Tom Brady Becomes A Minority Owner At Birmingham City

Arguably the greatest player in NFL history, Tom Brady, has become a minority owner at English soccer club Birmingham City. Brady has entered into a partnership with Birmingham City’s owners, Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. He will also become a chairman of the advisory board at the club.

According to the club, Brady will “apply his extensive leadership experience and expertise across several components of the club, including working alongside the sports science department to advise on health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs.”

Birmingham City currently plays the English Championship, the second division of English soccer. If Birmingham City manage to get promoted to the Premier League, it will add even more American presence in the Premier League. American presence has included ownership (Leeds), as well as players (Leeds, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham).

While he never played soccer, Tom Brady has shown interest in the game. He famously watched Ronaldo score a hat trick for Manchester United and spoke to the Portuguese player after the game. At the time, Tom Brady had retired from the NFL. Shortly after, he decided to come out of retirement for another season. Many speculated that Ronaldo’s performance, and their subsequent chat, motivated Brady to come out of retirement.

While we will see how Birmingham City does, it is great to see more American athletes and celebrities get into soccer. Anything that grows the spotlight on the greatest sport in the world in the greatest country in the world is a positive thing. With the Copa America, Club World Cup, and World Cup coming to the US over the next 3 summers, these are incredibly exciting times for American soccer.

While it is widely understood that the US, the most successful sports nation in the world, would have already won multiple World Cups if soccer were always its top sport, the US has been producing better players as soccer’s popularity has risen in the US. While the US has an over 100 year disadvantage compared to the rest of the world in soccer popularity and culture, Americans still dream of one day winning a World Cup.

Who knows what the future holds. But we should all be rooting for Tom Brady to do well with Birmingham City. As Tom Brady becomes a minority owner at Birmingham City, and Lionel Messi plays in MLS, soccer is becoming more mainstream in America. May soccer continue to rise in America!