Tom Brady broke the all-time passing yards record while facing his former team, the New England Patriots, at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, marking Week 4 of the 2021-22 NFL season.

Brady, at 44 years of age, continues to defy age, reason and redefine preconceived notions about America’s beloved game being only a young man’s game.

On Sunday, Brady, facing his former team New England at Gillette Stadium, broke Drew Brees’ all-time passing record, as he helped lift the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the 19-17 win over the Patriots. 

In the broad spectrum of things, it proved to be an uneventful moment. Barely registering in the stands and amongst fans. Had the NBC announcers not alerted viewers to the historic moment, it might have come and gone without commentary.

Suppose, the occasion of his return to his old stomping grounds for the first time since leaving for Tampa Bay last season overshadowed all else. NFL schedulers intentionally schedule this game for Sunday night football because they knew the hype and buzz surrounding the reunion between quarterback and former head coach would be enormous. And so, it was. 

It was all the media could talk about in the lead up to Week 4’s NFL action. How the reunion between Brady and Bill Belichick would unfold? Who would emerge victorious? 

Brady himself wasn’t immune to the occasion, and he released an emotional video before the game. It was a stirring tribute to his past and present and his journey from New England to Tampa Bay. And at the end of the game, following a narrow victory over the Patriots, he was visibly emotional, barely able to contain his feelings about what the day meant to him and the fact that he made history on the very same grounds where he hone his craft. 

In his post-game interview immediately after the game he warned, “I am not tearing up!” when the reporter observed what a special night it was. He admitted to being emotional all week as his return to Boston approached.

Nearly 20 years to the day after his NFL debut for the Patriots – which gave birth to one of the most dominant football teams over two decades in the history of the game and enviable quarterback-head coach partnerships – the veteran signal-caller returned to his old stomping ground to create more history, surpassing Drew Brees’ career passing yards record. 

Brees, now retired from football and part of the NBC cast, was there to witness Brady accomplish the incredible feat at Gillette Stadium.

“I just think it's an amazing statistic in that so many people can share in it with me," said Brady in his postgame news conference as he clutched the precious ball that took flight for those last few missing yards to eclipse Brees' record of 80,358 passing yards.

"Quarterback doesn't throw and catch, “ added Brady. “Quarterback can just throw it. It's yards. Passing yards have to be caught, so I just hope that everybody who caught passes from me over the years just had a little smile on their face tonight knowing they contributed to a very cool record.”  

Brady arrived at Gillette Stadium with 80,291 career passing yards – he needed merely 68 yards to break the record. When all was said and done, Brady went 22 of 43 for 269 passing yards. After he surpassed Brees, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback posted his congratulations to Brady on Instagram.

“We have had some epic battles over the years, but more importantly, have been able to develop a great friendship along the way. “ wrote Brees.  “Some may be surprised what you are doing at age 44, but I am not. Your commitment and dedication to this game, your team, and to being the very best, are second to none.”

Indeed, what Tom Brady is accomplishing in the game is second to none, and it’s earned him recognition for being the greatest player of all time even before he’s done with his career. That’s practically unheard of in sports. Usually, the greatness of a player in any sport is measured by posterity with the advantage of hindsight to compare and contrast sports athletes and their individual achievements in their entirety in order to determine who the best or greatest player of all time is. 

No NFL predictions could have ever predicted that Tom Brady, drafted almost as an afterthought in 2000 in the sixth round and at No.199 would become the greatest footballer to have ever played in the NFL. 

For years, many were reluctant to give him the credit he deserved. Often, he was most unfairly dismissed as being just a “system” quarterback, the product of Bill Belichick’s coaching genius and not a bona fide standalone talent. The debate about who was more responsible for creating the Patriots dynasty raged for years – was it Brady? Or was it Belichick? Many leaned towards the latter, arguing Brady would never be as successful as he was on any other team and without Belichick.

Well, on February 7, 2021, Brady put paid on that notion when he won Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – his seventh career Super Bowl victory.  And at the same time, he cemented his place in the history books as the greatest quarterback of all time, if not the greatest footballer of all time. 

After a year at Michigan, Jamal Crawford declared for the NBA Draft where the Chicago Bulls took him ninth overall.

Crawford would not blossom into a superstar, but he is one of the rare men to have competed in 20 NBA seasons, an astounding achievement for any athlete.  The sharpshooter began a 16-year streak of at least 10 Points per Game in 2002-03, with half of them exceeding 17, peaking with a 20.6 PPG when he was a Knick in 2007-08.  New York traded him to Golden State early in the 2008-09 Season, and that was his last year as a starter, but it would be far from the end of his career, as he would become one of the best bench players in Basketball.

