We Need to Talk About: Tom Brady's corny Facebook posts
By now we're all aware that Tom Brady's corny.
The writing's been on the wall for quite a while, and even if you're a Patriots fan, you have to admit the guy's a dork off the field:
As a human, you may or may not be aware that Brady is now active in the world of social media cartooning. After each of the Patriots' first three wins, Brady has taken to Facebook to post a "fun" fake newspaper cartoon celebrating the team's victory.
I want you to picture this exchange between a superstar athlete and his supermodel wife:
- Oh, boy! I started my own newspaper!
- That's great, Tommy.
- Do you want to be my first subscriber?
- ...
It's hard to understand the psyche of a millionaire athlete that spends his free time making his own lil' newspaper. Luckily, technology has spared Tom from donning a green visor and painstakingly typesetting "TB Times" onto an ink-spotted pamphlet before circulating it around his neighborhood to well-meaning adults, allowing them to casually admire his work ethic gone astray before throwing the "TB Times" in the trash while he gleefully skips to the next house.
Facebook has spared us that face-to-face humiliation, but it raises the question: What is Tom Brady doing?
While it's clear Brady has chosen Facebook as his go-to outlet, it's unclear why. Does he own a lot of stock in Facebook? Is he targeting the coveted soccer-mom demographic? Has someone he pays convinced him Facebook is the appropriate platform for the "Tom Brand"?
Honestly, what reaction are we supposed to have to this spate of nonsense? If you root for the Patriots you probably see the post and go: "Um, OK?"
And if you're a fan of the Cardinals, Dolphins, or Texans, these "barbs" have all the poison of an old man calling you a turkey after you beat him in horseshoes.
These small insights into the creative ideas of a respected athlete are, at least, oddly touching in their simplicity and childlike execution. No one is ready to accuse Brady of being a public intellectual, but in isolation, his social media accounts present a shallow life full of commercialized content, unfunny dad-level Photoshops, and staged family moments. It would be sad if you forgot the millions of dollars, legions of fans, and years of personal glory.
And can you picture someone from another generation saying: "Yeah, Ken Stabler had to sit out a few games, so he's getting back at the league by printing his own newspaper. It's really neat!"
Tom Brady is a four-time Super Bowl champion. He's also an enormous goof.