The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair used to say, “to be the man, you gotta beat that man.” However, before I correlate such a statement to the play of Tom Brady (who just won another AFC Championship), one must remember the essence of the famous professional wrestling boast — it was staged entertainment. The inherent problem with Tom Brady haters lies in their predictability and inability to accept reality. In other words, they prefer Flair’s swag a little more than reality outside the ring. Are the annual rants mildly hilarious? Sure, just like Eddie Murphy tweeting his entire act from 1987’s Eddie Murphy Raw would be mildly hilarious in 2015. Brady haters are raw, yeah? No, they’re just delirious.

Are there any NFL rubes or players truly disgusted with how Brady conducts himself on the field? Perhaps that’s a question for the AFC East or the entire conference, for that matter. My guess is no, but we all have a couple friends who suffer mild breakdowns every time the Frank Sinatra of the Gridiron lights it up during the NFL Playoffs. The reason: to steal a little bit of his public identity and wear it for themselves.

“What am I wearing, you ask? Why, it’s Smiling Resentment. Yes, it actually does hurt.”

Tom Brady has been known to deliver verbals shots with a grin and obviously hates losing. It’s the same with Brady haters. They put on a smile and mirror their anti-hero, which actually says more about the Negatrons than anything else.

Who in their right mind wants to receive old, stale recycled trash talk every January? We know that Brady and the New England Patriots will probably reach the playoffs from year to year, and we all know they are capable of losing, but the greatest whiners never cease to complain regardless of the outcome. Keep in mind that #12 hasn’t actually won a Super Bowl in almost ten years.

Are the Tom Brady Online Performance Artists (TBOPA) dangerous? Not all all. They’re just annoying.

–Q.V. Hough