoys the gentle ribbing from his teammates as they tease him for his photos. The divide in the locker room since Jamie Tartt's return is made clear when Jamie tries to join in on the teasing, and it is not taken well by Sam or the other players.
Sam then shares the exciting news with his father. However, the reaction he gets from his dad is not quite what he expected as his father expresses his disappointment in Sam's decision to publicly represent a company owned by Cerithium Oil. Cerithium Oil is responsible for significant environmental destruction in Sam's home country of Nigeria.
Sam decides that he must do what he believes is morally right and asks Keeley and Rebecca to excuse him from the Dubai Air ad campaign. Keeley and Rebecca agree without resistance because they accept his reasons for stepping aside. Still, the sponsors want Rebecca to cut Sam for his protest. Rebecca briefly struggles with this ultimatum, especially since the club is financially struggling as a result of its relegation from the Premier League to the Championship League. However, Rebecca decides to side with Sam and refuses to cut him.
But Sam's decision to stop being a figurehead for Dubai Air doesn't stop with the ad campaign. Prior to the start of their next match, Sam tapes over the Dubai Air name on the front of his football jersey. The other two Nigerian players follow his lead. Sam announces to the team that he doesn't expect the rest of them to participate but stresses the importance of the symbol for Nigerian players.
Jamie stands up and asks for the tape as well, being the first non-Nigerian player to join in the protest. Jamie's relationship with Sam has been hostile and strained to say the least, and a significant barrier in the team's ability to unify. However, Jamie following Sam's lead and showing him the respect he deserves inspires the entire AFC Richmond roster to cover up the Dubai Air logo in protest of Cerithium Oil. On the pitch, the team unveils their censored jersey's to the shock and awe of the world.
Richmond ends up losing the match. At the post-game press conference, Sam explains to the reporters that he is not there to answer questions about football but to talk about the protest, which he deems more important. He goes on to accuse the Nigerian government of corruption and condemns their actions in relation to Cerithium Oil.
Sam returns from the press conference expecting his teammates to be angry with him and accusing him and his protest as the reason for their loss. Instead, he finds them celebrating their broken string of tie games. Jamie also leads the team in a toast to Sam and his leadership. This moment brings Sam and Jamie together, which helps to unite the entire team.
The long-term fallout from Dubai Air may be explored in upcoming Ted Lasso episodes. However, a stronger AFC Richmond could put them on a newfound path of success. Therefore, the protest was significant in what it says about the team's values, and it could help them reach the promotion they've been working toward.
See AFC Richmond's protest in Ted Lasso now streaming on Apple TV+.