If you need some motivation to push through the rest of your week, look no further than the GOAT himself, Tom Brady. He has been a hot topic for sports journalists and radio personalities for quite a while now. Most of the time, talk about Brady goes one of two ways. Either they love him or hate him. He listens to the negativity but doesn’t let it bring him down. Instead, he uses it for motivation to succeed. From his record, it looks like he’s got a good strategy.
Recently, the seven-time Super Bowl champ posted a video to his social media accounts. The video contains numerous shots taken at him by big media outlets. It plays audio clips from sportscasters as headlines and quotes from op-ed pieces and tweets flash on the screen. In short, it’s all the hate that Tom Brady received leading up to winning his seventh ring.
Along with the journalists calling Tom Brady’s quarterbacking prowess into question are tweets from NFL fans and one quote from a fellow NFL player. The disparaging comments are focused not only on Brady but also on some of his more high-profile teammates.
Clips from Super Bowl LV play under all the quotes. Some seem perfectly timed to prove the haters wrong. At the same time, the song “Shook Ones” by Mobb Deep plays in the background. The caption on Tom Brady’s Instagram post is the cherry on top, though. “I kept all the receipts… Never let THEM define You!!” Now those are words to live by. The fact that they were written by the greatest quarterback of all time just makes them ring a little more true.
The Hate Tom Brady Uses for Motivation
Some of the things that they say about Tom Brady during the montage are just plain unkind. Many of them mention his age. Brady is only 43 years old. However, many critics said he was too old to perform well enough to bring home another ring. He proved them wrong. Here are a few of the most notable shots fired at Brady and the Bucs in the video.
The Boston Globe said, “Forget the Super Bowl; Tom Brady might not make it to the playoffs.” That looks an awful lot like sour grapes, though.
The Washington Post said that Brady was playing like “an average quarterback,” and opined that he may not be able to come back from it. The Orlando Sentinel went so far as to welcome Brady Florida’s quarterbacking graveyard.
In the audio clips, sportscasters throw some stones at Tom Brady. Most are focused on his age. One says that Brady’s performance wouldn’t be up to snuff because of his age. Another goes so far as to say that he is “an old a– man,” and adds that, “his time is over.”
The best and most self-aware shot at Tom Brady’s age comes from a Twitter user. James says, “Too old, Tom,” followed by, “Boy am I going to have to eat these words in about 6.5 months.” At least he was honest with himself.
Constructive criticism is one thing. No matter who you are or what you’re doing, you can do better. Even champions can improve. One way to know where your need to tighten up is through honest and constructive criticism. However, most of the things in the montage that Brady shared comes from a place of petty bitterness. In short, they were the words of haters.
If you come across people like this in your life, don’t let it get you down. Be like Tom Brady. Use that to motivate you to your next big win. Turn the hate into motivation and win out of spite if nothing else.
