Brady, Strahan And Chopra Raise Money For ‘The Religion Of Sports’

Tom Brady hasn’t let losing Super Bowl LII get him down. The New England Patriots quarterback is launching a new sports media startup, along with former New York Giant (and now Good Morning America host) Michael Strahan.

According to TechCrunch, the startup, called The Religion of Sports, is seeking around $3 million in outside capital to create a multi-platform storytelling business.

The idea for the startup began to take shape after Brady met producer/director and former war correspondent Gotham Chopra in Los Angeles five years ago.

“I think in our very first meeting, he shared with me the idea of Religion of Sports, and I was hooked immediately!” Brady wrote in an email. “Over the next few years, Gotham and I continued the conversation and the friendship evolved very naturally from there.”

Strahan, who was already longtime pals with Brady, wasn’t hard to convince to come on-board. “I love the storytelling aspect and being able to produce content that’s different and inspiring,” Strahan wrote in an email.

Along with CEO Ameeth Sankaran, Chopra finalized the vision for the company, where sports is the ultimate non-denominational church.

“I’ve always seen sports as an incredible form of community and way to express yourself, so I was excited by the potential of the Religion of Sports to have a major hand in expanding that,” wrote Brady. “I hope our stories empower people to look at life and the world of sports in a deeper and more positive way.”

So far, the site already has a series on The Audience Network, as well as the super popular Tom vs. Time series, which has garnered more than 42 million views on Facebook. In addition, there is the Why We Fight series and one in production on the 2018 NBA draft.

Like The Players’ Tribune by Derek Jeter, the Religion of Sports hopes to garner a following and produce quality content that can take on traditional networks, such as ESPN.

“Traditional networks and brands have so much experience and traction in the storytelling space that I see most of them being major leaders for a very long time to come, but I think some new players will definitely continue to push them!” he wrote. “In general, I think the most authentic and emotionally engaging storytelling will rise to the top.”