Althouse: Body-shaming Tom Brady.

July 23, 2018

Body-shaming Tom Brady.

Strangely apt.

So wrong and yet so right.

78 comments:

Chuck said...: "This is how you get more Tom Brady Super Bowl MVP's."; 7/23/18, 12:14 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Once you pass 40, it is hard to maintain any kind of ripped and muscular look without using either anabolic steroids, or just lifting weights excessively. And in the off-season, I imagine a lot of players back off any weight training a great deal before getting back into playing shape. Still, I don't see any fat on his body- a very lean athletic look for any man over the age of 40, and as a QB, muscle mass doesn't help you that much- throwing a football is a lot more about the mechanics and the speed with which he can move his arm.; 7/23/18, 12:15 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I remember a several years ago, probably before he became governor, of seeing a photograph taken of Arnold Schwarzenegger at a beach in just Speedos- other than the face, you would never have thought it was him- not once.; 7/23/18, 12:19 PM
glenn said...: Arm looks OK.; 7/23/18, 12:21 PM
robother said...: So is the wide receiver golf cart the latest NFL rule change? Less high impact helmet to helmet contact with cornerbacks, I suppose.; 7/23/18, 12:22 PM
Unknown said...: He looks more fit than the average man half his age.; 7/23/18, 12:23 PM
PM said...: Meh. In a few months, he'll be shaming DBs.; 7/23/18, 12:23 PM
BarrySanders20 said...: Look at The woman whose hand he is holding. She doesn’t seem to mind the absence of a 6 pack. Isn’t that the reason for having one? Can’t see Tom caring much about what other men, straight, gay, or gay curious, think about his physique. Eyes on the prize people.; 7/23/18, 12:24 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: He looks fine to me. Perhaps it's the shorts?; 7/23/18, 12:24 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Overly sculpted only happens when you live in the gym and give up having a, you know, actual life.; 7/23/18, 12:25 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: If he had a beer gut hanging over and out, I'd be appalled. Simply appalled. OK - I'd give a rip.; 7/23/18, 12:27 PM
Big Mike said...: He must have had some pretty serious surgery to have a scar like that at his waistline. Since he beats his opponents with his brain, I don’t quite see what the issue is.; 7/23/18, 12:27 PM
rehajm said...: His body today looks exactly like his combine body from 18 years ago.; 7/23/18, 12:29 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: What's missing are tube sox inside Birkenstocks. The distraction from nefarious Russian meddling would be off the charts good.; 7/23/18, 12:29 PM
D 2 said...: if Brady doesn't lose 3.2lbs, I heard Belichick is gonna cut his ass and go with that uncontacted tribesman.; 7/23/18, 12:32 PM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: Brett Favre, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, even Aaron Rodgers; non are ripped specimens.

QBs are required to have a different skill set than all other players.; 7/23/18, 12:33 PM
Comanche Voter said...: You can't see inside the head---which is about 75% of the difference between an NFL quarterback MVP and an also ran who never made an NFL team, but was a standout in college.

20% is the arm and I assume Brady still has one. So I'm not going to worry about any softness around the middle.

Way back in the way back, I was an ardent San Diego Chargers fan. That year Indianapolis and San Diego had the Number one and number two draft picks in the NFL draft. Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were the two standout quarterbacks in that year's draft. A sports psychologist interviewed both of them and opined, "One of the two of them is an NFL quarterback, the other is not." Well the Colts used their number one pick to take Peyton Manning. The Chargers went second and took Ryan Leaf. Leaf was probably a physically superior specimen to Manning at the time. But he was a total bust--and out of the league in three years. Peyton was Peyton--headed to the Hall of Fame. And "headed" is the right work. It's the football smarts and decision making ability that makes a quarterback great--not a chiseled gut.; 7/23/18, 12:43 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: What's wrong with that photo? He looks pretty good to me :-)

Not out of shape at all IMO. Plus, the type of athletics that he does and the type of athlete that he IS requires a leaner. longer limbed, less muscle bound body. Quarterback. Not lineman. Swimmer bod, not a weight lifter.; 7/23/18, 12:44 PM
Chuck said...: Big Mike said...
He must have had some pretty serious surgery to have a scar like that at his waistline. Since he beats his opponents with his brain, I don’t quite see what the issue is.

