Podcast Summary – Youth Inc. with Greg Olsen
Episode: Tom Brady on Youth Sports, Broadcasting and His Relationship with Greg Olsen
Date: August 12, 2025
Episode Overview
This special episode of Youth Inc. features a candid, wide-ranging conversation between host Greg Olsen and legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, diving deep into the realities and challenges of youth sports, parenting, resilience, competitiveness, and their own evolving friendship both on and off the field. The episode is rich with shared stories, hard-learned lessons, and actionable insights relevant to athletes, parents, and coaches at every stage.
Key Themes & Discussion Points
1. The Value of Hardship and Adversity in Youth Sports
- Football as a Difficult Journey
- Tom Brady discusses the origins of his quote: “I encourage everyone to play football for the simple reason that it is hard.”
[02:08] - Shares he didn’t play organized football until high school, was seventh on the depth chart at Michigan, and a late bloomer who “valued every step” because the journey was never easy.
- Tom Brady discusses the origins of his quote: “I encourage everyone to play football for the simple reason that it is hard.”
- Embracing Struggle and Growth
- Both Olsen and Brady agree that facing adversity early builds resilience for life’s challenges beyond sports.
- Brady:
“There were so many times along the way where I thought, man, maybe it should be easier than this or maybe I should go take an easier route ... I’m so happy I didn’t because it built up a level of determination and resilience in me...”
[07:02]
2. Parental Support and Coaching Culture
- Supportive Yet Realistic Parenting
- Brady describes his upbringing with three athletic older sisters, a nurturing mom, and a dad who’d hit the batting cage after work, emphasizing support for any dream—not just sports.
“Whatever he’s all in on, I’m all in on right behind it. And I think that’s, to me, as a parent, like, being available to the kids and also supporting wherever they’re at.”
[33:42]
- Brady describes his upbringing with three athletic older sisters, a nurturing mom, and a dad who’d hit the batting cage after work, emphasizing support for any dream—not just sports.
- Finding the Balance: Push vs. Support
- Olsen reflects on the challenge of applying his own competitive drive to his children and realizing “just because it was a good fight for me doesn’t mean it’s a good fight for them.”
“I’ve brought, at times incorrectly, I’ve brought that level of fire and competitiveness and tried to implement it on my kids...and then I as my kids have gotten older, I say, it doesn’t match their personality.”
[35:21]
- Olsen reflects on the challenge of applying his own competitive drive to his children and realizing “just because it was a good fight for me doesn’t mean it’s a good fight for them.”
3. Mental & Emotional Superpower: Beyond Physical Talent
- Measuring the ‘Invisible’ Edge
- Brady and Olsen emphasize how mental and emotional resilience are often undervalued but can be more impactful than physical gifts.
- Brady:
“There is a mental and emotional component to sports that…can be a superpower, more so than your ability to...your 40 speed or everything that they measure at the combine.”
[18:31]
Social Media & ‘Highlight Reel’ Culture
- Both comment on how social media distorts the journey—kids only see ‘highlight moments’ and not the daily grind or failure.
“No one’s on Instagram posting the picture of their kid striking out...Tom Brady played in 50 AFC championship games, he must have only had success...you peel the onion back and you go...you might have only seen that because that’s really in this society what we prop forward and rightfully so. But like there is so much going on behind the scenes.”
[19:55]
4. Coaching & Leadership Lessons
- Cultivating Competitiveness and Accountability
- Discussion about whether competitiveness can be taught—Brady’s take:
“I don’t know if you can teach someone to be more competitive...I think we can teach people how to deal with adversity. I think we can teach people how to have resilience.”
[37:34]
- Discussion about whether competitiveness can be taught—Brady’s take:
- Holding Kids & Athletes Accountable
- Olsen:
“It’s a fine line between over harping where they just tune me out...but also, like to your earlier point, you mentioned where it’s okay for parents to hold your kid accountable, teach them these lessons, because it’s not about going 6 for 8 versus 0 for 8 on the 3.”
[42:54]
- Olsen:
5. Youth Sports Industry & Creating Lasting Experiences (with Andy Campion, CEO of Unrivaled Sports)
- Mission-Centric Facilities & Experiences
- Campion describes the philosophy behind Unrivaled Sports:
“Our mission is provide unrivaled sports experiences to young athletes everywhere...We want people to go home and say, this was awesome. The win might be kids are going home going like, I never thought about baseball that way.”
[10:45] - New initiatives include flag football experiences designed to engage more kids, especially girls, and cutting-edge baseball facilities (Cooperstown All Star Village, Rocker B Ranch).
