Picture this: You are sitting on your couch watching the beloved cartoon, “Scooby Doo,” with your best friend, and instead of having that iconic Great Dane scramble across the screen, you find yourself looking at an albino pug trot in Scooby Doo’s place. Some may laugh at the sheer absurdity of it, while others may be genuinely confused and change the channel.
The reason for this is you have a clear image of what Scooby Doo looks like and who he is. It’s what you have grown up knowing. There are certain things in our lives that we hold to memory, things that we never expect to change. John Krasinski will always be Jim Halpert, every kiss will always begin with Kay, and the stars at night will always be big and bright. You get the point.
The tides of change have come as the NFL season comes to an end. There are currently nine high-caliber free agent quarterbacks up for grabs, including big names such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees. This news is dumbfounding, but what makes things even more interesting is the latest development in Tom Brady’s career.
As a free agent, Brady has the chance to either stay with the New England Patriots or potentially get drafted to another team. Photo evidence shows him talking to the owner of the Oakland Raiders, Mark Davis. ESPN reporters have also noted discussions of Brady transferring to the Dallas Cowboys. This means that the Patriots would lose the face of their dynasty.
Many Patriot fans have grown up watching Brady lead the team to nine Super Bowls and even winning six of those. Even those who aren’t Patriot fans recognize the name Tom Brady and his legacy immediately. Patriot fans have looked up to Brady for the past 20 years, and it’s possible that all of that could change next season.
Change can be scary, especially if it affects something you’ve become comfortable with. When I was growing up, I was scared anytime my mom changed her appearance in any way. The most memorable instance of this was at my seventh grade birthday party where I was greeted by my mom with pigtails and drawn on freckles. “Have you seen my mom?” I asked her.
“I’m your mom,” she said. Thinking for sure that it wasn’t her, I panicked and ran to my room. She came to my room and consoled me, which didn’t work at first since I didn’t believe that this was my mom. As she wiped her face and took out her pigtails, I began to recognize her again.
“See,” she said. “It’s just me. I was just wearing make-up and pig tales to look funny. Even though I’m wearing those things, I’m still me.”
Other instances happened later, too, but because of that moment I was able to understand it more; it didn’t scare me. If I hadn’t gotten over this, I would have never been able to be a part of the crazy world of theatre that I love so much. While change can be scary, it can also be good.
If Tom Brady were to leave the Patriots, his identity would no longer be directly tied to the Patriots. He has the chance to define himself as a player rather than being connected to a dynasty or franchise. While this change may be disheartening for Patriot fans, it opens up so many opportunities for other players to shine and for more legacies to be created.
This also gives Bill Belichick the opportunity to define himself as a genuinely great coach. Many have credited the success of the Patriots to Brady, but with his possible departure it may be a chance for Belichick to shine.
Brady could stay with the Patriots, but it is evident that he is in control of his future. He has stated multiple times that he intends to keep playing football — it’s all a matter of where. But no matter where he goes, Patriots fans shouldn’t fear the future because change can sometimes be a pretty great thing.