Emergency appendectomy when he was at Michigan. Overshadowed, news-wise, by the fact that Brian Griese stepped into the starting QB role and led Michigan to 12-0 and a Rose Bowl win.; 7/23/18, 12:44 PM
rehajm said...: Did the sport psychologist pick the right one?; 7/23/18, 12:53 PM
eric said...: I wish I looked half as good.; 7/23/18, 12:54 PM
Sal said...: All of the men 'body shaming' him are gay. No other explanation.; 7/23/18, 12:57 PM
MacMacConnell said...: Brady today is built like most college QBs. Those aren't muffin tops, they are muscles.; 7/23/18, 1:02 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I find it interesting that the mountain climbers in the Tour de France are scrawny and small and the flat-lander sprinters have huge muscular legs.; 7/23/18, 1:02 PM
Ralph L said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/23/18, 1:06 PM
stevew said...: You want six-pack abs you need to dehydrate. And Giselle looks a bit dumpy too, no?

-sw; 7/23/18, 1:12 PM
Ralph L said...: If he beefed up the man boobs, the rib protector would keep sliding down.

It's surprising his arms aren't more tan.; 7/23/18, 1:15 PM
PM said...: Comanche Voter:
"Knock it off, okay!"; 7/23/18, 1:17 PM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/23/18, 1:22 PM
richlb said...: I look roughly as in-shape as Tom Brady. My wife looks nowhere near as good as Giselle. Facts.; 7/23/18, 1:23 PM
Ralph L said...: Meanwhile, Ben AFLAC goes the way of Alec Baldwin.; 7/23/18, 1:27 PM
Rabel said...: I'll disagree with the crowd and say that he is just a bit soft but will tone up quickly when pre-season starts. You don't need a lot of NFL style muscle to throw the ball, but you need it to survive the hits.

On the other hand Brady has a ripped, bulging, Mr. Universe championship wallet in his back pocket so he'll be OK.; 7/23/18, 1:30 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Only people who don't know anything about sports or bodybuilding would equate shredded with athletic.

People shred for photos or certain movie scenes. They are in an unhealthy, dehydrated state. Eating plans for this are not performance enhancing; they are certain appearance enhancing. Bad for athletes.; 7/23/18, 1:41 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: People are confusing body fat percentage and muscle mass. Ripped comes mostly from low body fat percentage and only somewhat from muscle mass, which varies widely among people described as ripped.; 7/23/18, 1:47 PM
Curious George said...: I'll bet Aaron Rodgers finds him hot.; 7/23/18, 1:51 PM
Virgil Hilts said...: Rabel is correct; it's the off-season. I do wonder, however, whether Tony Romo (I miss Tony), Brady (who has been lucky injury-wise) and some other QBs might be better off bulking up like Tim Tebow. Tebow seemed to play injury free, but in his last game for Denver - against Brady - he suffered torn cartilage/bruised lung after a brutal sack. The same sack would have put most QBs in a hospital. I think the last 3 times I saw Romo start a game he ended up in the hospital.
Last year Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Tannehill, Sam Bradford. Carson Palmer, Deshaun Watson, (and to lesser extent) Jameis Winston, Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota and Jay Cutler all went down. The same thing that is happening with pedestrians and SUVs is happening with QBs and SUV-like defensive players. The sport cannot continue in its course.
I think Brady - God bless him - should retire while he's healthy.; 7/23/18, 1:51 PM
Anonymous said...: For comparison sake look at Giselle. Given that photo you wouldn't expect her to be probably the top model in the world. Tommy looks about the same body wise as when he reported to the Pats 1,000 years ago. Photo. He has never been an Adonis.; 7/23/18, 1:58 PM
rcocean said...: Other than the man boobs, which will tighten up once he starts weight training again, I don't see the problem

You don't need Six-pack abs to throw a football.; 7/23/18, 2:06 PM
rcocean said...: One problem athletes face when they retire:

They have a problem adjusting their calories intake to match their reduced physical activity.

Result: They go to fat - fast.; 7/23/18, 2:08 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I think it's nice that so many guys get to say: That's how I look!; 7/23/18, 2:28 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I'm sure abs are involved in throwing the football and it's not just a matter of the arm.; 7/23/18, 2:29 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: Yeah, the Pats should cut him in favor of a QB who is ripped like Colin Kaepernick.

