ESPN recently concluded its airing of The Last Dance, its multi-part documentary on Michael Jordan and his time with the Chicago Bulls from director Jason Hehir, and now it’s preparing a similar series (which is to say that it’s basically the exact same thing) about another sports icon who is extremely well-loved in one specific region of the country but is considered somewhat overrated everywhere else. This comes from Deadline, which says production company Religion Of Sports and Tom Brady’s 199 Productions are working with ESPN on Man In The Arena, a nine-part documentary series about—you’re not going to believe this—Tom Brady.
In other words four days or so after The Last Dance, Tom Brady literally threw a slightly deflated football through a window at ESPN headquarters and yelled “Do one about me now!” (we don’t know if this literally happened, but we can pretend that it happened). Also, for the record, Jordan was involved in the making of The Last Dance, but at least he made his thing first.
Deadline says Man In The Arena will be based around Brady’s “first-hand account of the most iconic moments of his NFL career,” plus “smaller, seemingly insignificant instances that became pivotal events.” (Which feels like a weird note.) In a statement, Brady said the the series will define “the key moments and challenges that were seemingly insurmountable, but through hard work and perseverance, became career-defining triumphs, in both victory and defeat”—again, since it seems weirdly unclear, he’s talking about his own life here.
Man In The Arena will premiere next year on ESPN, at which point everyone will be overcome with nostalgia for the years when Tom Brady was still playing football, like 2000-????. Those were good times, right? Well, 2020 has been a pile of shit, and 2016 wasn’t great, but maybe the upcoming Tampa Bay years will be okay? The doc will barely be able to cover them, since it comes out in 2021, but maybe it’ll end with Brady curing the coronavirus or something. That would give him a leg up on Jordan.
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I want the Belichick cut.
The Belichick cut is just Salo: 120 Days of Sodom.
I’m laughing but damn that’s harsh. Take your star.
I was thinking “Whiplash” only it just features cut scenes where J.K. Simmons was too mean and they had to leave them out of the movie or the MPAA wouldn’t have given them a rating.
It takes a special kind of self-centered asshole to produce a nine-part hagiography about yourself. Maybe the chapter on 18-1 will be fun.Also, fuck Jim Spanfeller for killing Deadspin.
Spoiler: the documentary reveals that Brady’s main character flaw is he works too hard.
“I’m a perfectionist, so they all hate me.”“No, you’re just an oblivious asshole.”“PERFECTIONIST”
My model wife is too beautiful!
Jordan’s was *10* parts.
Jordan didn’t produce the miniseries though. He was just the central figure.
Check again. Jump 23 was one of the producing partners. Hell, Jordan literally had final cut on the thing.
Yeah, but there is a difference. Jordan getting producer credit and final say was part of the cost of bringing him in, but he wasn’t the driving force behind the project. In the case of the Brady doc he appears to be spearheading the thing.
Agree, Deadspin would have fricken loved this.
Next time on Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? …Scooby and the gang capture Tom Brady and unmask him to reveal he was cousin Oliver all along.
I only started reading Deadspin once the Avclub got Kinjaed so maybe it was better before that but most of the articles I read were stupid hot takes which is pretty similar to what the new Deadspin is now.
How is that different from anybody who writes an autobiography or a memoir? I guess the fact he is doing it like just a few days after “The Last Dance” wrapped up makes him look like a special kind of asshole for waiting until Jordan got his and gauging the success and then being all, “well it is my turn now, mine!” But seriously people write autobiographies or are involved in the production of movies about themselves all the time even while they’re still doing whatever made them famous in the first place. Were you like this when “Rocketman” came out?
You said it. Incidentally, don’t forget that Part 1 of 52 of ScottyEnn: What An Absolute Fucking Legend This Guy Is, Seriously People, He’s The Best debuts tomorrow night.
Don’t these series usually happen a few decades after retirement also?
Listen you green-blooded son of a bitch, Jim Spanfeller and other men like him built this great nation. Without venture capitalists like him, how would people ruin perfectly good websites?
Chapter 5: The time Bridget Moynihan left me for a supermodel while I was pregnant.
