He is athletic, good looking, extremely wealthy, is an household name, married to a supermodel, and genuinely seems like a family man.

30 comments

  1. >married to a supermodel

    ​

    I have some bad news.

    ​

    I dunno, in general he doesn’t seem like a particularly happy person. I’m not 100 percent sure he knows how to function outside of football.

  3. >married to a supermodel

    [Not so much anymore](https://nypost.com/2022/12/06/tom-brady-talks-emotional-challenges-following-divorce/).

    Anyway, I actually wouldn’t characterize him as the “epitome of the American Dream” if only because that level of success isn’t the first thought most people associate with the phrase.

    The epitome would be something like person from the working class who worked their way into in the middle class, owns their home, has a spouse and 2.5 kids, etc…

  4. Pretty sure him and Giselle are divorcing….

    But that’s beside the point: he’s someone Americans (and most people) look up to but that’s not the “American Dream”.

    The “American Dream” has more to do with starting at point A (poor kid born to a single mother in Hawaii and raised by his grandparents) and getting to point B (president of the United States).

    The point being: you can be anything in America- the only thing that should be limiting how far you rise is you.

    This was a lot more resonant with people when Europe and most of the rest of the world still existed under very class/caste based systems.

    Nowadays most of that has gone away and people of any race/ethnicity can rise to the heights of industry in most western, liberal industrialized nations.

    Tom Brady seems like a good dude but he was also born with just IMMENSE amounts of natural talent.

    I’m not pointing this out to take anything away from the man- he has clearly worked and struggled and pushed to achieve his GOAT status and it’s pretty well deserved; I’m merely pointing out that the American Dream is more applicable to the fat kid from Appalachia who becomes a long distance running champion through sheer grit and determination having lacked the natural gifts and talent that guys like Tom Brady are fortunate enough to be born with.

  5. Short answer.. No. He’s a Trump-supporting bigot, in the process of divorce, living a lifestyle that the majority of Americans will never see and only imagine. This “dream” is just that.. a dream. Most of us live and die barely scraping by.

  6. The American Dream was created during the 19th century, when the U.S. welcomed immigrants from Europe (but not so much from elsewhere). But originally it wasn’t about becoming super rich or successful. It was about owning your own home and plot of land in an egalitarian society. It was an agrarian vision, and even in the late 19th century it was already suspect even for white Anglo-Saxon males due to massive industrialization and the rise of giant corporations. And of course it was not envisioned for and often barred from people of color or non-Anglo-Saxon ethnicities or women.

    During the 20th century the American Dream became a more ambiguous term. But it was still primarily about the dreams of immigrants, who still are eager to come to the United States. Maybe it also applied to the sons and daughters of immigrants who had a better life because their parents came to America.

    And it did become more inclusive of people of color and non-Anglo-Saxon ethnicities and women, although there are still white Anglo-Saxon men who deeply resent sharing the American Dream. Indeed there are now Americans who resent sharing the American Dream with new immigrants, even though they are descended from immigrants.

    Two of Tom Brady’s great-great-grandparents on his father’s side, John and Bridget Brady, were Irish refugees from the Great Famine who moved to San Francisco from Boston before the American Civil War. They embodied the American Dream more than Tom Brady did, despite his success. Although as Irish immigrants they might have experienced quite a bit of discrimination at the time.

  7. No. The American Dream is to have a moderately successful small business, own a home, no debt, and send your kids to college. Not to be a celebrity athlete.

  8. I thought the American dream was just to be able to work and own a home — and still have some time to be happy and do your own thing?

    I dont think it has to do with your outward appearance or appearance of your partner — or be famous.

  11. I never thought of the American Dream as being about riches and fame. It was always more about middle-class independence and stability.

  12. Is “the American Dream” only for men? Or is the “American Dream” for woman to be born extremely attractive?

    This dream feels extremely shallow.

  13. How did you make a post about Tom Brady but not know he is getting divorced?

    Like you’re a fan but not really

  16. He’s living some peoples American dream, but I wouldn’t say it’s the epitome of the American dream. Also he’s getting a divorce.

  17. Brady is the finest example of the professional sports dream. Regular guy. Not physically gifted but has a solid arm. Where he has a leg up is his brain power and desire/ability to USE it to learn about his opponents, teammates, and coaches. He takes advantage of his opponents’ weaknesses and finds his teammates strengths. He’s competitive and has the ability to inspire his teammates to be at their best.

    He also micro manages his health and fitness to promote athletic longevity. He’s not a physical specimen. A quarterback doesnt need to be one the way other positoins (besides kicker) do. He avoids injury and inflammation. He’s also benefitted from great pass protection up front, but any coach who doesn’t spend money up front to protect a QB like that is crazy.

    To be almost the 200th pick in the draft and go on to win 7 super bowls and be the undisputed GOAT is the sports version of the American dream. He gets a lot of hate and people making generalizations about things they know absolutely zero about.

