Scottie Scheffler and Tom Brady are not in the same season of life, but the two athletic titans have clashing opinions on how they view the balancing act of parenting and professional sports.
Earlier this month, world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler made very clear where his priorities lie — first as a family man for his wife and son, second as a professional golfer — just days before winning his fourth major championship of his PGA career.
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In a July 15 press conference before the tournament began at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Scheffler delivered a deeply honest speech on success, sharing his poignant perspective that underscored the duality of motivation and fulfillment that he said is “something I wrestle with on a daily basis.”
“At the end of the day it’s like — this is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler said at the time, referring to winning at golf. “And all of a sudden you get to No. 1 in the world, and you’re like, ‘What’s the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad?’ Because if I win — it’s going to be awesome for about two minutes.”
In May, at just 29 years old, Scheffler, a two-time Masters champ in 2022 and 2024, won the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club. After his July 15 press conference, he also secured his first Open Championship title at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Scheffler now only needs a U.S. Open win to complete the PGA career grand slam.
Speaking to that success, he told reporters, “If my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, that’s gonna be the last day that I play out here for a living. This is not the be-all, end-all. This is not the most important thing in my life. And that’s why I wrestle with, ‘Why is this so important to me?’ Because I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.”
Brady, regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time with seven Super Bowl titles and countless stats in the football record books, had a few thoughts about Scheffler’s comments, which he expanded on in his weekly newsletter, 199, on Tuesday.
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“Scottie said he’d rather be a better father and husband than a good golfer. And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive?” Brady wrote in his newsletter. “Sure, they’re different blocks on the pyramid, but they’re part of the same pyramid. They’re connected! For instance, I think part of being a great father is being a great example of doing what it takes to take care of your family. I chose to do it by playing football.”
He then argued that giving his all to his job was synonymous with being a great dad and family man.
“The hours of practice, the moments when I was laser focused — those were times when I believe I was doing the best possible thing for my family and my kids, by prioritizing my profession and teaching, by example, what it takes to be really good at your job,” he wrote.
Brady and his ex-wife, supermodel Giselle Bündchen, were married for 13 years and share two children. Brady also shares a son with actress and model Bridget Moynahan.
Both Brady and Bündchen spoke candidly during their marriage about the impact his career had on the family dynamic.
In a 2021 episode of his podcast, “Let’s Go,” Brady, then the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said, “My wife has held down the house for a long time now, and I think there’s things that she wants to accomplish. You know, she hasn’t worked as much in the last 10, 12 years, just raising our family and kind of committing to being in a life in Boston and then moving to Florida.”
In 2022, Bündchen told British Vogue that Brady’s “focus is on his career, mine is mostly on the kids. And I’m very grateful that he lets me take the reins when it comes to our family.”
In February 2022, after two seasons with the Buccaneers, Brady announced his retirement from the NFL, then 40 days later flipped the script and unretired to return for his 23rd season in the league. At the time, Brady missed 11 days of training camp as the team gave him an excused absence to attend to personal matters.
In October 2022, during what was Brady’s final NFL season, Brady and Bündchen announced their divorce.
Sports psychologist Dr. Leah Lagos told “Good Morning America” that “there’s no one size fits all where every athlete has to prioritize their family over sport, or every athlete has to prioritize their sport over their family.”
“But knowing which kind of prioritizations and your preferences and just being very authentic about those and harnessing those with truth becomes very powerful,” she added.
“GMA” co-anchor and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan, who played for the New York Giants for 15 years, also weighed in on Brady’s and Scheffler’s comments, as well as the balancing act that comes with being a professional athlete.
“I don’t know why it’s an argument. Different things work for different people,” he said Thursday. “I honestly think the sports are different. Golf, you go for a week and a lot of time they take their family. Football, you’re in and out.”
“I think they’re both at different stages of parenting as well. I do think, regardless of how great you are at your job, you are an example to your kids. I see both arguments. Neither is wrong. Both are great,” Strahan added.
