ESPN to Release 9-Episode Documentary on Tom Brady's Career in 2021
By Liam McKeone
On the heels of the overwhelming success of The Last Dance, ESPN is already working on another endeavor documenting an all-time great. This time, it will be on the gridiron rather than the hardwood. Tom Brady released a trailer today for Man in the Arena, set to release in 2021, and will cover Brady's remarkable rise from sixth-round pick to the greatest quarterback to play the game.
I have quoted Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech since I saw it painted on our weight room wall at UM in 1995. It’s a constant reminder to ignore the noise, buckle my chinstrap, and battle through whatever comes my way.
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 21, 2020
Coming 2021 on @espn! pic.twitter.com/nm9SdFYB7D
"The series will be Brady’s first-hand account of the most iconic moments of his NFL career, including each of his nine Super Bowl appearances as quarterback of the New England Patriots. Also in there will be smaller, seemingly insignificant instances that became pivotal events and paved the path of the future Hall of Famer’s journey, which takes a new chapter after his move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."
Per Deadline, ESPN will be producing the documentary with 199 Productions, a Brady-owned company. Connor Schell, executive producer of The Last Dance and Senior VP of ESPN Films, will be working on the project as well.
Given that Brady has turned into a PR maestro over the last two decades, I imagine this documentary will be as revealing about the man himself as The Last Dance was of Jordan-- that is to say, not very. But there should be some fun football facts unearthed, at the very least. I'm quite interested to hear what he has to say about his three Super Bowl losses. Like most players, he usually isn't exactly forthcoming when asked about the devastating losses of his career, but here he's voluntarily discussing them.
It is interesting, though, that he's choosing to release this before the end of his career. It would be speculation of the highest order to think it could be an indication he's considering retirement. Will that stop the media machine? No, it will not. But it should be an intriguing watch regardless.