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Text © 2020 Bob Gurnett

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ISBN 978-1-4549-3324-3

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Cover and interior design by Heather Kelly

Image credits are on page 128

CONTENTS

WHAT IS A G.O.A.T?

1    LITTLE TOMMY

2    JUST ANOTHER GUY

3    THE COMEBACK KID

4    SUPER TOM

5    ALMOST PERFECT

6    DOWN BUT NOT OUT

7    THE BRADY DYNASTY

8    THE G.O.A.T.

9    AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

10  STATISTICS AND RECORDS

11  RIVALRIES

12  WHO ELSE?

13  TOM’S FUTURE

GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

IMAGE CREDITS

WHAT IS A

G.O.A.T?

Most people do not want to be compared to a barnyard animal, but a G.O.A.T. is different. These G.O.A.T.s aren’t found in petting zoos, but you can see them on the gridiron, the hardwood, the ice, and the diamond. G.O.A.T. is an acronym that stands for Greatest of All Time. It takes lifelong dedication, non-stop hard work, and undeniable talent just to become a professional athlete. But to become the greatest of all time, well, that’s nearly impossible. There are a handful of athletes who are widely thought to be the G.O.A.T. of their sport. Swimmer Michael Phelps moves like a fish in water, but he is also the G.O.A.T. with 23 Olympic gold medals, the most of all time. Tennis player Serena Williams is the G.O.A.T. with 23 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, more than any woman or man.

But for some sports, a G.O.A.T. is not as easy to identify and fans may disagree about who is the greatest of all time. If you asked five baseball fans who the greatest baseball player of all time is, you might get five or more different answers—say, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Cy Young, Lou Gehrig, or maybe rising young superstar Mike Trout. The G.O.A.T. may change, depending on who is asked, and what that person’s reasons, or criteria, are. Babe Ruth won seven World Series, had a .342 lifetime batting average, and is still in third place all time for home runs, even though he retired over 80 years ago, in 1935. Willie Mays did not have the same prowess at the plate as Ruth, but he is still considered the best defensive player in history. Different players, different achievements, but both are still the greatest at what they did. Fans will disagree as to who the true G.O.A.T. is, but to even be considered for this distinction, a player must be one of the best to ever live.

Football has its own G.O.A.T. debate. Ask 20 people and you may get 20 different answers on who is the greatest football player of all time. Is it Peyton Manning? He holds almost every regular-season passing record. Is it Jerry Rice? He has more all-purpose yards than any player ever. Maybe it is Lawrence Taylor, the fierce defensive back who once recorded over 20 sacks in a season. If you ask this question, a lot of people will say the G.O.A.T. isn’t in the Hall of Fame because he is still playing at a very high level, even in his early 40s. New England quarterback Tom Brady certainly has a claim to the mantle of G.O.A.T. Let’s review the evidence, for and against, and see if you agree!