Tom Brady is destined to fail on TV.
It’s not that he doesn’t know the game of football or doesn’t have star qualities.
Surely Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, has all that and more.
But when he retires from the NFL and is assigned to the broadcast booth as FOX’s senior NFL analyst, there will be pressure to live up to it the ridiculous contract he is expected.
It was reported Tuesday that Brady had signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX.
It’s an obscene deal considering he’s entering the 23rd season of his career and has made just $317 million in total NFL money. Money aside, there’s definitely no guarantee Brady will be as good on TV as he is at quarterback.
It’s not automatic.
let’s be honest Brady wasn’t a quote machine or captivating.
In fact, Brady was dullsville. He was a gee whiz, aw Shucks.
The other thing that might not work is that Brady doesn’t come across as honest. At best, he’s dishonest. Viewers generally want to believe and like the person they are watching.
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And here’s another bump in the road. Brady is a polarizing figure. Many love him. But there is one more large part of the population who despises him. Much of the dislike must come with the Brady and New England Patriots cheating scandals. Sometimes it works when two factions compete against each other. But not always. ESPN tried Rush Limbaugh. He had a huge radio following. He loved soccer. The network thought it was a layup. Rush’s minions flocked to see him at their NFL shows. But the reviews didn’t go through the roof. In reality, many football fans refused to watch the polarizing radio talk show host.
And then some awkward racist commentsLimbaugh was potted.
And being a great quarterback doesn’t mean you won’t flop on TV. Just ask Joe Montana, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
For many, Montana remains the all-time greatest at QB. After all, Cool Joe was 4-0 at the Super Bowls. In those games, he threw 11 touchdowns with no interceptions. He won three SB MVPs. He won two Super Bowls with Jerry Rice and two without him.
Therefore, many TV execs thought it would be a layup to put him on TV because they thought he would be a star. It did not happen. Montana worked for NBC and was a flop. Montana retired after just nine games in 1995.
While he ticked all the boxes, he didn’t have the flare, energy, or bang you need on TV.
To be honest, Montana was a bore when it came to talking about football.
This is how Julius Erving talked about basketball. He was another superstar athlete who also flopped on NBC. They tried to make him an experienced analyst.
Unfortunately, his lack of personality and camera presence buried his knowledge. It was hard dr. J. to see acting like a male nurse on TV.
Another former NFL star who fell and burned trying to become a TV star was former Cowboys running back star Emmitt Smith. On the field he was one of the best, the leading rushing of all time. On TV he was painful. repetitions of Mork and Mindy were more pleasant than Smith on the subway. ESPN had no choice but to fire the Hall of Famer.
Certainly there have been plenty of former athletes who have made the transition and are thriving, including CBS’ Tony Romo, who struggled to win a playoff game in 14 seasons as a Cowboys quarterback but made $18 million from televising about the sport speaks .
Former New York Yankees hitter Alex Rodriguez excels at playing MLB games. So there are some who can make the transition and become solid broadcasters.
But more fail and fall by the wayside.
Chances are Brady won’t have as much success. He was never someone that people thought smart or insightful. Brady didn’t give you anything when he was in his uniform.
Surely Brady will get plenty of loot. But viewers will most likely feel cheated.
