Fox's attempt to spotlight Tom Brady with a hologram on its pregame show hasn't exactly been well received. Credit: NFL on Fox
By Sam Neumann on

A month after debuting it, Fox NFL Sunday was doing the Tom Brady hologram thing again in Week 11.

As Brady continues his ascension as the network’s No. 1 color analyst, Fox is using any means to get him involved in the pregame show. And by any means, we mean any means.

Rather than simply remoting him in for a quick debrief from Soldier Field, where he will call the Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, Brady appeared alongside Curt Menefee, Michael Strahan and Rob Gronkowski in hologram form in the Fox studio.

“And through the magic of television, look, there he is,” Menefee said, pointing in the direction of Brady, who resembled Jimmy Neutron more than he did a former NFL quarterback.

“I gotta say, this technology is incredible,” added Strahan. “Tom, I feel like you’re here, man. I feel like you’re looking good.”

“Hey, this is insane,” said Brady, stating the obvious. “You guys are, too. It’s nice being in the studio with you guys.”

After exchanging pleasantries for less than 20 seconds, the conversation shifted toward the Bears’ offense. How’s that for transitions? Then began a nearly five-minute segment featuring hologram Brady discussing Caleb Williams’ struggles, what a new offensive coordinator could do for the rookie quarterback’s development and what he wants to see from the former No. 1 overall pick moving forward.

While Brady provided some tangible, thought-provoking analysis, it was hard to ignore the elephant in the room—and just about everybody who reacted to Brady’s hologram wasn’t exactly a fan of it.

Others had some, well, let’s just say more colorful ideas…

Fox might think it’s a clever way to keep their star analyst front and center, but the novelty of a holographic Brady wore off fast. Sure, Brady delivered some decent analysis, but the spectacle of his virtual presence overshadowed any insights he had to offer.

Maybe next time, they’ll just let Brady use Zoom like everyone else.

[NFL on Fox]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann