Tom Brady has top-selling jersey in Europe
The New England Patriots are a big deal overseas.
The latest NFL jersey sales from Europe have three Patriots players in the top seven, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. Tom Brady has the top spot, followed by Rob Gronkowski at No. 5 and Julian Edelman at No. 7.
Alistair Kirkwood, the NFL's managing director in the United Kingdom, thinks the Patriots' popularity may have something to do with them having "England" in their name.
"The irony there is that a lot of people have picked the Patriots because they don't know their U.S. history," he said. "When they get into the sport, they go, 'Oh, it's got England in the name.' They didn't realize that it's actually not necessarily pro-English in the first place."
As for Brady, some see similarities between his overseas fame and the popularity of soccer star David Beckham in the U.S.
"He crosses some of the territories," James Cuff, a Patriots fan from Wales said. "He's a good-looking chap. He's got a famous wife. He's into marketing in other places like fashion and those sort of things."
However, Cuff is quick to point out that Brady hasn't marketed himself to Europeans the same way Beckham has to Americans.
"To be honest, I think the majority of people would know him as Gisele (Bundchen's) husband, not Tom Brady, the massive football player," Cuff said.
Here's a complete look at the top 10 jerseys sold in Europe:
- Tom Brady
- Aaron Rodgers
- Marshawn Lynch
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Rob Gronkowski
- Ryan Tannehill
- Julian Edelman
- Russell Wilson
- Richard Sherman
- J.J. Watt