And Giselle should eat something.; 7/23/18, 2:34 PM
Spiros Pappas said...: Is it really healthy for men to think more highly of themselves than reality warrants?
Most of you dudes are nowhere near as healthy or slim as Mr. Brady is. You realize this right?!; 7/23/18, 2:39 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: I'm sure abs are involved in throwing the football and it's not just a matter of the arm.

Yes, as are all the major muscle groups. And there is no reason to assume, based on that picture, that he does not have impressive ab muscles. One thing that is not involved in throwing the football is extremely low body fat. The amount of body fat he has will in no way reduce his ability to throw the ball.; 7/23/18, 2:42 PM
rehajm said...: Tom Brady combine photo

We're not selling jeans here; 7/23/18, 2:42 PM
readering said...: Have at Mr Brady. Like me, he handles unfair criticism with ease. But hands off Mrs Brady. Don't know whether that photo was taken just before or just after her 38th birthday, but either way the mother of two looks like a Latin goddess to me.; 7/23/18, 2:43 PM
Ralph L said...: Sonny Jerguson had a decent sized gut overhanging his pants when he was Redskins QB in the 70's, but he could throw much better than Billy Kilmer, who wasn't trim either.; 7/23/18, 2:51 PM
chuck said...: Feast your eyes on the Babe.; 7/23/18, 2:59 PM
readering said...: Joe Namath didn't have a gut but he didn't have a 6 pack either. He was my idol. Saw him play in person once. Pokiest bootleg TD run imaginable.; 7/23/18, 3:05 PM
Ralph L said...: A visible six pack is probably a detriment to football play, but I wouldn't know for 2 reasons.; 7/23/18, 3:29 PM
readering said...: And speaking of great athletes who did not look like Adonis as they got older . . . . I was visiting Phoenix in May 1989 to attend Lakers-Suns playoff games. Training at the same small hotel-healthclub was George Foreman. His Bert Cooper fight there was part of his second comeback, age 40. He, his trainer and I were the only ones in the small gym for an hour. He was enormous and not in a good way. As LA Times columnist Jim Murray wrote after the fight: ""I am the hope of every man over 40," boomed George. He's also the hope of every guy who can't tighten his belt any more."; 7/23/18, 3:35 PM
Jamie said...: My church organist is a competitive body builder; when he's prepping for competition, he eats almost nothing and drinks from a gallon jug of what looks like antifreeze. And then, immediately before, i understand the role is no fluids at all so that his muscles stand out. You can't play football on that.; 7/23/18, 3:36 PM
Breezy said...: Bodies aside, why do we need a pic of them at the beach, kissing?
Speaking as a Pats fan here..; 7/23/18, 3:38 PM
John Scott said...: I'd hazard to guess that, save for a few less pounds, Brady looked the same in his twenties as he does now. On the opposite side of the coin, if you were able to bulk up and get ripped in your younger days you can probably do the same much later in life, just not to the same degree. No steroids needed.; 7/23/18, 3:40 PM
Koot Katmandu said...: I dunno looks like the normal body of non gym rat man in his early 20s to me and he is 40. You do not need bulging muscles to be strong and fit.; 7/23/18, 3:41 PM
jacksonjay said...: Quick, show me a picture of Topless Tim Tebow. The guy trying to play baseball. Same guy that HASN'T played in 8 and won 5 Super Bowls!

My favorite baseball player is Jose Altuve! Probably been teased about his size.; 7/23/18, 3:49 PM
HT said...: I'm going with "so wrong." So wrong because if you watched those mini Facebook movies like I have, you would see that with him, it is not about strength, but rather keeping muscles lean and loose - he has a word for it, I can't remember what he used (it's not his word, but a very descriptive word) - so that if they get hit, the impact is less (or something). He may have gained a few extra pounds, yes. Personally, after that loss, I see it being very difficult for him to regain the motivation for another successful campaign. But he's been counted out many a time before. As for his dietary zeal, I don't disapprove because Americans need someone high profile to be advocating like he is.; 7/23/18, 3:55 PM
rehajm said...: he has a word for it, I can't remember what he used

Pliability.; 7/23/18, 3:58 PM
HT said...: That was one of them, but there's another....; 7/23/18, 3:59 PM
mccullough said...: The obliques are much more involved in throwing (and hitting) than the abs. It’s much more of a quick twitch muscle fiber movement. A six pack ain’t going to help. CC Sabbathis and Bartolommeo Colon are fat and old. And they both still pitch in MLB. So does Chris Sake who is skinny. The core in throwing is the obliques. If you can quickly stretch them and contract them (with help from the muscles that attach the legs to the pelvis), you can throw.; 7/23/18, 4:03 PM
Ken B said...: No one mentioned her. She looks fine but not buff. I think that’s a point in his favour, no trophy wife.; 7/23/18, 4:05 PM
HT said...: I was thinking of "softening," but pliability is the same thing I guess.; 7/23/18, 4:06 PM
rehajm said...: I was thinking of "softening," but pliability is the same thing I guess.

