⚽️ Tom Brady’s Sporting Kindred Spirit

Like Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo is an athlete who can relate to extended greatness. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: Cristiano Ronaldo might not have inspired Tom Brady’s return, but it’s fitting that the two legends met the day before he did. ... We answer all the important questions ahead of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s NCAA Tournaments. ... and more! Tom Brady is coming back to the NFL and in this ultra-competitive modern media space, it is only right to salute the news breaker who had the information first. Take a bow … Cristiano Ronaldo? Ronaldo — the Manchester United soccer superstar — wasn’t fervently texting sources and trading info on Brady’s status, but when the pair met at United’s Old Trafford stadium on Saturday, he did what every good journalist should and asked the obvious question. "So, you’re done right?" Brady’s response was priceless. His coy reaction was the face that launched a thousand memes, with an awkward smile and what social media sleuths and lip readers believe was a drawn-out and non-committal "prooooobably." ​​​​​​​ [STORY IMAGE 1] A day later the announcement was in: Brady was back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd season in a move that threw everything for a loop and had the NFL world talking of nothing else. Suddenly, the NFC South is no longer wide open. Suddenly, the Deshaun Watson trade market looks very different. Suddenly, the answer to the hypothetical question of "Who will win eight Super Bowl rings?" isn’t necessarily "No one." Suddenly, the NFL has its biggest name and alpha male right in the thick of things once again. One thing the interaction between two legends of sports does is spark the delicious possibility that their meeting and Brady’s return were not entirely mutually exclusive. A day like Saturday, where he and his sons visited an elite sports event, sat in the nicest seats, got treated really well and shook hands with the star of the show afterward, is exactly the kind of thing you might expect Brady to do in retirement. Did watching Ronaldo still doing his thing at age 37 — tearing apart Tottenham with a spectacular hat-trick capped off with the 81st-minute game-winner — make Brady think that being the guy making magic happen is more fun than being one of the masses applauding him? [STORY IMAGE 2] "These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady wrote in his un-retirement message. "That time will come. But it’s not now." Whether there was anything more than coincidental timing involved or not, it is worth considering this: There are very few people Brady could talk to, especially those somewhere near his own age, who would have any idea what it is like to operate at this kind of elite level for so long. Michael Jordan is 59. In pro football, only three other quarterbacks have won more than two rings, and none of them are under the age of 55. "Always a pleasure to share some thoughts and ideas with another GOAT," Ronaldo shared on Instagram, before Brady thanked him with a smattering of Portuguese to show he’s picked up some solid Lusophone grammar from Gisele Bündchen after 13 years of marriage. Brady knows Derek Jeter and spent most of his time since leaving the New England Patriots renting a waterfront mansion from him in Tampa, but the ex-Yankees star is now eight years retired and hasn't won a World Series since 2009. [STORY IMAGE 3] In Ronaldo, still capable of performing at his prime and similarly committed to defying the aging process, perhaps Brady has found the closest thing to a sporting kindred spirit. Or maybe he just wanted to have a fun trip with his kids before the big reveal that would put him front and center of the news cycle again, with workouts and meetings and all that pre-season stuff to follow soon enough. Maybe the trip to England was part-business, part-pleasure. After all, United is owned by the Glazer family, who also own the Bucs. Maybe a return deal was finalized there. Maybe we will find out the details of how it all went down and what was going on in Brady’s head one day. Maybe we won’t. Either way, Brady’s brief retirement, which was entirely convincing, is over. No more endless scrutinizing of his every comment. No more links to the San Francisco 49ers. No more wondering if he might take a year out and then return. No more guesswork. [STORY IMAGE 4] "This guy has done nothing the last six weeks and has made himself the biggest story in sports three times," said FS1’s Nick Wright on "First Things First." "Tom Brady, worst retirer ever. GOAT football player, worst retirer I’ve ever seen." That’s a descriptor Brady will probably wear happily. After all, he had to be bad at something, right? Now he gets to play at the age of 45, a long-stated goal, and, with a bit of salary cap finagling, do it with a group capable of making another title run. Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that, after 22 years in the NFL and closer in age to John Elway than to Patrick Mahomes, Brady doesn't have anyone questioning whether he can still perform at the top level. He’s proved that. The doubters have given up because everyone gets sick of being wrong sooner or later. Remember all that talk about Tom vs. Time. As we all know, Tom won. Now he’s back for the rematch. [STORY IMAGE 5] [IN OTHER WORDS] - The Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket was released Sunday, and [FOX Sports Writer Laken Litman answers 10 key questions about the field](. - Chase Briscoe edged Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick at the Ruoff Mortgage 500 in Phoenix on Sunday. [FOX Sports NASCAR Writer Bob Pockrass outlines how it all went down](. - The Men’s NCAA Tournament is finally here! [FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst Andy Katz dives in to examine the field and outlines everything you need to know](. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Denver Nuggets at Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET) The new-look 76ers have won seven of their last nine as the Nuggets come to town. Phoenix Coyotes at Ottawa Senators (NHL, 7:30 p.m. ET) Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes into Ottawa for a matchup between two struggling teams. Milwaukee Bucks at Utah Jazz (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET) Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the defending champs (42-26) against Donovan Mitchell’s Jazz (42-25). [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( 2023 Super Bowl Odds: Buffalo Bills: +700 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +750 Green Bay Packers: +750 Kansas City Chiefs: +850 Besides sending shockwaves through the NFL world, Tom Brady's return significantly impacted next year's Super Bowl odds. The Buccaneers, who were +2800 before Brady's bombshell announcement, moved to +750 after TB12's tweet, tied for the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl in 2023. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2022 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900