An examination of Tom Brady’s legacy from a Birds fan
When I think about Tom Brady, the first thoughts that come to mind are what an amazing quarterback he is and how much it just simply isn’t fair.
But after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl titles, one of the most beloved and hated athletes in sports has called it a career, a moment that truly feels surreal to football fans everywhere.
How is it possible for an athlete to be so polarizing, to be loved as much as he is hated?
Brady managed to pull this paradox off excellently. It’s simple. Football fans either love his team, and therefore love him, or they hate him. If he is on the team that the fan is rooting for, of course they are going to love him. People cannot deny the fact that he is consistent and he pulls off some of the best comebacks.
One example is the Patriots Super Bowl comeback in 2017 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots left the field at halftime down 21-3 but managed to win the championship in the second half with the final score of 34-28.
On the other hand, cheating scandals are all over Brady’s record as well, such as “DeflateGate,” which occurred in 2015. It was discovered that the Patriots illegally deflated footballs for Brady because he preferred the grip of softer footballs. Brady served a four-game suspension because the NFL believed he was fully aware of the deception. Scorned fans of teams that were defeated by Brady while he was using deflated balls were quick to use this scandal to fan the flames of their dislike.
That dislike is no stranger to the Eagles fans of Philadelphia.
Brady is 1-1 versus the Eagles in the Super Bowl. The city of Philadelphia can forever hold onto the fact that Brady’s final Super Bowl loss came against the Eagles when they won their first world championship in 2018, 41-33.
As an Eagles fan who rarely gets to see them shine, seeing Brady succeed so often and making it look so effortless got really old, really fast. While it is hard to watch someone do something so great against your team over and over again, it truly was an honor to be able to have grown up watching him play and to say that I was able to watch one of, if not, the greatest quarterback of all time.
Brady has been a part of the NFL for 22 years, longer than most students here at St. Joe’s have been alive. He has been on TV, in the news and is always doing what he does best: winning. It is going to be strange not seeing him on the field ever again.
The GOAT’s retirement came as a surprise to many, and I don’t think it will resonate until the 2022 season starts. It was out of the blue, but something that the world knew would happen whether we were ready for it or not.
If there is one thing that I hope Tom Brady remembers when he reflects on his career, it is that he lost to a backup quarterback in the second to last Super Bowl he ever played in.
Congratulations to the GOAT. It was an honor to watch you play.