Either this sentence needs an edit or “deflategate” refers to something much different than I thought.
I can’t wait to hate every minute of this.
Tom Brady is inarguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but I don’t think he’s an interesting person in the least bit.
He might very well secretly be an interesting person but he’s just such a perfect boy robot whenever he gets interviewed, other than a few drizzles of sarcasm, it is hard to tell. Everything seems kind of rehearsed. And on the field he’s just got like two settings, happy-rage and sad-rage, that it can be difficult to see what’s really going on. Gronkowski is the only Patriot I can think of who was really emotional since maybe Teddy Bruschi.
Then why does he have to cheat?
Valid.
A reminder, this is the same Tom Brady who got caught cheating during the Superbowl and who most recently has been hawking anti-COVID supplements. There were rumors that he may have been in at least brief possession of a MAGA hat that apparently disappeared after it was first reported.
Episode 1: Did You Know I Was Drafted in the 6th Round?
Episode 2: Poisoning Drew Bledsoe
Episode 3: The Real-World Problems of Dating/Marrying Supermodels
Episode 4: Seth MacFarlane and My Quest for Cultural Relevance
Episode 5: Not Spying on Other Teams (Why Roger Goodell Hates and Promotes Us, Part 1)
Episode 6: Deflated Balls are Fake News (Why Roger Goodell Hates and Promotes Us, Part 2)
Episode 7: Kraft Whackin’ Cheese (Why Roger Goodell Hates and Promotes Us, Part 3)
Episode 8: I Ain’t You So I Hate You; or “Everyone Sucks But Me!”
Episode 9: Tampa Bay vs. The Patriots Way
As a Patriots fan, I just have to say one thing: I can’t wait to see Bill Belichick win a Super Bowl with another quarterback.
As a Bills fan, I just have to say one thing:FUCK YOU BITCH**I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice person, but you understand.
After 4 straight Super Bowl losses, everyone understands.
People think Michael Jordan is overrated? Who and where? I get thinking he’s an asshole (because oh man is he ever!) but overrated? (Brady I’m fine with saying is overrated since the Patriots have been caught cheating multiple times)
The idea that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time by acclamation, no argument at all possible or necessary, is losing traction. So in that sense, people are starting to argue that he’s overrated.
Overrated because he’s not absolutely the best ever, just maybe the best ever, and definitely top five of all time. I find that pretty silly.
I am not particularly a Jordan fan, but he is certainly the best all around player so far as far as I can see, and he will continue to remain so as long as the NBA prevents players from playing the kind of defense that was allowed in Jordan’s era. Certainly some have come close, like LeBron, and it is hard to compare players in different positions under different sets of rules. Also, I think a lot of the overrated arguments come from the realization that Jordan is human. What they really mean is he doesn’t live up to the legend which could be said of any player in history.
I’m sure they were pretty disappointed when they checked the archives of the Patriots Official Documentary crew and found only 3 minutes of stuff on Brady and 20 years of video of other teams practices.
If I could laugh like Nelson Muntz here, I would.
There should be some kind of rule that says you can do a documentary if they are still playing. They should wait at least 5 years before doing this.
No thank you, please.
I don’t care how good a QB he is, it takes a real tool to see a doc looking back at a legend who’s been out of the game for almost 20 years and say “well I haven’t quit yet but I am pretty amazing…”. Like, dude, it can’t be a retrospective on your career/life without you retiring first! I’d be willing to put good money on this not being made but for the fact that ESPN is so utterly desperate for programming right now.
uh, nobody and i mean nobody believes sincerely believes either are overrated. they are both objectively the greatest to ever do it, it’s just that Brady is considered a loathsome heel by 100% of the country outside of New England.
I get Tom Landry, Tom Brady and Doug Flutie confused.
Suggested Alternate Titles:The Last Dance Because I’m Older Than FuckDancing With Myself Because I’m An Egotistical Cheating FuckLet’s Dance Because I’m Going To Eat Shit In Tampa Bay Along With That Gronk Fuck The Last Waltz
Oh gawd, please spare me. Next thing he’ll be running for President.