Signing with Atlanta in 2009, Crawford was now coming off the bench, but he excelled in that role.  He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in his first year in ATL, and would win two more as a Clipper (2014 & 2016).  Also, a Trail Blazer (2011-12), Crawford’s work ethic and mentorship earned him the NBA Teammate of the Year Award in 2017-18, his lone year with the Timberwolves.  

Crawford finished his career with Phoenix and Brooklyn, and retired with a career average of 14.6 Points per Game.  He won’t get a look from Springfield, but his career should never be forgotten.

Depending on where you are in the world, certain sports will be incredibly popular, whereas others are barely acknowledged and hardly watched. This can be down to a multitude of factors, such as if a particular sport is taught at schools, if the sport has a thriving, successful or wealthy league in a particular nation, or if there is a particular star player from that country, who is so popular that people who never previously watched that sport decide to start tuning in, just to lend their support to their famous star.

For instance, in the world of Formula 1, it is likely that the people of the Netherlands never paid much attention to the sport for great periods of time. There wasn’t a race held there, and while there were odd seasons when a Dutch driver was participating, it never seemed to be for more than a season at a time. This all changed in 2015 when Max Verstappen entered the sport and was soon driving for one of the top teams, Red Bull. In addition, for the first time in 36 years, a race was held in the Netherlands this year, with Verstappen thankfully winning it with relative ease, which lead to the crowd going absolutely wild for him.

Formula 1 is a very popular sport, with an estimated 87.4 million people watching each race in 2020. These numbers have certainly been increased since the Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’ was first broadcast in 2019, as the show has introduced the sport to millions of people who would never previously have been interested in it. However, it is still not estimated to be in the top ten most popular sports in the world. Which sports do make it into this exclusive list? Read on to find out.

Big in the U.S. but not elsewhere

If you have ever travelled to the United States of America, you’d easily assume that because American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey are so popular there, that they must be all around the world. In fact, three of the four are relatively low down the list. American football is certainly the most popular sport in the U.S, with millions each week sitting down to watch the games, looking through their sports betting apps to find the best NFL picks for each game. But most of the viewers are located in North America, with not that many watching elsewhere in the world. In total, it is estimated around 425 million people regularly watch American football.

Baseball is in eighth position (golf is in ninth) which may come as a surprise to many. It is hugely popular in the US, but also parts of Central America, and most importantly Japan. In total, around 510 million people would call themselves fans of the sport.

Basketball is in seventh. Another sport popular in the U.S., it also attracts fans and viewers in parts of Eastern Europe and the Pacific.

A few surprises higher up the table

Seeing Table Tennis in sixth and Volleyball in fifth will certainly come as a surprise to many people. Table Tennis picks up a lot of its viewers in Asia, specifically China, which makes sense given some of the most famous table tennis players come from there.

Volleyball is estimated to have 900 million followers, and spread evenly around the world, in places such as Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia.

Tennis places in fourth, with around 1 billion fans worldwide. Considering major events are held in North America, Europe and Oceania, it makes sense that there is a split across these continents for where the bulk of tennis fans are from.

We were very surprised to see hockey quite so high in fourth place, even if it encompasses both field hockey and ice hockey. It certainly appeals to a wide range of people, with an approximate 2.2 billion people tuning in in Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia.

Who comes out on top?

For readers outside of Europe, Oceania or parts of Asia, you will be surprised to see Cricket quite so high on the list. It cannot be overstated just how popular the sport is. Yes, many people watch it in England, Australia and New Zealand, but the majority of fans come from Asia, specifically Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. The people of India adore the sport, with the players worshipped like they are gods. The captain of the men’s cricket team, Virat Kolhi, has 150 million Instagram followers, which truly emphasises just how popular Cricket is.

Out on top is soccer. According to some statistics, there are nearly 4 billion fans across the globe, which is more than half of the world population. It is played in every country, doesn’t require much equipment, and is very easy to watch on television. Therefore, it is no surprise to see it at number one.

Let’s face it, we all know why we tune in to the Super Bowl. We tune in for the action on the pitch, and to see if the NFL Super Bowl odds are true for the match in question. We watch for the exhilarating, edge of your seat excitement that comes with figuring out who will hit the next touchdown, and for the sigh of relief and ecstasy that we get at the end of the game when our favorite team wins that Super Bowl Championship trophy.

