Tom Brady Channeled His Inner Michael Jordan With a Subtle, Yet Successful Cover-Up
Tom Brady is one of the greatest professional athletes we’ve ever seen, and he showed us why in Super Bowl 55. He did away with the Kansas City Chiefs in one half’s worth of work with the help of his defense. Brady cruised to his seventh Super Bowl Title, defeating Kansas City in convincing fashion 31-9.
Winning a Super Bowl is similar to finally reaching the peak of a mountain. Now that Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made it to the top, it’s time to celebrate. In the middle of relishing his seventh ring, Brady channeled his inner Michael Jordan with a subtle cover-up.
Tom Brady is an Under Armour athlete
Many might not realize that Tom Brady has an endorsement deal with Under Armour. He doesn’t pop up in their ads with regularity, but he’s an active brand endorser. He’s been a part of the company for over a decade now.
He signed with the company in 2010 after leaving its biggest competitor: Nike. When he joined Under Armour, he was given an ownership stake in the company. His wife, Gisele Bündchen, also has an endorsement deal with UA, joining them in 2017.
He’s been sporting their cleats, gloves, and other sportswear when he plays. He was a pivotal player in helping Under Armour test their performance sleepwear clothing. Being one of their most prominent athletes, Brady even has his own clothing line with UA, which is unique for a football player.
Tom Brady might be the biggest star on Under Armour’s roster, but he isn’t the only one. The Brand also has endorsement deals with former MVP Cam Newton and Joel Embiid. Stephen Curry is also with UA, having his own brand with the company too.
Despite the star power the company has, it has experienced falling sales and stock prices even before the coronavirus pandemic, per The Baltimore Sun.
What could impact Brady and his ability to rep his brand is their contract with the NFL. The two sides have no intentions to renew their contract, which expires sometime soon.
The licensing deal UA had with the NFL allowed its logos to be shown on game accessories like gloves, bands, etc. With the contract expiring, players won’t be able to show the UA logo in that capacity. As long as Tom Brady gets to wear his UA gear, he’ll be fine.
Tom Brady subtly covers up the Nike logo while celebrating Super Bowl title
When an athlete endorses a company and its products, they don’t want to be caught repping a rival brand. Sometimes it is out of their control because of licensing contracts leagues have with companies.
The NFL currently has an apparel and equipment contract with Nike, so their logo is on everything. Just because the Nike check is on everything doesn’t mean it has to be shown, at least for Tom Brady.
While celebrating on the podium after Super Bowl 55, Brady noticed that the Nike logo on his compression turtle neck was showing. He quickly covered up the logo, pulling his shirt closer to his neck to conceal the Nike swoosh before posing for a photo.
The quick thinking and rapid action taken by Brady shows his loyalty to the Under Armour brand. His strong loyalty to UA has been around for a while.
Nike signed on as the NFL’s official uniform provider in 2012. For the past nine years, Brady has been subtly covering up the Nike logos on his game gear and apparel.
He would turn jerseys inside out, so the Nike logo wasn’t showing during interviews. He would also put tape over the Nike swoosh if the situation called for it. There’s no brand Brady is repping harder than Under Armour.
That subtle covering of the Nike logo brings memories of another athlete who showed unwavering loyalty to their brand. The common denominator between the two is that they both won at least six championships in their respective leagues, and they have die-hard loyalty to their brands.
Michael Jordan famously covers up the Reebok logo at the Olympics
When thinking about the 1992 Olympics, the historic “Dream Team” comes to mind. Michael Jordan led the crew, but they were full of talent. Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and more filled out the legendary roster. With that kind of talent, it was expected that the USA team would cruise to a gold medal in those Olympics, and they did.
Nike endorsed Jordan, but the U.S. Olympic Committee required all athletes to wear Rebook jumpsuits when taking the podium to accept their medals. Before this, Jordan and Barkley vehemently opposed wearing the jumpsuits. Despite the opposition, the USOC didn’t budge on its stance. That is when Air Jordan took matters into his own hands and made a sneaky but loyal move.
When approaching the podium to receive their medals, Jordan (and Barkley) took an American flag and draped it over their right shoulder. Draping it over the right shoulder covered up the Reebook logo, which is all Jordan wanted. When Jordan did this, everyone could see the hidden agenda behind it. Nevertheless, Jordan is loyal to his brand.
Tom Brady took a page out of Michael Jordan’s book, covering up a company rival’s logo in the midst of celebration. This kind of attention to detail made both Brady and Jordan two of the greatest athletes to ever live. With UA’s deal with the NFL expiring, Brady might have to conceal the very logo he’s so proudly been endorsing for the past decade.
