Is Tom Brady A Better Athlete Than Derek Jeter?
It’s February, which means that ESPN doesn’t know what to do with itself because football is over, spring training hasn’t started, and March Madness is still a month away. They actually had a refresher video in the beginning of SportsCenter to remind everyone which teams have the best records in the NBA/NHL/college hoops because ESPN has basically ignored the rest of the sports world since November. So that means they start throwing shit against the wall to see what sticks. And this segment did exactly that, comparing the historic legacies between Jeter and Brady.
Now both players are obviously first ballot Hall of Famers and the definition of winning. And I don’t think anyone can argue that quarterback is the most important position in all of sports. But I just don’t think you can say Tom Brady was a better athlete than Derek Jeter. A better player? Sure. A bigger reason for his team’s championships? Sure. But I don’t think an immobile quarterback is a better ATHLETE than a guy who played shortstop and had more than 3000 hits in the majors.
So I’ll put it up to vote. I imagine that New England fans will blindly vote for Brady and Yankees fans will blindly vote for Jeter. But I hope the people that hate both of those soul-less franchises will vote with their brain. And charmed motherfuckers like Matt Harvey that root for both teams will be put in a permanent mind-pretzel.
Vote 1 if you think Tom Brady was a better athlete. Vote 10 if you think Derek Jeter was a better athlete.
(1,238 votes, average: 5.29 out of 10)
Loading...KFC Editor’s Note: Its an interesting debate. For a long time both guys were compared to each other as the guys who just win and get the job done despite not always having the most glamorous numbers. Both won a lot early and then went through a pretty big drought with a couple missed opportunities before winning another ring. Both consummate professionals and the exact type of on and off the field leader you want with your franchise. And both slay top level pussy.
Ultimately I think you gotta give Brady the edge just because of the differences in football and baseball. A quarterback has so much more influence over a game its just not comparable to any other position in sports. As a shortstop who sees a handful of ground balls and 4 at bats a game, you just cant really compare to a QB taking every snap. And thats not to take anything away from Jeter. Any baseball player compared to a quarterback probably loses these arguments. I think only NBA super stars can compare. Bottom line is its a lot easier to do the old “If you take Brady off the Pats…” vs. “If you take Jeter off the Yankees…” hypotheticals and thats what gives Brady the edge. I’m not even sure if Jeter was ever the most valuable Yankee half the time where as Brady was that dude the vast majority of the time. If not always. Tom Brady is the one thing that stayed consistent during the Pats reign and while Jeter was obviously there for the Yankees run, theres no way you’re singling him out as the reason.
As far as who is the actual better athlete, I couldn’t care less. If Derek Jeter can run faster but Tom Brady can lift more and both have the same vertical I just dont care. Its about what each guy accomplished in their sport.