The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 24

March 2, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 9 Sports No more arguments: Tom Brady is the GOAT MMA deserves more credit in the sports world, though it’s an art Somewhere in the last few years, I have become a big MMA fan, watching UFC, Bellator MMAand even Titan FC fights. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but it did and it’s perhaps the sport I enjoy watching most. With that said, I’m glad to see it getting more coverage, especially with UFC being aired on ESPN and Titan FC fights available for streaming on FightPass. While I do not necessarily consider MMA a sport -- I see it more as an art, especially as it is MixedMartialArts -- it deserves more recognition in the sports world. I had the opportunity to watch a Fight Night live, and since then, my respect for the art and sport has only amplified. When it comes to MMA fights, people are either for them or completely against them, claiming they’re too violent for their taste. However, in my eyes, while some fights can get pretty bloody, I’m more in awe at the mental strength and physical training these men and women go through to step inside the cage. These men and women are putting in hours and dedicating their life to this sport, more than any other sport. Sure, you can get injured in basketball, baseball, soccer or football, but in these sports, you’re not going one-on-one with another player. You’re part of a team and that can strengthen you. In MMA, you’re entering that cage alone, hoping to come out a winner or at least not endure severe damage. Many people say football is the most dangerous sport, but they’re wrong. Your chances of extreme injury as a football player just don’t compare to your chances of extreme injury as a fighter, and that is why MMA deserves more respect. I understand that not everyone enjoys watching this sport, but we should all at least be able to agree that these men and women are warriors. Would you be able to prepare yourself mentally and physically to step into a cage with someone and only be allowed out if time is up, you defeat them or they defeat you? It is not easy. A few years ago, I took kickboxing classes, and the fortitude that came with it is still with me. I am nowhere near the level of mental and physical strength these fighters are, even the amateurs, but those kickboxing classes taught me that you must not only strengthen your body physically, but you must learn to control the emotions that come with punching a bag or striking with another person. These men and women are preparing for war, and for our entertainment. They’re also getting paid way less than some professional athletes who are doing way less than they are. It’s just not fair. MMA is becoming more recognized and is gaining respect -- and I’m so glad to see it -- but it’s still got some ways to go before it is viewed in a better light by our society as a whole. On Feb. 7, TomBrady cemented himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history by winning Super Bowl LV, his seventh Super Bowl win. Some of us were already predicting this. Now, I’m not saying Tom Brady is the most talented quarterback of all time, but he is one of the smartest football players ever, and nobody knows how to win better than him. Brady also has the best career accolade list in NFL history. Thomas Edward Patrick Brady can only be described in one acronym: GOAT. The Greatest of All Time. Being the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady has always had to fight against the odds. That is what makes his story that much better than the next. It wasn’t expected of him. He wasn’t expected to be anything more than a career backup quarterback. Brady’s career accolades include seven Super Bowl wins, three MVP awards, 14 Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams, two Offensive Player of the Year awards and the 2009 Comeback Player of the Year. Brady was also one of two players, with the other being a punter, named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team twice. He was the First-Team quarterback on both the 2000’s team and 2010’s team. Brady’s career record is 230-69, a win percentage of 76.9. Added onto having the most wins in NFL history, he also has the best win percentage of quarterbacks that have started at least 85 games in the NFL. Brady has led the NFL in passing yards three times over his 20- year career. He has also led the league in passing touchdowns four times. Brady’s 581 passing touchdowns are the most in NFL history as well. His 79,204 passing yards are just 1,154 yards behind the all-time passing yards leader, Drew Brees, who is expected to retire this offseason. In his career, Tom Brady has made 10 Super Bowl appearances in 20 years. This means half of his seasons have ended in the Super Bowl. To put this into perspective, Brady has more Super Bowl appearances than 31 of 32 NFL teams. His seven Super Bowl wins are more than every NFL franchise. Brady’s playoff numbers are what truly set him above the rest. Brady has played in 45 playoff games and has an outstanding 34-11 record. The next most playoff wins at the quarterback position is 16. He has 12,449 passing yards in the Playoffs, the most in NFL Playoff history, and he is an astounding 5,110 yards above the second most (Peyton Manning). The 43-year-old quarterback also has the most passing touchdowns in playoff history with 83 passing touchdowns, a large gap between the next most, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Montana (45 touchdowns). Throughout Tom Brady’s career, the narrative around him was that he was a system quarterback and had the best coach ever by his side, Bill Belichick. Going into the 2020-2021 NFL season, many predicted that Brady would have little to no success without his head coach. When the season started slow for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, those who believed Brady was a system quarterback were loving it. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the 2019-2020 season with a 7-9 record and 41 turnovers. With Brady at the helm in 2020-2021, the Bucs finished the season with an 11-5 record and 17 turnovers. A drastic change. Head Coach Bruce Arians gives the credit to Brady, saying “His leadership is off the charts… He brought a winning mentality to a really talented football team that didn’t know how to win… [Brady’s] preparation was unbelievable, but just how it rubs off on the rest of the football team.” Before this season, maybe you could have argued that Tom Brady wasn’t the best quarterback of all time, but now, there is no more arguing. It’s over; Tom Brady is the GOAT. But wait…Brady announced after the Super Bowl that he’s coming back for another season. Will he win an eighth Super Bowl and add on to his Hall of Fame resume? Only time will tell. By: Blake Malick Contributing Writer PHOTO PRINTED PERMISSION BY UNSPLASHED Football on a grass field. By: Flor Ana Mireles Copy Editor