Tom Brady avoids joining list of sports history's infamous statues
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Ahead of the Patriots' preseason opener against the Washington Commanders, the team unveiled a statue of Brady in Patriot Place Plaza, right next to the franchise's Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium. Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced during Brady's team Hall of Fame induction that plans were in place to have Brady be the first player in franchise history to be honored with a statue.
The addition of a statue always come with anxiety about it becoming the butt of a joke, but the fans could breathe easy once the statue was revealed. It looked perfectly fine, with a fairly accurate-looking Brady standing with his fist in the air.
Thanks to the work of artist and Patriots fan Jeff Buccacio, Brady avoided joining the infamous list of sports statues gone bad, just ask the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dwyane Wade, Mo Salah and others.
Those sports legends are on the list of some of the most notorious athlete statues in sports history.
Harry Caray (1999)
The legendary Chicago Cubs broadcaster is depicted leading fans in a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," as he did many times at Wrigley Field. It also appears as if Caray is bursting through a baseball stadium with a creepy cluster of fans at his feet.
Andy Murray (2011)
A terracotta statue of the Scottish tennis player was unveiled in Shanghai, China, in 2011, much to the dismay of the three-time Grand Slam champion. 'I thought I was better looking than that," Murray said at the time.
There will be a second opportunity for a more realistic-looking statue of the two-time Wimbledon champion as Murray will be involved in the design process of the statue that will be revealed at the All-England Club in 2027.
Cristiano Ronaldo (2017)
To many, he's the G.O.A.T. of the soccer world. In the sports statue world, he was honored with the G.O.A.T. depiction at the Madeira Airport in Portugal. The airport changed its name to Aeroporto Internacional da Madeira Cristiano Ronaldo and unveiled a bust of the soccer legend. The reaction was not positive and a new sculpture was installed a year later.
Diego Maradona (2017)
The Argentinian soccer god was on hand for the 12-foot statue's unveiling in Kolkata, India. He is depicted holding the World Cup trophy. Some pointed out his resemblance to the likes of Larry Bird, singer Susan Boyle and actress Betty White.
Michael Essien (2018)
The Chelsea and Real Madrid legend was honored in his native Ghana by a local sculptor. Little is known about the inspiration behind the statue, other than to provide nightmare fuel for those who look at it.
Mo Salah (2018)
Unveiled in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the Liverpool star is shown celebrating one of his many goals with his trademark pose. Is it Salah or does it more closely resemble singer Art Garfunkel or Daniel Stern's "Marv Murchins" character from "Home Alone."
Brandi Chastain (2018)
While not a statue, this plaque of U.S. soccer legend Brandi Chastain deserves a mention. Chastain, who famously scored the winning penalty kick in the 1999 Women's World Cup Final, was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. The image they used of her was so bad that she was asked to send a photo of herself in order for a redo.
David Beckham (2019)
Unlike the temporary statue put up by H&M when Beckham was modeling underwear, the one the Los Angeles Galaxy commissioned had the soccer legend fully clothed, though he did resemble Gordon Ramsay a bit. It was still better than the one he thought the MLS side was using, until late night host James Corden revealed it was a prank.
Dwyane Wade (2024)
The basketball Hall of Famer was honored by the Miami Heat with a statue outside of the team's arena, Kaseya Center. The depiction of Wade was of him after hitting a game-winning shot in double-overtime in 2009, after which he stood on the scorer's table and declared: "This is my house!" The problem was that it didn't really look like him.
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