Leer en Español
Tom Brady is a global sporting legend. It is not for nothing that he earned the nickname of GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) and the admiration of the entire sports world.
Brady is the quarterback with the most Super Bowl rings on his record -he alone surpasses any franchise in the National Football League- and is the only one in his position to have more than 200 victories in the NFL. In addition, he has been selected 5 times as Super Bowl MVP and 3 times as NFL MVP. An abuse.
His records are impressive. In this postseason he threw for more than 1,000 yards (1,061 to be exact), taking more than 200 from good old Patrick Mahomes, who suffered in the Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive lock -and his own receivers, who were just as dumbfounded as Mahomes before the Buccaneers’ defense- and had to watch, in the front row, the great exhibitions of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in the rival offense.
If you count the regular season, Tom Brady – at 43 years old! – threw 4,633 yards and 40 touchdown passes, completing the second-best mark of his career. Only Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson could surpass him with 4,740 and 4,823 yards respectively. But when it came down to it, Brady was, once again, The GOAT.
Tom Brady, more than a quarterback
But Tom Brady is more than a sports legend, the quarterback represents the fundamental values of American society.
In an article for El American, our columnist Gerardo Garibay writes: “With his victory, achieved through the sum of talent and teamwork, backed by a solid infrastructure and the support of his family, Tom Brady exemplified in Super Bowl LV the pillars of vocation, which have made America exceptional in the world. Despite the turbulence and hopelessness of the current times, that strength remains alive in millions of Americans who, like Tom Brady, have the talent, the team, the infrastructure and the community to continue to amaze and transform the world, one victory at a time.” And he’s absolutely right.
Brady is, by all means, a reference for Americans. For his talent, professionalism, and now also mystique. Because it is not only a feat to win 7 Super Bowl rings, but also how he did it. At 43 years of age, in an institution that had not reached the Playoffs since 2007 and had not won the championship since 2002. His presence completely changed the dynamic of the Buccaneers, his competitive character – on par with the greatest athletes of all time – provided what was necessary for a franchise to become a winner.
He didn’t do it alone, of course. Behind every GOAT, there is always a great team, an extraordinary partner and a formidable coach, strategist or manager. Messi with Pep’s Barcelona; Jordan with the Bulls; Cristiano with Madrid; Brady with his teams.
In fact, Brady has transcended the sport itself. His influence even extends to politics, and that only adds to his legendary status.
In an era dominated by the progressive woke culture, not being in tune with the fashions promoted by the American left -with absolutely totalitarian practices- makes you an easy target for the notorious cancellation culture.
The polarization in which American society is immersed is noticeable when a significant part of the population cannot enjoy a historic athlete like Brady.
A few days before Brady won the Super Bowl, USA Today published a column criticizing him and explaining that he could not comment publicly on politics because of his “white privilege” status.
Brady was singled out in the article for his alleged support of former President Donald Trump, in yet another example of how the cancel culture has gained ground in American society.
The piece, besides being ridiculous, is hypocritical, because the author forgets to mention examples of other sports legends who have supported Trump: Mariano Rivera, Myke Tyson, Tiger Woods; and so many others. Why is Brady criticized and not the others? Because he is white and privileged? Well, he is not only that, he is also talented, a winner and a guy who represents, on the field, the best of American society.
Brady has been criticized from the media, even movie actors, like Captain America, (Chris Evans), said he was willing to cut ties with the quarterback.
The arguments? Laughable. Brady is accused of being an Anglo-Saxon and, therefore, not creating controversy for his political positions as “a black athlete” would. All of this is factually false, in fact, quite the opposite. Athletes who do not kneel in support of the Black Lives Matter social-political movement are criticized. On the other hand, the talented white athlete who supports Trump is tried to be written off from the press and the woke culture.
Racial justice? Only when it’s convenient.
But the pyrrhic efforts to write off the greatest quarterback of all time were in vain. Tom Brady’s success and athletic legacy is so immense that not even his staunchest detractors could cancel him; his legend will still be intact the day he decides to retire.
Even his political detractors have to measure their criticism, for they know Brady is the kind of person Americans admire and need.
“The GOAT’s a Hog. Still, I Want Tom Brady to Win,” is the headline of a column in the New York Times. And the lead-in is more than blunt: “In the Super Bowl, Americans need a superheroic show of strength.”
And so ends the debate and the controversy. As much as they want to cancel or sully Tom Brady’s image, it’s futile.
Brady is not only an American sports legend who won his seventh Super Bowl ring, but he also silenced his leftist detractors who tried to cancel it and failed in the attempt.
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
Contacto: [email protected]