Long Live Brady

GAINSVILLE, VA – On February 1, 2023, Mr. Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr., better known as Tom Brady, announced his retirement, for the second time, after playing 23 years in the NFL. At Cultura Sports we believe that sports are a powerful way to unite people of all nationalities, backgrounds, and cultures. This column is an example of that philosophy... a kid born and raised in the middle of the Caribbean who grew up, matured, and became a huge fan of the New England Patriots and the only Tom Brady.

Although it is a U.S. territory, the NFL in Puerto Rico is not as popular. The Boricua prefers to be part of baseball, basketball,or boxing before American football. When you live on a tropical island with year-round summer weather, you spend your Sunday afternoons at the beach away from a TV. The only game that gets the biggest audience is the Super Bowl as it represents a reason to party with friends and family.

Growing up in Puerto Rico in the 90s, the NBA was the only thing we talked about in school, praising players like Penny Hardaway, Shawn Kemp, Larry Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Grant Hill, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'neal and of course, Michael Jordan. Although the NFL wasn't on the radar, I knew about some of the legendary quarterbacks: Dan Marino, Brett Favre, John Elway, Joe Montana. Similarly, local newspapers reviewed the great teams of the decade like the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. And even though I had a small interest in the game, I never felt a connection.

As I entered high school, Internet access became more available. I started expanding my interests in sports and learning about teams in the NFL. One team that caught my eye was the New England Patriots. This may sound silly, but it wasn't because of their stats or a particular player; I didn't even know where New England was; it was simply because of their logo (Flying Elvis). The color and location of the star resembled the Puerto Rican flag. As a high school student, I thought it was great, as it represented a connection to where I grew up.

In the 2000 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected a tall, thin University of Michigan quarterback named Tom Brady No. 199. Fast forward to the 2001 season and the unthinkable happens. Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was dealt a vicious blow after trying to evade a New York Jets defender in hopes of moving the ball ten yards. Just signed to the NFL's largest contract at the time, (10 years for $103 million), Bledsoe was unable to return to the game. Brady entered the game, and the rest was history.

Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance, where they beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17, marking the first of seven rings for Brady. This victory consolidated in my mind "this is the team I will follow". Little did I know the super fan I would become of Brady and his Patriots. Over the next three years, Brady and the Patriots won two more Super Bowls.

Fast forward to 2007, just out of college I moved to Northern Virginia where I had my first live experience, participating in a Washington Commanders game. D.C. being a metropolitan center, has fans from all teams: Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers among others.

I was always curious to know the story of how people became fans of a team. I initially encountered the mentality that you had to be from a certain city or state to be a fan of a team. In my case, I had never set foot in Boston, but in my mind, there wasn't a bigger Patriots fan than me. Having access to fans of other teams led me to grow and develop the art of "trash talking". In the 2007 season, the Patriots were undefeated until the Super Bowl. As a result, my ability to talk about my team and defend it improved. I remember asking people what their favorite team was, and I answered, "Oh, we beat them already." This was the year of the Tom Brady-Randy Moss connection, in which Moss racked up 98 receptions, 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns.

The Patriots lost their perfect season against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI (17-21) after David Tyree's famous helmet catch. This was one of my biggest sporting heartbreaksafter I talked so much about my team during the season. From there, I was fully integrated into the NFL culture, watching all the Patriots games, tracking their progress week after week, and even adding their schedule to my personal calendar.

In the past I shared other sporting events with friends and family that centered around the NBA, and the local basketball and Double AA baseball leagues. But I'd never had the experience of watching a full NFL season. The experience of sharing the game with friends and fans from different backgrounds and cultures created many awesome memories. Memories like the battles against the Baltimore Ravens, against the New York Jets during the Rex Ryan years, against the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning and of course, seeing them in person in both Washington D.C. and Boston.

As I matured, my appreciation for Tom Brady and his contributions grew season after season. His consistency, leadership and overall mastery of the game reminded me of a level of domination in a sport not seen since my childhood in the '90s with Michael Jordan. By 2012, Brady was on his way to legendary status with five Super Bowl appearances, winning three of them. For me, only one thing was missing; watching the Patriots win a Super Bowl. Fortunately, I had four opportunities to experience it. My favorite was Super Bowl LI; the overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons where the Patriots were losing28-3. I had the joy of organizing the party at my house for close friends and family and what a rollercoaster of emotions it was.

On March 17, 2020, Brady and said goodbye to the Patriots; mybiggest nightmare. Brady chooses to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and wins another Super Bowl in his first season with the Bucs. I refused to watch Tampa Bay games because I was angry and disappointed. And while I'm still a Patriots fan, I eventually got over Brady's departure and respected his decision. To Mr. Brady, thank you for all the wonderful memories and for being a part of the history of so many fans over the past 23 years. Fans, like me, had the opportunity to grow up seeing generational talent. Love him or hate him, we'll never see another Tom Brady.