Here's Why People Are Freaking out About Tom Brady's Kiss with His Dad
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Quarterback Tom Brady made headlines on Sunday for winning Super Bowl LI with the New England Patriots in a dramatic game against the Atlanta Falcons. However, a controversial interaction with his father is also getting some attention for a terrible reason.
After Brady clinched his fifth Super Bowl win, he kissed his father Tom Brady Sr. on the lips. The New York Daily News tweeted a picture of the kiss and asked, "you got a problem with that?" The question inherently implies that there is actually something unusual about the kiss.
The tweet started a debate about the kiss, some calling it "weird," or "gross," or even "gay."
Other Twitter users said they would never share a kiss with their own fathers.
However, other people defended the show of affection.
One Twitter user mentioned that this was an especially emotional time for the Bradys because Tom's mother Galynn, who he promised to win the Super Bowl for, has been sick with cancer. The Super Bowl was the first game she was able to attend this season.
Another person tweeted that "most families" kiss to show affection.
One tweet pointed to a possible reason for the negative reactions and a bigger problem with American men: They're "raised to not be emotional."
However, the Bradys aren't the first father and son to cause controversy by showing affection. In January of 2016, a father posted a photo of he and his adult son laying down together, and people on social media called it "unnatural."
ATTN: previously wrote about the problem with toxic masculinity, or the rigid antiquated ideas about how men should behave, that can be harmful. When men step outside of the stereotypical view of masculinity, it can cause the type of hateful reactions Brady received. The National Football League is arguably one of the most stereotypically masculine arenas for athletes, but Brady still received negative and even homophobic backlash for showing affection with his father.
Flickr/Keith Allison - flic.kr
Towson University literature and cultural studies professor Andrew Reiner wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times about the male struggle to be emotionally honest and the harm gender stereotypes can cause. He argued that it holds men back from asking for emotional help, and even from performing well in college.
"Despite the emergence of the metrosexual and an increase in stay-at-home dads, tough-guy stereotypes die hard," he wrote in 2016. "As men continue to fall behind women in college, while outpacing them four to one in the suicide rate, some colleges are waking up to the fact that men may need to be taught to think beyond their own stereotypes."
