Under The Sun, Gun, & Mon...ey

Tom Brady Breaks The Bank. F1 Heats Up In Miami. EA & FIFA Call It Quits.

Our thoughts are with the country and people of Ukraine, hoping a peaceful end is near

On Today’s Agenda:

• Tom Brady Signs With Fox For $375M After Retirement

• Miami GP Reaches New High In Viewership

• Electronic Arts (EA) & FIFA Call It Quits

Man In The Booth

Tom Brady Signs With Fox For $375M After Retirement

By Caleb Gilligan

It wasn’t long ago when NFL fans thought they had seen the last of Tom Brady. After announcing his retirement from professional football, many fans were disappointed that he would be ending his legendary career. Fast forward a month later, and Brady quickly gave up on his retirement to spend at least another year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in hopes of winning his 8th Super Bowl. However, after signing his latest contract, fans will be able to see Brady every Sunday even after retirement.

This week, Brady signed a 10-year deal worth upwards of $375 million with Fox Sports to become their leading NFL analyst which is set to begin following his official retirement, whenever that may be. Fox Sports is one of the largest NFL broadcasters in the world and has the rights for two of the next three Super Bowls. But what does this mean for Brady?

Well, it means that Brady and Gisele will have more spending money as if they didn’t need it already. So far, Brady has earned just over $332 million in his 22 seasons in the NFL. Although he routinely took pay cuts and lower salaries to help his teams acquire more players, there’s no doubt that he’s one of the NFL’s all-time highest-paid players, partly due to his longevity and continued excellence on the field. Despite this, he will earn more than double per season as an NFL analyst compared to a player.

To be fair, Brady’s contract with Fox is one of the largest broadcasting deals by far. In 2020, CBS hired former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to be their leading analyst for $17.5 million per year for 10 years. More recently, ESPN hired Troy Aikman for $18 million per year for 5 years. Romo and Aikman are seen as some of the best broadcasters in football and earn more than most elite football players do in a season. For Brady to sign a contract worth double that of other top analysts before he’s even called an NFL game goes to show how big Brady’s name recognition and personal branding can go.

Although it’s obvious that Brady just loves to play football, eventually a time comes when your body cannot put up with one of the most physical sports in the world. Even if Brady convinced himself, and his family, to play at least another year, he knows that one day sooner than later his playing career will end. Luckily for Brady, he’ll likely never have to fight for a job again.

Whether you’re a diehard Tom Brady lover who supports him wherever he goes or you hate him for the pain he’s caused your favourite team in the last 22 years, NFL fans will be seeing him around the game for at least another decade.

F1 Under the Miami Sun

Miami GP Reaches New High In Viewership

By Hiral Patel

Last weekend, the thrilling sport of Formula 1 racing, which has captured the hearts and attention of millions over the past few years, took its talents to South Beach for the Miami Grand Prix. The race, which took place around Hard Rock Stadium, had high expectations and was attended by a long list of celebrities - but how “successful” was the race?

Numbers from ESPN suggest that there were more eyes than ever on F1 in America. The live telecast of the race this past Sunday recorded an average for 2.6 million viewers in the United States - including an average 735 000 fans within the age 18-49 demographic. The numbers go beyond TV, with 242,955 fans attending the 3 day spectacle, with a record 85 280 in attendance on Sunday’s race day.

The festivities were centred around an exciting product on the road, which finished with a victory from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The allure of the race was enhanced by the attendance of some of America’s biggest celebrities - Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, David Beckham, LeBron James, Serena Williams, just to name a few. In addition to the GOATs attending the race, the festivities included an artificial marina with yachts to give attendees a feel for the Miami beaches. This was met with some criticism from fans who paid thousands of dollars for the experience which had a few shortcomings. 

Criticism of the race also came from drivers, who expressed some issues with the track. Although it did not dominate the story of the race, it is definitely an important footnote to consider as the sport attempts to place a strong foothold in the US market. Races on this side of the Atlantic should not diminish the quality of the sport itself, and that starts by putting the sport and the experience around the sport first - rather than starting with a focus on the extra curriculars. Diehard F1 fans were disappointed with the TV coverage of the race, which had an increased focus on the celebrities in attendance, and caused viewers to miss key overtakes and other events in the race.

Every sporting event is analysed with a larger microscope as the scale of the event increases - which amplifies the good, the bad, and the ugly. With 2022’s Miami Grand Prix being the first in a 10 year deal between F1 and Hard Rock Stadium, a lot is expected for the next round. The first event made headlines and caught the attention of millions, and time will tell if F1 can capitalize and consistently bring F1 to American markets at grander scales.

End of an Era

Electronic Arts (EA) & FIFA Call It Quits, EA Sports FC for 2023

By AJ Hewish

After almost 28 years of EA Sports’ FIFA game series being the most iconic soccer game in the market, the famous partnership/collaboration between the two organizations that brought us FIFA 94 all the way to FIFA 22, is finally ending.

After news a few months ago about FIFA pushing for a $1 billion licensing deal for EA Sports to use their name, image, and likeness, in all future EA Sports FIFA games, the deal fell through. Now, EA Sports have announced the future direction of their soccer video game: the introduction of EA Sports FC. All news soccer games that EA Sports release will no longer follow the FIFA history, but will be EA Sports FC

Some fans aren’t too pleased considering EA Sports FC doesn’t have the same ring as FIFA 24. However, this new change will still have more than 300 individual licensed partners, giving players access to more than 19,000 athletes across 700 teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world. Players will still get the same interface, experience, and online interaction as FIFA 22 and previous games, but without the FIFA NIA. 

This coming fall, EA will release their last ever FIFA with the FIFA title rights, making FIFA 23, the 30th and final FIFA game released, truly ending an era for nostalgic soccer fans and gamers.

It’s going to be a big change, but much else isn’t expected to change except for the licensing of FIFA in the game, on the cover, and in the name itself, with EA actually planning to release even more features, gamemodes, and more to their future game releases, including playing in the Women’s World Cup. 

Overall, this does make you wonder if maybe Pro Evolution Soccer, EA’s only competition in the past decade, will swoop in and pay the heavy price tag for FIFA’s licensing rights. Or perhaps a new competitor will take the reins with a new game with even newer technology (perhaps Virtual Reality FIFA coming soon). We don’t really know. From a personal standpoint, it's been a pleasure playing FIFA all these years, but a simple name change won’t alter the game we love (and sometimes hate).