- Campion describes the philosophy behind Unrivaled Sports:
- Balancing Business and Child-First Focus
- “Lean into the paradox…the more kids playing sports, the better. There’s a role for philanthropy in youth sports and a role for business; you can do some of those things together.”
[28:18] - Creative parent and community engagement making youth sports family-centric—not just about games, but forging memories.
- “Lean into the paradox…the more kids playing sports, the better. There’s a role for philanthropy in youth sports and a role for business; you can do some of those things together.”
6. Team vs. Individual in Today’s Culture
- Celebrating Team Success
- Brady laments the loss of ‘team promotion’ in favor of self-promotion and stresses that the best parts of sports are about relationships.
“When we refer to…this crazy culture that we’re in of self-promotion because of social media, we’re missing out on the team promotion. We’re missing out on this fact that when we succeed…aren’t the best things about sports the relationships?”
[24:43]
- Brady laments the loss of ‘team promotion’ in favor of self-promotion and stresses that the best parts of sports are about relationships.
- Modeling Teamwork & Friendship in Competitive Environments
- Discussing their own journey as Fox colleagues, Olsen and Brady model supporting each other while competing.
“You can be highly competitive and highly motivated...and still be incredible supporters of one another and still share information and still want to see each other do well…”
[51:53]
- Discussing their own journey as Fox colleagues, Olsen and Brady model supporting each other while competing.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Effort & Being the Best Teammate:
“It doesn’t require your physical ability to be that. And I think that’s what we respect about sports and the lessons it really teaches us.”
— Tom Brady [24:43] -
On Maximizing Your Opportunity:
“My sports psychologist said, would you quit bitching and whining about what everyone else is doing, and...do the best with the opportunity you get...it totally shifted my mind.”
— Tom Brady [52:46] -
On Parenting and Individual Paths:
“My greatest realization, you talk about failure and you talk about being honest with yourselves…maybe I could close the gap from a talent perspective. And I carried that lesson with me all the way through my career...I got progressively better, deeper into my career.”
— Greg Olsen [15:09] -
On Transitioning to Broadcasting and Supporting Each Other:
“I know when you call, I answer. And I know when I call you, you answer. When I got a question, you answer it. And when you got a question, I answer it…this time will come and go...but the only people that need to be cool are me and you.”
— Tom Brady [56:03] -
Surprise Video for Greg’s Team:
Brady recounts recording a motivational video message for Olsen’s middle school football team, comparing the kids’ excitement to the spirit in Braveheart.
[46:03]
Key Timestamps
- 01:01 – Tom Brady joins, thanks Greg Olsen, and discusses the vision for youth sports content.
- 02:08 – Discussion of why football’s difficulty is its greatest selling point.
- 03:30 – Tom details his tough, non-linear football journey from high school to being seventh-string at Michigan and drafted 199th overall.
- 07:02 – The blessing of hardship in sports; how struggle built lasting resilience for Brady.
- 15:09 – Greg Olsen’s reflections on his own non-star path and the importance of getting better at every level.
- 18:31 – Mental and emotional development as athletic superpowers.
- 19:55 – The “highlight reel” culture of youth sports and the importance of normalizing failure and growth.
- 28:18 – Andy Campion of Unrivaled Sports on building experiences that are both great business and great for kids.
- 33:42 – Brady details a supportive, sports-centric household and his own approach to his children’s dreams.
- 37:34 – Can competitiveness be taught? Brady and Olsen agree it’s difficult but resilience and adversity can be coached.
- 42:54 – The fine line between holding kids accountable and being overbearing as a parent/coach.
- 46:03 – Tom’s motivational video for Greg’s middle school team incites major excitement.
- 51:53 – Olsen and Brady on competing, collaborating, and supporting each other in broadcasting.
- 56:03 – Brady’s “man in the mirror” philosophy and how he translates team-first mentality from football to life.
Tone & Style
This episode is informal, candid, honest, and full of camaraderie. Both Olsen and Brady are generous in sharing vulnerabilities and tough lessons. The language is direct yet highly encouraging, peppered with anecdotes and often self-deprecating humor. The mood is motivational without being preachy, making the advice feel relatable and realistic.
Conclusion
This wide-ranging conversation highlights the deep, often hidden emotional and mental aspects of youth sports, the irreplaceable value of perseverance, and the nuanced art of supportive parenting and coaching. The episode serves as a testament to the enduring power of team, the lifelong nature of athletic and personal growth, and the possibility—and necessity—of balancing ambition with compassion in competitive environments.
For parents, coaches, and athletes alike: this episode is a masterclass in navigating youth sports and life beyond the scoreboard.