Can the best player in the history of the NFL be an excellent television analyst at the same time? This transition, from athlete to commentator, common in any sport and in any country, will be judged with special attention in the case of Tom Brady, the quarterback of the seven championship rings. Not only because of who he is, a legend in capital letters of North American sports, but because of the size of the contract that the network Fox Sports He has placed it on his table. A fabulous amount, 375 million dollars for 10 years, which makes him the highest paid commentator in the history of television in the US.
To put it in perspective, if it were his playing contract, he would be the second highest paid in the league, behind only Patrick Mahomes. In fact, this figure of 375 million exceeds his earnings from his entire career as a quarterback (just over 300 million in 23 seasons). So as not to feel pressure when he enters the Fox Sports booth, which will happen for the first time on September 8 in the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
Brady, 46, has been retired for a year after one last gig in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. More or less he has been busy shooting commercials, investing in sports (he is a shareholder in Las Vegas Raiders American football and Birmingham City FC in England) and sharing custody of their two children with Gisele Bundchen. But he has also been preparing for some time for the challenge of living up to his myth and his new contract.
He has regularly attended the Fox studios in Los Angeles to practice what will be his task, supporting with technical or color commentary the broadcast of what happens on the field in the best NFL game of the week. Next to him will sit an experienced American football narrator, Kevin Burkhardtwho has a good reputation for giving play and improving the analysts who accompany him.
speech on the radio
Until now Burkhardt was in tandem with Greg Olsen, a former Carolina Panthers player who had won over audiences with his energetic style and behind-the-scenes knowledge. When it became known that Brady was removing Olsen, a good number of criticisms and complaints were heard and read. A noise that has contributed to increasing expectations about Brady, who spoke extensively yesterday for the first time about his new job on a radio program. He did not hide his doubts and fears.
“The game is the show and I will be there to give my opinion and analysis about it, but I also ask myself: do I feel like I am adding to the broadcast? I am going to work as hard as I can in the process to make sure I deliver, because I don’t want to disappoint to anyone,” said Brady, who has always had a gift for the gab.
Demand to the maximum
The former quarterback, who a week ago was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame for the six Super Bowls he led them to win – the seventh was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – assured that no one is more demanding of himself than he is. . “When I was a player, I never felt like I did things the right way. There were games where I was like, ‘God, I’m the worst quarterback in the NFL.’ I’m sure I’ll feel that way on Fox as soon as a broadcast ends. “I’ll say, ‘God, I didn’t even give them what they wanted. It’s very twisted in my mind. I don’t want to disappoint the people at Fox and the big NFL fans,'” he reiterated.
At the Patriots ceremony he made his mentality clear: “To be successful at anything, the truth is that you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people are not: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.” A transversal teaching.
Last Sunday, Brady experienced a taste of what awaits him when he appeared for a moment in the Fox booth from which the final of the United Football League (UFL), a minor professional league, was narrated. He showed the same poise as on the field, but it was like throwing a pass and leaving the field. In September he will play the entire game, three hours with the microphone in his hand. Millions of fans of the most popular sport in the US will listen to him with great attention.
2024-06-20 10:07:55
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