Oh, yes. I recall he's taking much grief for 'softening'. Who wants soft muscles?; 7/23/18, 4:10 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: which one's Brady? *snort*; 7/23/18, 4:39 PM
Ralph L said...: Loose-limbed?; 7/23/18, 5:22 PM
Jaq said...: it would be interesting to put him to some practical physical test head to head against one of these thirty year old guys whose main object of his workout is to be photographed to get pussies wet.; 7/23/18, 5:27 PM
Jaq said...: Who needs a six pack when you have a keg, I always say.; 7/23/18, 5:29 PM
MaxedOutMama said...: We have formed very unrealistic ideas of what an "in-shape" body looks like. That's my takeaway.

Yes, it's off-season, but he's not going to look much different when playing.; 7/23/18, 6:01 PM
Comanche Voter said...: I never saw a picture of Chargers quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Fouts with his shirt off. He was tall and blocky--and as part of Air Coryell in the late 70's and early 80's he was a holy terror--both to opposing teams, and to his own team mates. Coryell and Fouts played precision passing football. On any given play Fouts threw to a spot--which his receiver was supposed to reach at a specific time. Fouts would stand in the jaws of defense line Hell until it was time for him to throw--because he had to throw at a specific time if he was going to hit that spot "on time". He frequently got the ball off just before he took an awesome hit. But that was part of the job. But woe betide the receiver who did not hit the "spot" where the ball was delivered at the appointed time. Those guys were a little slow getting back to the huddle.

Fouts played for at least a dozen years and took all those lickings without complaint and was in shape enough to be relatively injury free.; 7/23/18, 6:42 PM
Unknown said...: Is Giselle preggers?

What is up with that lower ab pooch

and saggy wrinkled boobs?; 7/23/18, 7:39 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: readering said...
Joe Namath didn't have a gut but he didn't have a 6 pack either. He was my idol. Saw him play in person once. Pokiest bootleg TD run imaginable.

His knees.; 7/23/18, 7:46 PM
traditionalguy said...: Winning in football comes from quickness. You have to move out of the way quicker than the guys aiming to collide with you can get there. That comes from having a physics vector problem calculator that works instantly, and then the body comes along for the ride.

One might say that fasting helps more than pumping iron.; 7/23/18, 7:58 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: @ Ann
I think it's nice that so many guys get to say: That's how I look!

Not that many, I would venture. Meade looks fit and trim.

95% of guys his age and older are thinking: dang, I need to lose some weight.; 7/23/18, 8:16 PM
cubanbob said...: 95% of guys his age and older are thinking: dang, I need to lose some weight."

That low a percentage? You sir are an optimist.; 7/23/18, 9:18 PM
Howard said...: Pliability. He has a book about it. He recommends a daily routine rolling all over with a vibrating foam roller and vibrating ball. It's like giving yourself a deep tissue rolfing session.
https://tb12sports.com/collections/pliability

He's slow as snot running a 5.3 40-yrd. Throwing, like everything else, comes from the hips. The hips are anchored by the iliapsoas which you cannot see.; 7/23/18, 9:53 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Need to do a few more push-ups, Tom.; 7/23/18, 10:50 PM
Sternhammer said...: That guy is maybe the greatest athlete in history. If you think his body looks bad that shows that your idea of athleticism is based on movies, not on watching actual sports.

The criticism is just dumb. And when Althouse says it is "apt," that only shows how bitter she is about the Patriots humiliating the Packers every year.; 7/24/18, 9:00 AM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: The criticism is just dumb. And when Althouse says it is "apt," that only shows how bitter she is about the Patriots humiliating the Packers every year.

Patriots are 2 - 2 against the Packers during the Brady era.

Overall, the Packers hold 6 -5 series edge over the Patriots. This includes the Packers XXXI Super Bowl win over the Pats.; 7/24/18, 11:22 AM