How Tom Brady's robust trademark and brand strategy that spans cookbooks to skincare is setting him up for life after the NFL
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Tom Brady is retiring from football, but his trademark applications could set up his second act.
The filings speak to Brady's business interests, like health and wellness.
We break them down, from candles to food delivery to NFTs.
Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL "for good," the seven-time Super Bowl champion announced on Wednesday — and his myriad trademark applications point to the business interests he could pursue in his post-football career.
In March 2022, Brady's lawyers applied for dozens of trademarks, ranging from health and wellness products to digital collectibles. This was after the athlete first announced he'd be leaving the game. He later changed his mind and returned to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Still, many of the applications remain pending and shed light on how Brady's team has been thinking about his second act, beyond his deal to join Fox Sports as a lead analyst.
The trademark applications are part of Brady's robust brand strategy.
Brady has 128 active trademarks, compared to LeBron James' 95 and the handful that other star athletes like Peyton Manning have, according to an analysis by Gerben Law Firm. Those numbers included active trademarks tied to the athletes' names, as well as their businesses like Brady's TB12 and James' SpringHill Entertainment.
"He's retiring from football — but look at that trademark portfolio!" said Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney and founder of Gerben Law Firm, of Brady.
"He has more trademarks registered than some public companies," Gerben previously told Insider in August. "You can see where his brand strategy is a lot more evolved than the average one."
Brady's trademarks speak to his range of business interests, from health and wellness products to digital collectibles and NFT marketplaces.
They cover footballs, protein bars and supplements, digital tokens, cookbooks, fitness apps, sports drinks, celebrity appearances, and much more. Brady, who's experimented with meal kits through his company TB12, has filed for rights to his name in restaurants, bars, and food-delivery services. He also has a swath of trademark applications for consumer goods, like eyewear, clothing, skincare, bags, and water bottles. And, fittingly, for rights to sports merchandise and memorabilia, like posters, trading cards, jerseys, and footballs.
But there are surprises, too. A Brady-scented candle, anyone? How about bed sheets?
Of course, trademark lawyers often file applications to cover their bases, and doing so doesn't necessarily mean a Brady candle line is coming any time soon.
"It's very common that once you reach a certain level and you say, 'I can do more than just act,' or 'I can do more than just throw a football' ... then you start to think about, 'How do I protect myself in that environment?'" Gerben said.
Many of these applications are pending, and there's no guarantee they'll ever be registered. The US Patent and Trademark Office denied in 2019 Brady's attempt to trademark the name "Terrific Tom," which was the moniker for Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver.
Still, Brady's team applied for trademarks earlier in the athlete's career that have tied into actual products, including filing for the rights to his nickname "Tompa Bay" on t-shirts, which TB12 has sold.
This story was originally published in August 2022 and has been updated in light of Tom Brady's retirement announcement.
Here's a breakdown of the pending trademark applications for Brady's personal brand (condensed and categorized by Insider):
"Brady"
Consumer goods:
Bags
Bedding and linens
Candles
Clothing, footwear, intimate apparel for men, and wearable-tech apparel
Eyewear
Footballs
Furniture and picture frames
Jewelry, belt buckles, and wearable-tech jewelry
Posters, trading cards, and photos
Retail stores
Skincare, haircare, fragrances, cosmetics
Sports goods and athletic equipment
Water bottles
Digital:
Downloadable posters and trading cards
Endorsements:
Endorsements
Sports celebrity appearances, football competitions, and other on-going programming
Food & Beverages:
Beverages (non-alcoholic)
Food delivery
Meal kits and packaged foods
Protein bars and chocolate
Restaurants and bars
Subscription meal plans
Health & Wellness:
Braces and other therapeutic products
Cookbooks, and fitness and nutrition books
Fitness and wellness software
Health and wellness; physical therapy
Personal training
Protein supplements, sleep aids, multivitamins
"Tampa Brady"
Consumer Goods:
Clothing, headwear, footwear
"Tom Brady"
Consumer Goods:
Bags
Bedding and linens
Candles
Clothing, footwear, intimate apparel for men, and wearable-tech apparel
Eyewear
Footballs
Footballs, medicine balls, sport balls, gym balls.
Furniture and picture frames
Jerseys
Jewelry, belt buckles, and wearable-tech jewelry
Posters, trading cards, and photos
Retail stores
Skincare, haircare, fragrances, cosmetics
Sporting goods
Water bottles
Digital:
Digital collectibles
Digital tokens and NFTs
Downloadable posters and trading cards
NFTs and virtual goods
Online NFT marketplaces
Endorsements:
Endorsements
Sports celebrity appearances
Sports celebrity appearances, football competitions, and other on-going programming
Food & Beverages:
Beverages (non-alcoholic)
Food delivery
Meal kits and packaged foods
Protein bars and chocolate
Restaurants and bars
Subscription meal plans
Health & Wellness:
Braces and other therapeutic products
Cookbooks, and fitness and nutrition books
Fitness and wellness software
Health and wellness; physical therapy
Personal training
Protein supplements, sleep aids, multivitamins
Wellness and fitness software
"Tompa Bay"
Consumer Goods:
Clothing, headwear, footwear
Read more about how Tom Brady is building a post-NFL business empire.
Read the original article on Business Insider