Tom Brady recently put pen to paper on a 10-year, US$375 million mega-deal with Fox Sports. Brady will join the Fox Sports team as a Sunday Night Football analyst, but only once he retires from playing in the NFL. Of course, he might join Fox earlier if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are eliminated from the playoffs, and he calls it a day when that happens. 

However, if early fan signals are anything to go by, Fox Sports might not get the viewership numbers they were hoping for when they signed Brady. 

The Brady Factor Has No Effect on 47% of Americans

According to Front Office Sports survey, almost half of American viewers, who don’t consider themselves NFL fans, will tune in when Brady analyzes games on Fox Sports.

The survey found that 47% of American viewers were no more or less likely to watch NFL games that were analyzed by Brady. 

However, the numbers are better when NFL fans were surveyed. 41% of the NFL fans that were asked whether they would be more likely to tune in to an NFL game if Brady was analyzing the match said that they would be more eager to watch that game.

So, even though the announcement that Brady has signed a mega-deal was all over the news, the average American, and to some extent, NFL fans, are not that impressed with it.

A Fox Ambassador – Not Analyst

But the people at Fox Sports don’t seem to have a problem with that. Lachlan Murdoch, Fox Corp. CEO is said to see Brady in what could be described as more of an ambassadorial role

In essence, Brady has been signed as an NFL analyst, but the main reason he was recruited was to represent the Fox Sports brand.

In a recent press conference, Murdoch said that Brady would be their “partner in sports.” In Lachlan’s words, the legendary quarterback would be “an ambassador for Fox, working with advertisers and clients. Engaged in marketing.”

So, while Brady joining Fox Sports is a big-money move, it seems like the seven-time Super Bowl winner was brought in for his fame and stature rather than his knowledge and understanding of the sport. 

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