Call Tom Brady “Old Man” and he’ll likely consider it a point of pride. That’s what Beck and the NFL are hoping, at least.
It’s no secret that, at the ripe old age of 45, Tom Brady now holds the record of being the oldest QB to ever start in an NFL game. The League is playing up this fact with their latest promo. This Sunday, October 2, the marquee match up is between the Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. So the NFL decided to hype up the contest by tapping Beck to throw together a cover of Neil Young‘s “Old Man.”
Are they making a bit of sport at Tom Brady’s expense? Of course they are. Do you think Brady find this irksome? Of course he doesn’t. And there’s an even deeper layer at work here. Sure, the main theme is the title of the song and the way it works in the refrain: “Old man take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you.” But when you take into account the fact that both Brady and Mahomes won their first Super Bowls at the age of 24, this line resonates even more: “Old man look at my life/24 and there’s so much more.”
Beck Calls Tom Brady “Old Man,” Neil Young Responds
Once the promo surfaced on TV and online (which you’ll see below), it didn’t take long for it to land on Neil Young’s radar. You might recall that Young was notorious for never licensing his music for advertising purposes. You might also remember Young sold a big chunk of his song catalog last year. As you’ll see below, it seems he might be regretting that decision. Or, at the very least, he’s trying to put a little distance between himself and the process. Take a look.