Of course, there are a lot of things to love about football beyond just the game itself. We get the chance to enjoy the companionship of friends and family as we watch the action unfold - it’s even a ritual TV watching experience for many. But there’s another reason why we often watch the Super Bowl. That’s right - it’s for the Halftime shows.

The half time shows in the Super Bowl are often something to really sing and dance about. They often feature big names and fantastic performances to remember, making each year a unique one. In order to illustrate our point, we’ve written this list of the 10 best star performances from Super Bowl halftime shows. Why not watch some of them back while you read? We’re sure you won’t regret it! 

1. Michael Jackson – 1993

Going way back to the 90’s to 1993, we have the acclaimed performance from the King of Pop Himself - Michael Jackson! This performance was truly spectacular and something to remember, featuring Jackson starting the show on two jumbotrons with a few body doubles. He sang a few crowd pleasers, including Jam, Billie Jean, and Black or White. We even got a treat watching his famous moonwalk! The show ended with a gorgeous performance of Heal the World alongside Los Angeles children. 

     2. Madonna – 2012

Before she released her big MDNA album in 2012, pop icon Madonna made her way onto the Super Bowl halftime show with a breathtaking 12 minute long performance. In the performance, guest stars were included - such as LMFAO, M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj. Cee Lo Green even got in on the action! A few big highlights included renditions of Vogue, Party Rock Anthem/ Sexy and I Know It, Like a Prayer and more. We especially enjoyed watching the performance, since it was so aesthetically pleasing with unique costumes. 

     3. Justin Timberlake - 2018

Who doesn’t like a bit of Justin Timberlake? Everyone loved his performance in 2018, and it was certainly a huge improvement from a situation with Janet Jackson 14 years earlier. He certainly redeemed himself in this 2018 show. In the show, Timberlake chose to sing some songs from his new album at the time, entitled Man of the Woods.

     4. Lady Gaga – 2017

If you wanted an eccentric Super Bowl Halftime show, you were most certainly going to get one with Lady Gaga. It was truly a sight to behold. Gaga graced us all with a fantastic show with hits such as Born This Way and an arrangement of the anthem, Star Spangled Banner. She also sang a few fan favorite songs like Poker Face and Telephone. At the end, she jumped off the stage and caught a glitter covered football as the sky lit up with gorgeous fireworks.

     5. Katy Perry – 2015

2015 brought with it a pop princess and… Sharks? This quirky performance was pretty exciting, with the titular artist riding onto the stage on a massive metallic lion. She delighted fans with a few hits including I Kissed a Girl, Roar and more. A massive 118.5 million people tuned in to watch, which at this point made it the single most watched halftime show in history. This record has since been beaten, but it’s an impressive feat nonetheless.

      6 . Beyonce - 2013

People had been wanting a Beyonce performance in the Super Bowl for many years, and they finally got it in 2013. She was even joined on the stage by Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland and they sang some Destiny’s Child favorites. The costumes were wonderful, the performance was spectacular - it was basically the performance of any super bowl fan’s dreams. We certainly love to see it! 

      7. Beyonce, Coldplay and Bruno Mars – 2016

Of course, that wouldn’t be the only time that Beyonce performed in the Super Bowl either. We were also delighted to see her make her way onto the stage with Coldplay and Bruno Mars in 2016. The audience participation here was fantastic, with fans holding up cards in various colors to create sunset colors before Coldplay began singing Viva La Vida. The show had energy, spunk and intrigue that fans went wild for, accumulating in a combined performance at the end from the three artists.

      8. Shakira and J-Lo – 2020

What better duo than Shakira and Jennifer Lopez for the 2020 54th Super Bowl? This performance consisted of a few great Shakira hits like She Wolf, Whenever, Wherever and More. J-Lo, on the other hand, sang Jenny from the Block, Get It Right, On The Floor and other hits. For the final performance, they sang together. It was great to watch! 

      9. Prince - 2007 

The first instance of rain in the Super Bowl came in 2007 with the Prince performance. It was a wonderful performance, including many great songs like Let’s Go Crazy, and covers of The Best of You from The Foo Fighters.

      10. Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney was a great choice for a half time performance as a former Beatle, and he certainly did not disappoint! He sang a few major hits like Drive My Car, Live and Let Die and for the finale, a stunning rendition of Hey Jude. It was most certainly one that Super Bowl fans would not soon regret in the many years to come. 

We’ve had many performances through the years, but these are just some of the best. We’re certainly excited to see what the 2021 Super Bowl brings!