The game of golf figures in almost every American man’s retirement life at one point or another. Even for Tom Brady. The gridiron legend recently made the trip to the golf course to square off against a fellow legend, Rafael Nadal, in the first installment of the GOAT Golf E1 series on Friday.
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The two legends have invested in E1, the startup electric boat racing series. On the eve of the E1 Monaco race, Nadal and Brady, and fellow team owners hit the links.
Well, Brady, as competitive as ever, took the fight to Rafal, whose grit and fighting spirit on the tennis courts are the stuff of legends. The competitive spirit was high when the two teed off, but it was all in good spirit and humor.
After landing his shot on the greens, the seven-time Super Bowl champion jokingly noted that “I put a little pressure on him. He hasn’t handled great pressure very good in his career.“
Even though Brady went on to win the round, Nadal had little issue with conceding. “He beat me,” the tennis legend humbly admitted as he extended his hand to Brady.
Brady made sure to offer a rematch to Nadal by suggesting that “One day, we’ll play 18 together.” But the football G.O.A.T. was all smiles while walking off the course, having sealed the golf bragging rights over Nadal. Their paths will surely cross again, though, considering their investment in the E1 Series.
Since his retirement in 2023, the former New England Patriot has made a habit of investing his capital into various sporting leagues and franchises. The E1 is one of his latest ventures.
According to E1’s current CEO, co-founder, and former F1 engineer, Rodi Basso, “The marine industry doesn’t really see a sport platform as a marketing tool.” However, celebrity athletes and investors such as Brady and Nadal were willing to wager a respective portion of their fortunes to say otherwise.
“[Celebrity athletes] are all very passionate about living the life of the coastal areas,” Basso explained. Simply put, the proximity to yachts and coastlines has put influential athletes such as Brady in the mood for something a bit more nautical.
“They all have boats, and they all go to amazing places in the world, and they want to make sure that, also, their future generation, their kids, can enjoy that in the future,” added Basso.
Electric boat racing may not have been at the top of Brady’s priority list when he first retired, but it’s an investment in sports nonetheless. Brady has invested in everything from the Las Vegas Raiders to a minority share in a WNBA franchise since his retirement, proving that he’s just as eager to compete as a businessman as well.