    I never really liked him as a player until the later part of his career. I’m not a huge football fan but I always preferred Peyton Manning. I like to see Brady have success now because he’s a few years older than I am and still at the top of the game. It’s rare to see a QB in their 40’s on the field at all–much less one still winning Super Bowls. Love him or hate him, it’s a show we’re unlikely to see again for many, many years (if ever, although contact rule changes and science will likely help) and any football fan should appreciate it for what it is–even if they don’t like the guy doing it.

  19. Well he got divorced this year and his team is playing like shit, so currently no I would not say that.

  20. It’s been rumored that his wife filed for divorce because he was placing football over family…

    The concept of the American Dream is different for everyone. If that’s it for you, sure, I guess.

  22. No, the American Dream is generally thought to be something achievable by anyone.

    Brady has lived a charm and blessed life far beyond what’s attainable for the average person.

  23. I’d say he’s more considered to be the epitome of “hard work, perseverance, and persistence pays off”.

    He was the 199th pick in the draft and 6 other QBs were picked before him. No one ever thought he’d be anything more than a back-up (or even 3rd string) QB. And now he has 7 SB rings and is pretty much universally considered the greatest Football player of all time.

    He’s also still consistently playing at a high level at the age of 45, which is absolutely bonkers in a league where the average age is 26 and most player’s careers are 3 years.

    And he got this largely because of his absolutely obsessive work ethic and dedication to his craft.

  24. Not really IMO. He would be the exception – the one in ten to twenty million in terms of making it as big as he has – the wealth, success, etc.

    Your typical “American Dream” is going to be more like being able to get a house, a couple of cars, have a family, save for retirement, the kids’ school, and still have a little money left over at the end of the month. I would say it is more to be middle to upper/middle class. You are not into the luxury things, but you are not worried about where you next meal is coming from, and are saving up for a Disney trip.

  25. No. He’s a sportsman that is not coping with well with the fact that all athletes have to move on from the life they’ve know since they were kids.

  27. I think there is no “American Dream” anymore. I don’t mean that in a negative way, only that America is such a vast and diverse country that the notion of the American Dream as being having a certain kind of professional success, upward mobility, a nice house with 2.5 kids and an attractive spouse in a community where neighbors know each other and everyone has the same basic life ambitions… just doesn’t work anymore. Additionally, the mechanisms of our society and economy, the whole “pull yourselves up from the bootstraps” and “anyone can become anything” idea just isn’t real. The bootstrap metaphor began as a critique of that idea… it’s something that is impossible to do. Somehow that has become a term used to degrade people for not accomplishing a predesigned metric of American success, individuality, and monetary wealth. So, I think America is evolving beyond the handsome quarterback married to the supermodel and makes millions every year as the standard aspiration or embodiment of the American Dream, and that is a good thing.

  28. No. The American Dream is a character of social norms in the 1950’s: Man works, wife stays at home, own a home, a car, kids, and have a yard, have economic and financial freedom. Being super rich or famous has nothing to do with it.

    * Brady is divorcing his wife.

    * His diet is like 90+% berries and nuts (not very American)

    * He’s more physically healthy and driven than he is athletic.

    * He’s also not a family man lol. He’s recorded on microphone saying “I didn’t leave my family for this,” during a game.

    * Outside of commercials, he rarely appears to be happy, at least not in the past 5-6 years.

    The media portrays Brady one way, but in reality, he is a very bizarre person living a very alternate lifestyle. Brady is quite frankly insane. You kinda have to be to be playing at the level he is for this long and at his age. From what I can tell, he’s obsessed with winning and it seems like his only motivation is to keep on winning. That’s why his lifestyle, diet, and habits are so bizarre. Kinda like how old people have one motivation that keeps them going or they die…Brady almost seems like he’s in the same category.

    I honestly worry for him when he officially is retired. I saw in another comment, but I’ll say it too: I’m not really sure he will figure out how to function in society outside of football. Every action, habit, or activity he has done for the past 22+ years seems to only be done with his career in mind.

  29. As you’re undoubtedly finding out by everyone giving you their definition of the American Dream, there’s no agreed upon definition of the American Dream.

    Tom Brady certainly lives a great life though but I don’t think I would want that level of fame.

    [The Baldwin’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_family) are a pretty famous American family but I’m not sure if they’re internationally famous. My sister was good friends with one of the daughters from a first marriage. I dropped her off at a birthday party when she was a kid and hung around a bit because there were usually celebrities at those and sure enough got into a conversation with [Alec Baldwin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Baldwin), easily the most famous of the family.

    I found him to be a really good guy. He was famous but just hung out as one of the guys and at no point tried to impress us with how famous he was. In fact pretty much all of the conversation was about his time in high school and high school football. One of the parents asked him if things like signing autographs ever gets annoying and he explained that everyone sees it as you’re taking 30 seconds out of your day for a quick picture with a fan but they don’t recognize it happens a thousand times a day. He hated saying no to fans but sometimes he just wants to eat dinner with his family. That always stuck with me.

    Tom Brady is world famous but it’s got to be hard to just go to your son’s Little League game. I’m sure people line up for a mile once they find out he’s someplace. I couldn’t deal with that.

  30. He’s beyond living the American dream. He’s so rich he’s just living the human dream.

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