It’s a question that’s been asked many times over the last few months. Yet, there still isn’t a satisfactory answer.
Why does FOX think Tom Brady is worth $375 million to call NFL games?
The answer is, they’re not really paying him to call NFL games, says a longtime sports media agent.
On this week’s edition of the “Sports Media Mayhem” podcast, Brad Blank, who’s represented NFL players and commentators for nearly 40 years, says announcing football games is one of the last things FOX is paying Brady to do. Sure, there’s cache in having Tom Brady in the broadcast booth each Sunday. But there’s even more value in having him on the golf course with potential advertisers.
“He’s gonna be used by FOX to do all sorts of their business,” Blank said. “Let’s say Budweiser is their biggest sponsor. When they go out and schmooze Budweiser, Tom will be involved in that. All of a sudden, his ability to get executives excited about advertising with FOX is almost invaluable. His job might be doing the broadcast, of course, but then playing golf with a bunch of car executives. His ability to do that, and make them feel good about their relationship with FOX is worth so much money, that whatever they’re paying him is justified by that.”
When FOX Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the Brady deal, he said the seven-time Super Bowl champ would be an “ambassador” for the FOX Sports brand. FOX could also partner with Brady’s nascent production company, 199 Productions, and other parts of his brand, from the BRADY clothing line to TB12 fitness.
While former ESPN president John Skipper recently called Brady a “very, very expensive trophy,” Blank says FOX probably views him as the ultimate trump card against their competitors.
Salaries for top NFL analysts have skyrocketed in recent years. Tony Romo, Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth all make between $12.5 million and $18 million annually. Brady will earn $37.5 million per year when his deal kicks in.
That puts him on another stratosphere.
“There are many people who think your ratings for a football game are going to be what they’re going to be, regardless of who the broadcasts are,” Blank said. “I actually think that’s a pretty good argument. However, talking to the executives who make these decisions, they’re competing with each other, and they feel they want to put on the best broadcast.”
