I’m not a big football guy. I am, however, human and sometimes my emotions get the best of me. The same can be said about Tom Brady, who smashed a perfectly good Microsoft Surface tablet on the ground yesterday in the midst of a football game.
In a fit of frustration, the quarterback chucked a poor, defenseless Microsoft Surface tablet into the astroturf beneath him — for the second time in his career. Brady’s vendetta against the Microsoft Surface began nearly a year ago in December 2021, and Sunday’s outburst confirms that old habits die hard. Coincidentally, that December 2021 computer assassination was also in a game against the Saints, go figure.
“Sorry for breaking that tablet, I think that’s going to be another Twitter meme or something like that,” Brady said cheekily in a video posted to Twitter after the game.
It’s officially football season, and with that comes a lot of intense emotions — like anger. I’m not really here to criticise someone’s reaction to an angering stimuli since we all cope in different ways. Some of us breathe deeply and collect ourselves, some of us punch drywall. Some of us thoughtfully journal our experiences, and some of smash Microsoft Surface tablets into the ground.
According to TechCrunch, the NFL began using Microsoft’s Surface tablets on the sidelines as early as the 2014 season. The tablets are specially configured, allowing coaches and team members to make and review plays with a more efficient workflow when compared to the classic clipboard with printouts. “The Sideline Viewing System app lets coaches zoom in, make annotations, review plays and tag ‘favourites’ for later review,” said the NFL in a blog post announcing the integration of the tablet.
There’s a lot of gossip swirling around about why, exactly, Brady smashed the Microsoft Surface. People suggests that his relationship with his wife is on the rocks, while NBC Sports points to a struggling offence on the side of the Bucs. Given that this is Brady’s second infraction against a Surface tablet, may I humbly propose that he is simply an iPad fan?