In his latest weekly newsletter, 199, Tom Brady shared that he’s been kicking off the summer by chilling in Japan with his family. According to him, it’s been a trip full of beautiful sights, incredible food, and plenty of relaxation. While he was there, Brady came across the concept of ikigai, which immediately caught his interest, so much so that he dove deep into what it’s all about.
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In Brady’s words, ikigai means “reason for being.” It’s all about finding value and purpose in life by exploring your talents, passions, and what the world needs, and figuring out where all those things overlap. By the end of it, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can actually get paid for.
For most of his life, Brady says football is his ikigai — no surprise there. But he also believes the world benefits from him being able to play the sport at such a high level.
“I loved football. I was good at it. I got paid for it. And I sincerely believe that the world benefited from it. I have always believed the world needs entertainment. People need those three or four hours of distraction from the difficult, stressful hardships of daily life,” Brady wrote.
Many people around the world watch sports to relieve themselves from the stresses of daily life. It’s fun to get engulfed and engaged in something that feels like the most important thing for three to four hours. Even though it can bring stressful moments, fans still find it enjoyable to be wrapped up in.
“In that way, I believe football, and sports in general, can be an incredibly powerful and positive force… I always felt that way as I took the field. So many people were committing their time and energy to me and our team, I never wanted to let them down,” the former Patriot explained.
Now, as a FOX analyst, Brady is embracing a new challenge. But his core mission remains the same: entertaining fans and deepening their connection to the game. This time, though, he’s doing it from the broadcast booth rather than the field.
“Football and entertaining people is still at the heart of things for me now. My work with FOX is giving fans a great experience watching and learning about the game through my eyes. But I feel my purpose has also evolved.”
So far, fans have been quite critical of Brady’s commentary during his first year in the booth. Many feel he sounds bland and uninspiring. It’s perhaps not the ikigai for Brady the way football was. But others still believe he has the potential to grow into a better sportscaster one day.
Regardless, Brady is absolutely right in saying that the world — and the NFL in general — benefited from his presence on the football field. He won 7 Super Bowls, 5 Super Bowl MVPs, and 3 regular-season MVPs. Most say that TB12 is the greatest ever to play the game.
