The best of the best: Tom Brady

Chris Dailey

Founder, The Sports Court

Via AP/Lynne Sladky

When you hear the words, ‘Tom Brady’, what comes to mind?

Is it the 7 Super Bowl wins, the TB12 diet, or is it his relentless work ethic.

Throughout his 21 years as a professional athlete, Tom Brady has cemented himself not just as the greatest football player to ever play the game, but the greatest sports-person of all-time.

He’s certainly not the greatest athlete. In fact, he’s the antithesis. Coming into the NFL, Brady’s scout report said he was "skinny, has a poor build, lacks great physical stature and strength, lacks mobility, lacks a really strong arm, can’t drive the ball downfield, does not throw a really tight spiral, system-type player, and gets knocked down easily’.

Now fast forward to the date of February 7, 2021, and Tom Brady appeared in his 10th Super Bowl, his first with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Going to Tampa, Brady entered having the highest winning percentage of all athletes within the four major sports. The Buccaneers on the other hand had the lowest winning percentage of all teams within the four major sports.

Brady, the winningest athlete of all-time, a man who only knows how to win, decided to go to Florida. Not to retire, not to play golf, but to win, with a team that only knows how to lose.

After starting the season 7-5, the last game being a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bucs had a bye and never looked back. Brady and Tampa went 8-0 from that point on, with the last game being a win against the Kansas City Chiefs, in the Super Bowl.

Brady won on the 7th to win his 7th, that has a real nice ring to it.

During Super Bowl 55, Tom Brady cemented his place not just in football history, after all, most people already considered him the greatest of all time. Tom Brady cemented his place as the greatest sports-person to ever play any game. Soccer, tennis, golf, Brady is no longer just at the top of the mountain, he is the mountain. 

With his 7th championship win and first one with the Bucs, the same team with the lowest winning percentage in all four major sports, Tom Brady has surpassed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and every other professional sporting player of all time. Brady is top of the list, the king of the hill, the GOAT of the GOATs.

No athlete touches the position Brady is at. Nobody, ever, has done so much, for so long, quite like Tom Brady.

The 43-year-old ages backward, every year he gets better and better. They call him 'fine wine Tom' for a reason.

Some athletes such as Jordan may have a bigger brand. Some athletes such as Ronaldo may have a better physique. But no athlete has had 3 different hall of fame careers. No athlete has done it for so long and won time after time again.

Except Tom Brady.

The same Tom Brady that lacked a real strong arm, a proper build, and the ability to get back up after being knocked down.

Tom Brady may not run the quickest 40 time, or have a rock solid six pack, but he wins, even at 43 with a new team, Brady still comes out on top.

From coming back from a 28-3 deficit in 2017 to beating one of the most explosive teams of all-time in the current day Chiefs, Tom Brady is further proof that history repeats itself.

Born in California, made in Michigan, became a legend in New England, became a GOAT in Tampa. Brady has seen a lot of residences, but one residence remains the same, and that’s at the top of the mountain.

Not too shabby for a kid who was the backup QB on his high school's freshman team that went 0-8 28 years ago.