Tom Brady and Michael Jordan are often compared to each other given that they’re both seen as the ‘GOATs’ of their respective sports. Now, that comparison is set to take a new turn with Brady’s ‘Man in the Arena’ series.
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Documentaries seem to be the new trend among star athletes or legends of the game. They’re all looking to showcase their stories and what brought them to the stage they’re at right now, and in the process of it, us fans are privy to some incredible content.
We get to see behind the scenes footage of these athletes interacting with other players, their teammates, and soundbites that gives us some of the greatest sports stories we’d have never known about otherwise. Michael Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’ was the first big documentary we saw of this nature, and it was an absolute banger.
Now, Tom Brady has come out with his own series detailing his 9 Super Bowl run with the Patriots and his Super Bowl run last year with the Buccaneers. Given how Brady and Jordan are already compared, their documentaries are now also being compared.
NFL and NBA fans compare Tom Brady and ‘Man in the Arena’ to Michael Jordan and ‘The Last Dance’
Brady already releasing a documentary about his legacy when his playing days aren’t even over is just something you can expect from perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time.
Brady’s legacy may not be over, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t already well-established. Brady could retire next week, and there’d be no questioning the impact he left on the game.
He’s won more Super Bowls than any NFL franchise (7), been to the most Super Bowls in NFL history (10), and is the all time leader in career passing yards and touchdowns along with a host of other passing and winning records.
So far, Brady has only released four episodes out of ten, and the story has largely focused on how Brady took over the Patriots starting job from Drew Bledsoe. These episodes include some incredible insight into not only how Brady reacted to becoming New England’s starter but also on how Drew Bledsoe felt about it.
After the Super Bowl victory against the Los Angeles Rams, Brady’s first season running the Pats and when Bledsoe got hurt, Bledsoe admitted he had a very emotional moment trying to process how he was part of a championship team but wasn’t the one representing them.
“I remember being excited for our guys but at the same time kind of internally a little disheartened,” Bledsoe said. “Like, man, battled through a lot of stuff to try to get to this point and now arrived here, but the other guy got to play.”
“By about 11 o’clock the next morning, I was sitting on a chairlift skiing in Whitefish, Montana. And I remember I got on the chairlift and I was by myself. I put my goggles on, my helmet, and I sat there. I was all by myself, and I just cried,” Bledsoe would reveal. “I just sat there and it was the first time I just kind of let it all come crashing down on me.”
There are a lot more stories like this in the series so far. Michael Jordan released ‘The Last Dance’ in April of last year, right when the Covid-19 pandemic hit us, and at the time, when there were no sports to watch, it was the perfect antidote. The series followed Jordan’s rise to a legend and more importantly focused on his last year with the Bulls (aka ‘The Last Dance’).
Jordan also detailed some incredible stories, including insights into his ‘Flu Game’, how he felt about Bulls management, and what prompted him to retire (both times).
With Brady releasing his own story, fans of the NBA and NFL couldn’t help but compare the two series. Fans are split on which series they feel is better.
Others blasted both series.
These comparisons were expected, but honestly, we should just be enjoying the incredible stories and content we’re able to digest.
