Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player of all time, Michael Jordan basketball, Babe Ruth baseball and after winning his seventh ring last night, Tom Brady football. Now having more Super Bowl rings in his trophy cabinet than any NFL franchise, Brady has proved he is the greatest football player of all time.

The excitement leading up to Super Bowl LV mainly related to Brady facing Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has never lost by 10 points (until the Super Bowl), and his 44-9 record at the age of 25 has given him the privilege of being thought of second to Brady. However, as Brady’s gotten older and Mahomes has gotten more experience, people were anxious to see if Mahomes had the ability to beat the greatest quarterback in the game. Proving his age has not affected his game, Brady threw a three touchdown game emerging victorious in a 31-9 win, showing he isn’t ready to pass the torch quite yet. 

The 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft has proven time and time again that any player can be the greatest player in their sport, if they have the alpha mentality. The 6’4 QB out of the University of Michigan was seen as bony, thin and slow upon entering the draft, where he waited for 198 players to be picked ahead of him, including six other QB’s. Then after an injury to QB Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of the 2001 NFL Season, Brady’s second year, the perceived backup got his chance to shine.

Brady took the team to win its first Super Bowl in that very season against the Greatest Show on Turf Rams, and added two more Super Bowls to his name in 2003 and 2004. The Patriots took some tough losses in 2007 and 2012 to the New York Giants, but after cornerback Malcom Butler picked off Russell Wilson in Super Bowl XLIX, Brady was back on top. Finally Brady fully made his case to be the GOAT of the NFL after leading a 25-point comeback in the second half of Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons. Brady went on to beat the Rams in 2018, leading to an inevitable collapse of the Patriots dynasty in 2019.

The rest is history, Brady joins the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and with the help of an incredible coaching staff and supporting cast, Tom Brady sits atop the NFL with more rings than any NFL franchise. The 7-time Champion, 3-time MVP has forever cemented himself on the Mount Rushmore for all athletes ever. Brady’s story is something that anyone, athlete or not, can learn from, a counted-out, eager to succeed person can do just anything with a lot of effort and a little luck.